97 318is follows lorry ruts

> "silverplumbs" wrote in message

> hi ive got a 97 318is, great car but a couple of annoying little
> problems.

> 1 - i can be driving it down a dual carriageway in the outside lane no
> problem but as soon as i use the inside lane it follows the lorry ruts
> and i seem to have no control over it! does anyone have any ideas what
> may cause this?


I am not sure if this is the case for you but this sounds like what is
commonly referred to as "tram lining" and has a couple of potential causes.

1. Associated with installation of larger than stock wheels. People
love the big wheels and I have heard a lot of issues with going more
than +2" over stock causing this symptom to occur.

2. The front (normally) or rear (not so normally) suspension components
are worn causing the alignment to shift as one side of the car hits the
"hill" of the rut in the road prior to the other. It becomes quite an
act of will to keep the car going in a straight line.

cheers, Bob
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"Bob" wrote in message

>> "silverplumbs" wrote in message
>
>> hi ive got a 97 318is, great car but a couple of annoying little
>> problems.
>
>> 1 - i can be driving it down a dual carriageway in the outside lane no
>> problem but as soon as i use the inside lane it follows the lorry ruts
>> and i seem to have no control over it! does anyone have any ideas what
>> may cause this?
>
>
> I am not sure if this is the case for you but this sounds like what is
> commonly referred to as "tram lining" and has a couple of potential
> causes.
>
> 1. Associated with installation of larger than stock wheels. People love
> the big wheels and I have heard a lot of issues with going more than +2"
> over stock causing this symptom to occur.
>

I agree with the sentiment here on the oversize tires, but two things come
to mind relative to this issue. 1.) the chassis can hold a 225/45x17 without
any issues, and 2.) the OP has a 318, which is likely to have nothing larger
than a 205/60x15.



> 2. The front (normally) or rear (not so normally) suspension components
> are worn causing the alignment to shift as one side of the car hits the
> "hill" of the rut in the road prior to the other. It becomes quite an act
> of will to keep the car going in a straight line.

I would blame suspension parts for the tires following the grooves they cut
into the surface of the freeway, but if there are visible ruts from a
carriage (I envision a horse drawn carriage) or train tracks that due to
resurfacing of the roadway now are set below grade, I'd expect a narrow tire
to fit within the ruts and follow them. As annoying as this might be, I
would not blame the car ...

And, it occurs to me that a bit of shimmy that comes from the car following
the grooves they cut into the roadway indicates an otherwise desirable
characteristic of handling that I paid extra for. I like the way my car
handles, but on occasion it will find a rain groove to track for one reason
or another -- I consider this a side affect of the otherwise desirable
things I like about the handling. I'm not sure it iis even an undesireable
side affect, just a side affect. I want my car to go where I aim it when I
aim it there. If I'm not actively aiming it and it finds a groove to follow,
then I have no problem giving my input as to where it should go. If the
groove is going where I'm going, I don't really care. If the groove is going
somewhere else, then I can easily take the car back.
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Jeff Strickland wrote:

>(I envision a horse drawn carriage)

Hey, Jeffy cretin. Did you know that scientists think that horses
have evolved over 10's of MILLIONS of years?

http://chem.tufts.edu/science/evolution/HorseEvolution.htm

But you don't believe in evolution, do you, Jeffy? You think the
Earth is only 10,000 years old, don't you Jeffy?
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"silverplumbs" wrote in message

> hi ive got a 97 318is, great car but a couple of annoying little
> problems.
>
> 1 - i can be driving it down a dual carriageway in the outside lane no
> problem but as soon as i use the inside lane it follows the lorry ruts
> and i seem to have no control over it! does anyone have any ideas what
> may cause this?

The ruts. Your wheels will naturally follow the ruts.

This effect is exploited in rail wheels using a "worn wheel profile": -
http://www.rtu.mmu.ac.uk/pubs/Persson%20Iwnicki%20-%20OPTIMISATION%20O...0RAILWA

>
> 2 - the other small problem ive got is when i accelerate hard through
> the rev range it feels a little hesitant, doesn't rev smoothly through
> the rev range. is this the air mass meter or something more involved?

This car is over ten years old. There could be a host of reasons including
ignition, inlet, exhaust, electronics, linkages, injection etc. Try
replacing the fuel filter as a first step.

The EMU will intentionally miss as you approach the red line to preserve the
engine.
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