Wildmanht

I have a 2008, 3LT Z51.

The problem is that I have been trying to resolve for 2 yrs now..

Before I changed out the original Goodyears, I had zero alignment problems. After I changed them out to the Pilot Sports Run Flats, the car drifted to the right. Thought it was strange but I was going to the Chevy Dealer anyways to align everything to Street Specs... Well, the car still drifted to the right. The alignment print out is well in specs. Since I was going on a vacation the following day I just dealt with it.

Sometime later, I went back to American Tire and told them of my problem. NOTE: American Tire does not do alignments.

So back and forth with American Tire, when I have time to do so, they finally say have another Alignment Shop look at it. (Oh, they also said they would rotate the front tires from left to right. REALLY?!! You only sell tires and I have to be the one to tell you the tires are rated for a specific side).

So I went to Just Tires, who I have pretty much only use (the day I bought the tires I tried them first and I got tired of waiting in line for 15mins while a couple couldn't decide what $40 tires they wanted to buy).... The manager at Just Tires checked out the tires and in his opinion he said I have a traveling Right Tire radial. He offered to check out the alignment if I wanted but it would be $70 and told me I would be wasting my money.

SOOOOOOOOOOO, has anyone else have ever had or heard of a Michelin Pilot Sport with a Traveling Radial defect??

I am going to give American Tires one last chance to get the right tire replaced by Michelin. Off hand, I don't think I bought the tire protection replacement. If they won't help, my next call is to Michelin.

v26278

I've never heard of that issue with Michelins. I've had the PS2 A/S's and now have the Super Sport non run flats and both were good performers, though the Super Sports excel.

The tires are not rated for one side, they are unidirectional. They can be swapped from side to side if the wheels are removed from the car, the tires are then dismounted from each wheel, flipped around so that the opposite sidewall is facing out. and re-mounted on the wheel so that they will rotate in the proper direction when installed on the other side of the car. Not sure that will solve the problem, but it can be done.

spy2520

Directional tires must be flipped. In dry conditions i doubt the direction makes much difference though, especially temporarily to isolate a tire-related issue.

There is such thing as a radial pull. If the tires are swapped left to right the pull should follow them. Not super common though, especially with michelins.

08 ATOMIC-Z

Did you call Michelin? They have always been great dealing with issues. I had a C5 where one of my back tires broke a belt. They replaced both rear tires no charge.

Boozman

Mine did this and we swapped the front tires and it tracked true.

AORoads

I don't think I've heard the term "traveling radial" defect. But there can be internal tire defects for individual tires that cause one tire to wander.

A couple of things may also be checked though and that would include having that tire defect checked at yet another place. First, if the alignment is correct it still may not be as good as it can be, meaning you may need some shop that does a better job than the dealer to get it more "spot on." If you assume that more than one thing is slightly off, it could be a cumulative effect more than just one, big thing.

Second, assuming both shops took off each wheel/tire combo and spun them on a balancer, did they do a road force balance which can sometimes help?

Third, unless I'm wrong your tires are actually the Pilot Sport PS2 ZP and if they are stock sizes for your car, they are not unidirectional (same-size, changing from side to side can't be done), meaning they can only go in one direction. But they are asymmetric (same-size, changing from side to side can be done), meaning the outside must always be on the outside. Switching sides for the tires may actually compensate for some small suspension or even alignment issue (stress: small). Still, you have to be confident that it is not the tire or tire/wheel combo or this will just be a worthless exercise of switching sides for the tires.

I like the idea of talking with someone at Michelin, explaining the problem and getting their input on what to do. So far, you've already done quite a bit but the problem's not solved.

Gman in NC

I'd swap the two front tires temporarily just to see if the 'drift' moves to the left. If no change, I'd do the same on the rear too.

phileaglesfan

The problem is that your alignment is "within specs" which is like saying you parked your car anywhere in your 3 car garage but it is within your garage.

I have owned 3 C6s and they ALL seemed to develop a slight pull to the right if aligned within specs. My dealer will now tweak the settings slightly so it won't pull.

You can swap the Super Sports side to side but I'm guessing that will not fix the issue. It is most likely your alignment.

How often did you get alignments with the original Goodyears? Was your first alignment done when the Super Sports were installed? I think the issue is that when the dealer aligns it within specs for the first time the car develops a slight pull to the right. With the Z51 your tires were probably gone in probably around 15k so owners start thinking alignment when their tires wear out that fast.

RocketDawg

I have Pilot Sport non-runflats, and they tramline worse than the worn out Goodyear Super Car tires I had. I've had the rear ones (which caused the difference) since late April but haven't called Michelin yet.

And you can switch tires, wheels and all, from side to side. They are not unidirectional, but the do have an inside and an outside. Some tires used to be unidirectional, but not ones for the C6.

need-for-speed

Unfortunately, this can turn into quite a goose chase.

Michelins are not always "heaven sent" as you might be led to believe. I have them on my company car. It developed a pull. Switching sides on the tires fixed the issue that tells me it was the tire. Ask Michelin if you can swap sides temporarily w/o remounting tire on wheel and see if that changes your pull.

Step 2
Is there a local alignment shop that all the local gear heads like? I'd
Pay for another alignment in an effort to solve the problem. If you have no luck with a second ( or would it be a third?) alignment, it would help your case against Michelin.

Also, there's a lot of +\ - in alignment specs. I like the 3 car garage analogy. Post up your as found / as left readings. There are plenty of folks here who can analyze them for you.

Good luck. Sometime Tire pull issues are easily solved. Sometimes they are a pain in the ***

MKenM

Very interesting article for those who want more information.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire_uniformity

cclive

There is no Michelin tire that is called simply "Pilot Sport" so you need to be more specific. Some are directional, which would mean no easy switching of sides. Some are meant to have a specific side towards the outside of the car.

CheckSix

The factory alignment specs are WIDE. You could be within their spec but very different from left to right and it will pull.

Go to a real shop with master ASE techs and a modern alignment machine and have it checked. Take the Pfadt street alignment specs with you. They're online, if you look for them.

AORoads

"I like the 3 car garage analogy. " need-for-speed.

I do, too. That was a great analogy by Dave.


I assumed he meant that he had stock tires on stock wheels for the car ('08, Z51) and looked it up in tirerack just to make sure there was no other Michelin with only a "Pilot Sport" name. And there isn't. If it's the PS2 ZP which I have on my car, it is "outside" only on the sidewall. (I had to go and check before I finished writing the prior post just because I really didn't recall if it did have that designation on it. )

And if it's anything else on that list that fits a stock wheel, then you may be correct and they could be unidirectional.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...ce=ALL&tab=All

Wildmanht

First off, thank you all for taking the time and posting/providing feedback. Got me thinking on a few things.

According to my America Tire receipt, this is what I bought:
Pilot Sport AS PLUS RF B

The tires now have 8500 miles on them since I bought them. There is ZERO un-normal wear on any of the 4 tires even with the pull. That is why the third tire shop said in his opinion it is a bad right side tire.

Regards to the question did I ever have an alignment done on the original Goodyears, the answer is no. I changed out the Goodyears at 22,513 miles. The inner part of the rears wear bald. Yes I know that is common due to the factory setting when they are shipped.

I gave the dealer the Pfadt street setting I wanted after I put on the Michelins. I would love to post the alignment settings but the print out is REALLY faint. Guess they need to change out their printer cartridge. I will try and darken it up and post.

The rims, suspension and everything is stock.

So what say you all, based upon what I exactly have for tires, should I try the front tire swap?

Eppieguy

My pilot sport run flats track perfect, take off's from a C7.

cegusa

I worked in the frame and axle business for roughly 25 years and have done more alignments than I could ever count. Michelin by far created less tire pull issues than the others in my experience but we're not immune to it. I would try the left to right swap to see what you get. It may correct it, change the direction of the pull or maybe do nothing. If it does change the direction, especially if it is a dramatic change to the left, there may be something up with that right front tire. At the time I lived in Chicago where the city streets had a rather prominent crown. We use to build a little lead to the left to help compensate some. If your alignment numbers are dead even left to right, depending on what your roads are like, that may be playing into it some. I just made the switch to the PSS non run flats and had the alignment re set with about a 1/4 degree caster lead to the left and find it drives great on crowned or flat roads. I replaced the OE Goodyear run flats at 10,000 and am completely satisfied with this tire choice so far. The biggest gain was getting away from the tramlining I was experiencing with the OE tires.

The garage analogy was great. Your cars alignment can technically be in spec but depending on how they are left to right and really even how they set up the rear can be a factor.

MKenM

Not familiar with the term "tramlining" what exactly is it? Does it have something to do with the run flat technology?

cclive

The Pilot Sport A/S Plus is a directional tire, so if you want to switch sides long term, they will need to be re-mounted. You could certainly switch sides for a quick test of the pulling and leave the tires on the wheels as they are...but this should not be done permanently as the tires are going the wrong way. I very much doubt the tires are causing the pulling...but switching sides for a few miles won't hurt anything.
As Bill said above, the Pilot Sport PS2 tire has "outside" marked on it...it is not directional. This is also the case for the Pilot Super Sport, which is the C7 tire.

ATC399

Karma