Hi, I'm new to the forum and tried searching everywhere I could but don't think this topic has been covered. The problem may be unique only to my car.

I recently purchased an excellent condition '06 MCS with 30k miles. It comes with 17 S-lite wheels + brand-new Pirelli Euforia run-flat tires. The car is very clean in and out and runs very strong. I had the dealer go through everything and got all the leak gaskets replaced under warranty just last week.

I live in LA and the freeway here are nasty, most of them have cracked concrete surface and I would get this wobble feeling feedback from the whole car (but the steering doesn't wobble though) most of the time going over 50 mph. The feeling is almost like the car is floating or going against strong side-wind and it wobbles from from side to side to the point that you can feel the shifting G-force. It happens very quickly and it almost feels unsafe.

I'm thinking maybe I'm being too sensitive but the car has no problem on smooth asphalt and my other cars (01 Miata, 03 Mercedes C320) doesn't have this same problem.

Please help me identify the problem and find the cure. Thanks much!

 

Hey buddy, congratulations on the new purchase. Have you tried doing the basic stuff to see if that takes care of the problem? Things like making sure the tire pressures are matched correctly, making sure the alignment is good and making sure none of the wheels are bent?

Low tire pressures can make a car feel wombly at speed, especially over bad roads, alingment maybe not so much but if the rear alignment is out it may cause the car to be over sensitive and feel like it wants to move. A bent rear wheel may be the problem too, I had that on my previous car and there was very little shake at highway speeds but it could sometimes feel odd.

My last point would be to find a smooth freeway (if possible) and see what happens there. All MINIs have a pretty hard suspension which can hurt the solid feel of the car over a bumpy and pot-holed road surface. I felt the same way about mine over bumps when I first got it but once I learned to adjust to make allowance for it I feel a lot better.

Hope this helps and welcome to NAM!

 

Wobbling at higher speeds sound like out of balance rims/tires or the tires may just be old and have developed permanent flat spots from sitting too long. My OEM runflats used to do that really bad........But, then you go onto describing a shifting motion from L to R ect like being struck by a hard cross wind while on the freeway ?

If the latter is more accurate, that could be something else all together. Put the MINI up on a lift and have a mechanic apply pressure to the control arms with a long bar and check for abnoral extension of the arm. If there is too much movement, it is likely that the control arm bushing(s) are shot. We have some fairly rough roads out here with elongaged cracks which are raised up and run parallel with the roadway. When I would drive over these, it was like the car's wheels were stuck in grooves guiding the car left and right....causing me to make constant steering corrections, to the point of being unpredictable, and potentially dangerous.

Powerflex makes a super upgrade over stock busings. About every one of our local club members have added them and all have praised their new handling. Never any neg feedback who did the upgrade. An alignment is necessary after the install, and both will help to keep your front tires wearing evenly.

www.waymotorworks.com should have a good supply in stock. And congratulations on you new MINI. Really sharp !

 

When you say wobble, do you mean a rotational vibration or the car is twitchy,
if it is a rotational wobble...look at the rims, tires, and alighnment.
If the car has lowering springs on it, this can throw the alighnment off a bit.
If it seems more twitchy at speed, then there a few things to look at...
Worn bushings...the extra play will do odd things on a groved surface, just as some brands of tires the rubber tread will kind mesh with the groves and give you an odd wobble...
Check to see if the car has a bigger rear swaybar installed...this might liven up the back end, and coupled with the other issues, give you an interesting ride. They can usually be set to a less tight setting...most add on bars have 2 or more settigs...you just move the bolt to the hole gurtherst from the bend in the bar, and it change the cars feel.

 

Excellent advice so far. I would add, lose the runflats at the earliest opportunity. Although not familiar with the Pirellis, the OE Goodyears on two of my Minis (I'm on #3, last one for me! another story) were alien creatures: weird noises. abnormal wear, and some unpredictable lateral tracking similar to your description, which seems sometimes like a broken belt in a tire. Also rode like a truck and lost grip earlier than regular tires. Problems disappeared with installation of decent non-runflats. But definitely check out the previous recommendations, since the other side of the coin is that new more flexible tires can mask any possible wear or defects which the runflats will telegraph directly...if they are not the cause of the behavior themselves. -Nice looking car.

 

38PSI is what it takes front & rear.

I once had pirelli tires on a 3000GT and they acted just like you say your car is doing. I took them off and put on Michelins and my problem was solved. I sold the Pirelli's on E-Bay. The dealer would not take them back after I used them. The Pirelli's also were very very noisy on concrete and if I was on a concrete highway or bridge they would make a whistleing sound. I only lost a little over $200.00 on that learning lesson.

But before you do a thing you need to be sure you have 38psi all around in those tires.

 

I did forget to mention that it is a hot looking ride!

Meacoopa just gave me another thought which is that you may want to check the structural integrity of the tire. If the tires have been on there since new then they may have some odd wear or even dry-rot or other problems if they have been sitting for a while. Give it a good visaul examination!!

 

He lives in LA, it could just be tramlining......following the grooves cut into the concrete hiways for water drainage - a lot of cars exhibit this behavior, it comes from running wide flat tires......

But do the basics, tire pressures, alignment, look for worn or loose suspension parts etc.

If it doesn't do this on smooth ashphalt, there's probably nothing wrong with the car. If it becomes an issue for you, sometimes a different brand of tire is the answer....

 

I had the same tire/wheel set up and the section of my commute which had grooved concrete - and the two open grate metal drawbridges - were wonderful places to experience tramlining. When I changed to a different tire the 'problem' went away. The P' Eu'fori seem to be bad in this regard IME.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=47

 

My thoughts exactly. There may be nothing wrong at all.

Dean.

 

When I drove my (new-to-me CPO) 2006 MCS home from the stealership, I got the exact same wobbly feeling on LA freeways. I thought something was wrong with the car, too, it was moving exactly like you describe, as if it was a windy day. It's normal. I think. I've read similar experiences, so I guess "they all do that".

Unfortunately for me, the stealership put new run-flat tires on the car when they put it up for sale. I'm trying my hardest to wear these out, heh!

BTW, nice color! I got a Pepper White, too, but with Pepper White roof and mirrors and MINI web-spokes. Great photo!

 

Thanks all so much for enlightening me. I'll take it one step at a time starting from the tires pressure and see how it goes. Hope there's nothing wrong with the car.

MCS is just so fun to drive and it's hard not to open the tap every time I have a chance. Totally forgot it's supposed to get 25-30MPG.

 

That sounds normal, I like lower air pressures myself like 34-35psi. Grapevine winds will move the MINI but so will striations on roads. Non run flats should improve the trameling.

 

All good advise so far. I agree that it may be the particular brand of tire that you are running. It is not uncommon for the front controll arm bushings to have developed some wear which would enhance the problem.
Another area that may help is added bracing to your car. The lower OMP brace, or better yet the lower trapizoid brace or TSW "X" brace would help to make the car feel more planted.
Good luck with your new ride.
Steve

 

Looking at all the possibilities, I'd like to offer some 'likelihoods.'

With only 30k miles, its seems unlikely that the bushings are worn out. However, the tires could be worn out,or flatspotted from sitting. I got about 30k each from two sets of runflats.

Ive had a lot of cars tramline over grated bridges and rain-grooved roads. There are certain sections of roadway here, namely two sections of Sunrise Highway, one in Massapequa, and one on Bellmore, where it feels like Im driving on railroad ties. Is there anyplace the OP can find some smooth surface to try highway speeds? I would think thats first, after checking inflation pressures. Then move on to checking bushings, etc.

 

Another easy thing to check : make sure lug bolts are on tight.

--e

 

I get the same thing, but only on certain sections of the 405, 10, 101 and the 60. It is just the car following the groves in the road. Scares the crap out of ya sometimes, especially during a sweeping bend!

 

I felt the same kind of FLOATING when I test drove a
Mini S with Runflats...........

When I got my Mini S, the Runflats quickly went Bye Bye . . . . . . . . . .

And do buy a torque wrench to keep those wheels on the car ( 88 lbs )

 

I live in Colorado and much of the concrete is heavily grooved. I think what you are feeling is normal as I have that happen to me also. I used to ride motorcycles and its the exact same feeling when you are on grooved pavement. She is just adjusting to the grooves...awesome looking ride.

 

I'd start with a new set of tires, those really aren't the best tires.

 

Wear them out first, you paid for them after all!

I too experience the movement on milled/grooved pavement and drawbridges. I didn't realize that was how bad the freeways were in LA!

 

OMG YES ... as a new motorcycle rider many years ago, no one had warned me about open grate bridge surfaces or grooved pavements. The first time I went over a draw bridge I nearly went down. And they scared the HECK out of me for several years as they were infrequent experiences. DITTO grooved concrete. I guess it was that experience that made me a bit aware when the MINI did it too . . .

 

Yep.....this is the problem, not the other stuff.

 

Its a quite the experience the first time....its a piece of cake in the mini compared to a bike.

 

This! Though I've never heard the term "tramlining". The grooves that are cut into the concrete are never perfectly straight and will wander left and right just a bit. Sometimes they even do that on purpose. And some tires will be affected by this grooving more than others. And the run-flats, because of their extra stiff sidewalls will be affected the the most. If the tires don't exhibit this problem on ungrooved pavement, then you could just learn to live with it. Otherwise, a tire change might be in order.

And next time you're on the freeway and you notice this happening, have a close look at the grooves in the road surface. I'll bet they aren't pefectly straight and wander just a bit.