06 SI - wanders / pulls based on road

smiley · 04-19-2007, 10:43 AM

Maybe I'm just being too picky, but I find that when I am traveling in a straight line and let go of the wheel the car pulls to the left or right depending on how smooth the pavement is.

I understand if I am accelerating that it will pull, but it also occus when just coasting.

Is this just the factory tires or is something wrong with the front end. I have owned a lot of cars (over 25 vehicles) and this one seems to be excessive.

Anyone else have this issue, or any recalls I'm not aware of.

cheers

hondasi006 · 04-19-2007, 10:58 AM

yes, i know for a fact that it is the road. i have done a bunch of tests, when i drove on a freshly paved level highway it went straight as an arrow however many roads by my house are not level and especially when applying the brakes you have better have the steering wheel with a good grip, and this happens in the same areas all the time only with my car.

hondasi006 · 04-19-2007, 10:59 AM

yes, i know for a fact that it is the road. i have done a bunch of tests, when i drove on a freshly paved level highway it went straight as an arrow however many roads by my house are not level and especially when applying the brakes you have better have the steering wheel with a good grip, and this happens in the same areas all the time only with my car.

pure2.0 · 04-19-2007, 01:05 PM

Don't be afraid to have the dealership check the alignment for you. It's worth it just to make sure none of the settings are off. But most probably, it is just the car; the Si seems to be a very responsive car that gives a lot of feedback to the driver, so you feel everything the crappy roads have to offer....

4_Door_SI · 04-19-2007, 01:07 PM

Most roads are built to have a slant to them. This is for rain. If all roads were flat then you would have an issue with water build up,

simplicated1979 · 04-19-2007, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4_Door_SI

Most roads are built to have a slant to them. This is for rain. If all roads were flat then you would have an issue with water build up,

what he said...

rcracin13 · 04-19-2007, 01:33 PM

come to nyc and try letting go of your steering wheel and see what happens. of course its the road.

smiley · 04-19-2007, 01:50 PM

Duh.. I am not talking about normal driving where if I let go of the steering wheel the vehicle will slowing go left or right.

I am doing 25 to 30 mph, I let go of the wheel for 1 to 2 seconds, I am half way into the next lane. If I do this on a flat smooth road, the SI stays straight as an arrow. Go Figure.

Thats why I thought it might be the tires or ???

I am not a new driver by any means, I thought most people would get that point by me stating this is my 25th or 26th vehicle.

smiley · 04-19-2007, 01:54 PM

Sorry forgot to add.

My old 2001 Civic Si does not have this problem on the same road.
My 1969 Firebird with bias ply's doesn't have this problem
Or my Stepside short box 1984 chevy.

Not to sound annoyed with my SI, I love the car, but it just seems like the tires or ??? is messed up and the dealer has not been of any help. Yet?

***NewEdgePerf*** · 04-19-2007, 01:56 PM

A car with some toe out will hunt and wander. Also, if you have too much negative camber and wide tires, you will see this from time to time.

Have you rotated the tires yet? I have seen a tire pull cause this symptom as well.

I hope this helps.

Tony D

smiley · 04-19-2007, 02:00 PM

Thanks NewEdge

The car only had 10,000km (or 6300 miles) so far. It is running on the original rubber that came with the car. (not the summer tire option the dealership offered, just the regular tires).

With the neg camber, would that not appear on a smooth road as well?

thanks

DanFG2 · 04-19-2007, 02:04 PM

Its the All Season tires, I had Dunlop winter tires on it didn't wander at all no matter the road, once i put my all seasons back on a week ago, its wandering all over on certain roads.

smiley · 04-19-2007, 02:15 PM

Hey DanFG2

Were the winter tires identical to the summer ones in size (height and width). If thats what the issue is, I will go out later this week and grad a new set of rubber.

Thanks for your time

hondasi006 · 04-19-2007, 02:30 PM

its the road combined with the car. the cars steering is very sensative. not only on the gas, but try applying the brakes when not on a smooth road, honestly i did not like this about the si, but know that when you have your hands on the wheel the car doesnt wonder around, keeps me more in controll and paying attention.

PRUMANS · 04-19-2007, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hondasi006

its the road combined with the car. the cars steering is very sensative. not only on the gas, but try applying the brakes when not on a smooth road, honestly i did not like this about the si, but know that when you have your hands on the wheel the car doesnt wonder around, keeps me more in controll and paying attention.

Sometimes it is an issue of allignment, but in regards to this thread, I agree with you. I believe in this case it is the normal attributes of the cars sensative steering and the the road. My SI has perfect allignment, but is very sensative to my tire pressures and the road due to the tight steering responses. I can be as little as half a pound difference between the two front tires in air pressure and I can notice a difference in the car. Sometimes it is even just the pressure of my hand on one side of the steering wheel that will case my car to veer. My Accord is no where near as sensative to steering imputs as the Si is. You would think that with the Accords lighter steering that it would wander easier, but since the steering imput is slower, it seems to track better. Go figure.

hondasi006 · 04-19-2007, 03:42 PM

yes i do agree with you. i notice the steering the most when i only have one hand on the wheel.

i had a crappy ford escort with crappy power steering. my tire started goin flat on the way home, not untill i stoped to look at it cuz i heard the ticking from the nail is when i noticed it. i would sure hate to be in the si when you get a blow out.

iknowmysh1t · 04-19-2007, 11:14 PM

road crown = slant in road for water to drain off of road.

**Yodums** · 04-19-2007, 11:23 PM

I make a very general observation by driving down a road and seeing which way I pull to. Then I'll drive in the opposite direction and see if it still pulls in that direction. I mean, if both are pulling to the right in separate directions, then I don't think you can really blame the structure of the road.

Sam388 · 04-20-2007, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PRUMANS

Sometimes it is an issue of allignment, but in regards to this thread, I agree with you. I believe in this case it is the normal attributes of the cars sensative steering and the the road. My SI has perfect allignment, but is very sensative to my tire pressures and the road due to the tight steering responses. I can be as little as half a pound difference between the two front tires in air pressure and I can notice a difference in the car. Sometimes it is even just the pressure of my hand on one side of the steering wheel that will case my car to veer. My Accord is no where near as sensative to steering imputs as the Si is. You would think that with the Accords lighter steering that it would wander easier, but since the steering imput is slower, it seems to track better. Go figure.

Totally agree. The "Si" definitely wanders when I up the pressure. When you get up around 40+/- the car follows every little line in the road. When I back it down its fine. I keep them at 36F/34R.

Driven · 04-20-2007, 10:01 PM

These cars all have low profile , wide performance orientated tires, The tires grip the road surface and will cause pulls and thus steering corrections. I've spent the last 10+ years working with High end performance cars in the $70,000-165000 range where this type of tire has been very common and this is considered normal operation as the car is equipped.

Mine does this and I'd have to say with my experience I find it acceptable for a 22k car

04-19-2007, 10:43 AM	#1 (permalink)
smiley Junior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Manitoba, Canada Posts: 15 iTrader: 0 / 0%	06 SI - wanders / pulls based on road Maybe I'm just being too picky, but I find that when I am traveling in a straight line and let go of the wheel the car pulls to the left or right depending on how smooth the pavement is. I understand if I am accelerating that it will pull, but it also occus when just coasting. Is this just the factory tires or is something wrong with the front end. I have owned a lot of cars (over 25 vehicles) and this one seems to be excessive. Anyone else have this issue, or any recalls I'm not aware of. cheers

04-19-2007, 01:56 PM	#10 (permalink)
*NewEdgePerf* 8thcivic Sponsor Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Cresaptown, Md Posts: 133 Tony D iTrader: 2 / 100%	A car with some toe out will hunt and wander. Also, if you have too much negative camber and wide tires, you will see this from time to time. Have you rotated the tires yet? I have seen a tire pull cause this symptom as well. I hope this helps. Tony D __________________ Specializing in Parts for the New Civic and Honda Fit. Dealer for Progress, Ingalls, and more! www.newedgeperformance.com

04-19-2007, 11:23 PM	#18 (permalink)
Yodums Scrodums Join Date: May 2006 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 8,240 Hiro Nakamura iTrader: 9 / 100%	I make a very general observation by driving down a road and seeing which way I pull to. Then I'll drive in the opposite direction and see if it still pulls in that direction. I mean, if both are pulling to the right in separate directions, then I don't think you can really blame the structure of the road. __________________ 2007 Taffeta White Civic Si Coupe

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04-19-2007, 10:58 AM	#2 (permalink)
hondasi006 Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 1,131 iTrader: 0 / 0%	yes, i know for a fact that it is the road. i have done a bunch of tests, when i drove on a freshly paved level highway it went straight as an arrow however many roads by my house are not level and especially when applying the brakes you have better have the steering wheel with a good grip, and this happens in the same areas all the time only with my car.

04-19-2007, 10:59 AM	#3 (permalink)
hondasi006 Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 1,131 iTrader: 0 / 0%	yes, i know for a fact that it is the road. i have done a bunch of tests, when i drove on a freshly paved level highway it went straight as an arrow however many roads by my house are not level and especially when applying the brakes you have better have the steering wheel with a good grip, and this happens in the same areas all the time only with my car.

04-19-2007, 01:05 PM	#4 (permalink)
pure2.0 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Leominster, MA Posts: 681 iTrader: 1 / 100%	Don't be afraid to have the dealership check the alignment for you. It's worth it just to make sure none of the settings are off. But most probably, it is just the car; the Si seems to be a very responsive car that gives a lot of feedback to the driver, so you feel everything the crappy roads have to offer....

04-19-2007, 01:07 PM	#5 (permalink)
4_Door_SI Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Warner Robins GA Posts: 156 iTrader: 1 / 100%	Most roads are built to have a slant to them. This is for rain. If all roads were flat then you would have an issue with water build up,

04-19-2007, 01:33 PM	#7 (permalink)
rcracin13 Senior Member Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Queens, NYC Age: 20 Posts: 1,467 iTrader: 7 / 100%	come to nyc and try letting go of your steering wheel and see what happens. of course its the road.

04-19-2007, 01:50 PM	#8 (permalink)
smiley Junior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Manitoba, Canada Posts: 15 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Duh.. I am not talking about normal driving where if I let go of the steering wheel the vehicle will slowing go left or right. I am doing 25 to 30 mph, I let go of the wheel for 1 to 2 seconds, I am half way into the next lane. If I do this on a flat smooth road, the SI stays straight as an arrow. Go Figure. Thats why I thought it might be the tires or ??? I am not a new driver by any means, I thought most people would get that point by me stating this is my 25th or 26th vehicle.

04-19-2007, 01:54 PM	#9 (permalink)
smiley Junior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Manitoba, Canada Posts: 15 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Sorry forgot to add. My old 2001 Civic Si does not have this problem on the same road. My 1969 Firebird with bias ply's doesn't have this problem Or my Stepside short box 1984 chevy. Not to sound annoyed with my SI, I love the car, but it just seems like the tires or ??? is messed up and the dealer has not been of any help. Yet?

04-19-2007, 02:00 PM	#11 (permalink)
smiley Junior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Manitoba, Canada Posts: 15 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Thanks NewEdge The car only had 10,000km (or 6300 miles) so far. It is running on the original rubber that came with the car. (not the summer tire option the dealership offered, just the regular tires). With the neg camber, would that not appear on a smooth road as well? thanks

04-19-2007, 02:04 PM	#12 (permalink)
DanFG2 Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Dawson Creek, BC Age: 26 Posts: 42 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Its the All Season tires, I had Dunlop winter tires on it didn't wander at all no matter the road, once i put my all seasons back on a week ago, its wandering all over on certain roads.

04-19-2007, 02:15 PM	#13 (permalink)
smiley Junior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Manitoba, Canada Posts: 15 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Hey DanFG2 Were the winter tires identical to the summer ones in size (height and width). If thats what the issue is, I will go out later this week and grad a new set of rubber. Thanks for your time

04-19-2007, 02:30 PM	#14 (permalink)
hondasi006 Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 1,131 iTrader: 0 / 0%	its the road combined with the car. the cars steering is very sensative. not only on the gas, but try applying the brakes when not on a smooth road, honestly i did not like this about the si, but know that when you have your hands on the wheel the car doesnt wonder around, keeps me more in controll and paying attention.

04-19-2007, 03:42 PM	#16 (permalink)
hondasi006 Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 1,131 iTrader: 0 / 0%	yes i do agree with you. i notice the steering the most when i only have one hand on the wheel. i had a crappy ford escort with crappy power steering. my tire started goin flat on the way home, not untill i stoped to look at it cuz i heard the ticking from the nail is when i noticed it. i would sure hate to be in the si when you get a blow out.

04-19-2007, 11:14 PM	#17 (permalink)
iknowmysh1t Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 973 iTrader: 0 / 0%	road crown = slant in road for water to drain off of road.

04-20-2007, 10:01 PM	#20 (permalink)
Driven Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Chicago Burbs Posts: 9 iTrader: 1 / 100%	These cars all have low profile , wide performance orientated tires, The tires grip the road surface and will cause pulls and thus steering corrections. I've spent the last 10+ years working with High end performance cars in the $70,000-165000 range where this type of tire has been very common and this is considered normal operation as the car is equipped. Mine does this and I'd have to say with my experience I find it acceptable for a 22k car