Unstable on Highway

[Santib]

I cant figure out what is causing my X to wander on the highway. It has 87000 miles and I have checked the front suspension to make sure that there are no broken parts in the front end. I was told that the tension struts could cause this condition when they get old. The bushings are not cracked but show some wear. Has anyone found any Urathane bushings to replace the stock ones? Thanks for your help.

[mrkbbd]

it's the tires, usually wider tires try to find grooves in the road to follow

[Thunder22]

Originally Posted by mrkbbd

it's the tires, usually wider tires try to find grooves in the road to follow

Make sure the tire pressure is correct too.

[vegasX5]

Do you have the stock wheel/tire set up? I noticed a little more wandering when I switched away from the original wheels and tires on my non-sport 4.4. I only went from an 18" to 19" and could tell a difference!

[BMWLOVER]

mine has 19" wheels and ive never noticed it wandering around. infact i think it stuck to the road like crazy. easy to drive.

[peacemf]

oh mine does that, in the czech republic the roads are well, crap!
so when you go on the slow lane you notice the car pulling to a side...its worrying cos you feel as though the car wants to kill you! lol

[WAYNE'S X5]

It's true, just check tyre pressures constantly as soon as i put 315/35/20's on the rear and 295/40/20's on the front mine does it but grips like f###!

[Laurence]

Originally Posted by Santib

I cant figure out what is causing my X to wander on the highway. It has 87000 miles and I have checked the front suspension to make sure that there are no broken parts in the front end. I was told that the tension struts could cause this condition when they get old. The bushings are not cracked but show some wear. Has anyone found any Urathane bushings to replace the stock ones? Thanks for your help.

Have you looked at the rear sub frame mounts?
These can disintegrate and leave the sub frame "floating" but its not always obvious that there is a problem. You may hear a "creaking" from the rear and you may also feel some vagueness in the steering as the rear wheels geometry will change as the sub frame moves.
My car has done 73000 miles and I'm getting them replaced tomorrow.

[Santib]

Originally Posted by Laurence

Have you looked at the rear sub frame mounts?
These can disintegrate and leave the sub frame "floating" but its not always obvious that there is a problem. You may hear a "creaking" from the rear and you may also feel some vagueness in the steering as the rear wheels geometry will change as the sub frame moves.
My car has done 73000 miles and I'm getting them replaced tomorrow.

Im going to check the rear. It is very strange how it drives fine then it just starts to jerk from side to side slightly, needing constant correction. I just set tire pressure in the front to 35psi so I will see how it drives on the way home from work tonight.I am going to lower it soon with the H&R springs and want to correct this issue before I get into that.

Thanks for all the input.

[CanadianX5]

Mine started wandering like crazy after I added 30mm spacers on the rear.
If Im not paying enough attention to my driving it catches me off guard and looks like Im drunk.