Cupped front tires at 4,500 miles
09-03-2010, 01:05 PM
#1
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Cupped front tires at 4,500 miles
Hey all, I just took my Q in for its first 6 month service (didn't quite make it to 5k miles) and I asked about the steering wheel shudder. Apparently the TSB on the lower steering hose doesn't apply to my VIN because by 2010 they had already fixed the issue and the part should already be installed on my car (I have to take it in again next week and they're going to double-check that the correct hose is on there).
They rotated the tires, however, and the shudder seemed to be completely eliminated. I noticed it a little bit when I got to my parking lot at home, but it's much much less pronounced than it used to be (we'll see what happens with more time).
The front tires were cupped pretty noticeably. I can only assume that the shudder was exacerbated by the cupped tires and that now that the rears are on the front, it's much better. My question is: have any of you had problems with tires cupping? My alignment seems fine, and the service guy told me that it could be due to aggressive cornering. I do all my driving in the city, so city-style cornering is common, but at the same time, it's not like I'm powersliding through fast turns. My Q has Michelin tires on it.
I am disappointed because now I feel like I'm going to have to drive like a grandma in order to make sure my tires don't wear out prematurely. Anyone else?
They rotated the tires, however, and the shudder seemed to be completely eliminated. I noticed it a little bit when I got to my parking lot at home, but it's much much less pronounced than it used to be (we'll see what happens with more time).
The front tires were cupped pretty noticeably. I can only assume that the shudder was exacerbated by the cupped tires and that now that the rears are on the front, it's much better. My question is: have any of you had problems with tires cupping? My alignment seems fine, and the service guy told me that it could be due to aggressive cornering. I do all my driving in the city, so city-style cornering is common, but at the same time, it's not like I'm powersliding through fast turns. My Q has Michelin tires on it.
I am disappointed because now I feel like I'm going to have to drive like a grandma in order to make sure my tires don't wear out prematurely. Anyone else?
09-04-2010, 08:32 AM
#2
Cupping is caused by suspension or wheel balance issues, not by over- or under-inflation or misalignment. Cupping usually is the result of a suspension issue. i.e tire is bounceing thus causing a cupping pattern along the tread. Feathered wear, which resembles cupping in one aspect, is caused by misalignment.
Shimmy is almost always caused by wheel balance, steering linkage play, or a faulty tire, not misalignment.
I would definitely get a second opinion from a mechanic you trust.. if you don't have one, head to a reputable tire shop. Chances are they've seen your situation 100x over.
Given the mileage, I doubt it's a suspension issue, but if you do have cupped tires, you should replace them. The cupped tires will thrash your suspension as time goes on.
Shimmy is almost always caused by wheel balance, steering linkage play, or a faulty tire, not misalignment.
I would definitely get a second opinion from a mechanic you trust.. if you don't have one, head to a reputable tire shop. Chances are they've seen your situation 100x over.
Given the mileage, I doubt it's a suspension issue, but if you do have cupped tires, you should replace them. The cupped tires will thrash your suspension as time goes on.
09-04-2010, 09:05 AM
#3
AudiWorld Expert
Tony has some good advice - get a good tire shop (look for the ones recommended by Tire Rack)
If you are talking about wear on the outer edges of the tires - that is not cupping and that is due to having too low of a tire pressure for your driving style.
Here is a good source with pictures: http://www.procarcare.com/includes/c...dtirewear.html
If you are talking about wear on the outer edges of the tires - that is not cupping and that is due to having too low of a tire pressure for your driving style.
Here is a good source with pictures: http://www.procarcare.com/includes/c...dtirewear.html
09-05-2010, 08:05 AM
#4
AudiWorld Senior Member
Hey all, I just took my Q in for its first 6 month service (didn't quite make it to 5k miles) and I asked about the steering wheel shudder. Apparently the TSB on the lower steering hose doesn't apply to my VIN because by 2010 they had already fixed the issue and the part should already be installed on my car (I have to take it in again next week and they're going to double-check that the correct hose is on there).
They rotated the tires, however, and the shudder seemed to be completely eliminated. I noticed it a little bit when I got to my parking lot at home, but it's much much less pronounced than it used to be (we'll see what happens with more time).
The front tires were cupped pretty noticeably. I can only assume that the shudder was exacerbated by the cupped tires and that now that the rears are on the front, it's much better. My question is: have any of you had problems with tires cupping? My alignment seems fine, and the service guy told me that it could be due to aggressive cornering. I do all my driving in the city, so city-style cornering is common, but at the same time, it's not like I'm powersliding through fast turns. My Q has Michelin tires on it.
I am disappointed because now I feel like I'm going to have to drive like a grandma in order to make sure my tires don't wear out prematurely. Anyone else?
They rotated the tires, however, and the shudder seemed to be completely eliminated. I noticed it a little bit when I got to my parking lot at home, but it's much much less pronounced than it used to be (we'll see what happens with more time).
The front tires were cupped pretty noticeably. I can only assume that the shudder was exacerbated by the cupped tires and that now that the rears are on the front, it's much better. My question is: have any of you had problems with tires cupping? My alignment seems fine, and the service guy told me that it could be due to aggressive cornering. I do all my driving in the city, so city-style cornering is common, but at the same time, it's not like I'm powersliding through fast turns. My Q has Michelin tires on it.
I am disappointed because now I feel like I'm going to have to drive like a grandma in order to make sure my tires don't wear out prematurely. Anyone else?
09-05-2010, 09:46 AM
#5
AudiWorld Senior Member
I have a 2010 with 1600 miles and I notice the shudder every single morning in my garage. I'm hoping they'll replace the hose at my 5K service, and not feed my some nonsense about not being able to reproduce the issue, or "the new part is already on the 2010s". This seems highly unlikely since so many on here have complained of the shudder and there's no way all those people are in '09s.
09-10-2010, 01:50 PM
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Thanks for the responses and advice everyone. The car is in the shop now and I just spoke with them:
- They inspected the steering hose and confirmed that as they suspected it is indeed the newer part, so the TSB doesn't apply to my car (I'm not sure about the exact production date, but it should have been right around January 2010). Mine is a 3.2L, so YMMV if you have a different engine on yours (according to the dealer some 2010 2L turbos have the older part). Your dealer should be able to tell by your VIN whether the TSB applies to your car.
- HOWEVER, they also did a road test and noticed a steering vibration at high speeds (which I had not noticed - I just thought the highways here in Seattle, where I just moved, were horribly paved!). As a result, they Road Force balanced all 4 tires and they say the high speed vibration is now gone. They agree that this may have been the culprit for the cupping.
I feel a whole hell of a lot better and am hoping that the cupping does not continue now that this has been done.
With that being said, I should address the low-speed steering shake issue:
Like I've stated before, my 2010 3.2L Q5 has had the steering shake issue at parking lot speeds since new. This has been happening even though the steering hose on my car is the updated part as covered by the TSB which has been discussed several times on the forum. Poor balance appears to have caused my front tires to cup. As the tires wore, the steering shake got worse and happened on all surfaces. The tires were rotated and the shake improved, although it still happened on some surfaces, such as the cement parking lot in my apartment.
The tires were balanced today and I haven't had a chance to drive the Q post-balancing yet, but I expect that the low-speed steering shake will continue on some surfaces. Audi tells me that this is normal. I know from driving other cars (including the A4 loaner car that I have parked in the same cement parking lot in my apartment at the moment) that this is not normal at all. However, I'm done fighting the good fight for the moment.
- They inspected the steering hose and confirmed that as they suspected it is indeed the newer part, so the TSB doesn't apply to my car (I'm not sure about the exact production date, but it should have been right around January 2010). Mine is a 3.2L, so YMMV if you have a different engine on yours (according to the dealer some 2010 2L turbos have the older part). Your dealer should be able to tell by your VIN whether the TSB applies to your car.
- HOWEVER, they also did a road test and noticed a steering vibration at high speeds (which I had not noticed - I just thought the highways here in Seattle, where I just moved, were horribly paved!). As a result, they Road Force balanced all 4 tires and they say the high speed vibration is now gone. They agree that this may have been the culprit for the cupping.
I feel a whole hell of a lot better and am hoping that the cupping does not continue now that this has been done.
With that being said, I should address the low-speed steering shake issue:
Like I've stated before, my 2010 3.2L Q5 has had the steering shake issue at parking lot speeds since new. This has been happening even though the steering hose on my car is the updated part as covered by the TSB which has been discussed several times on the forum. Poor balance appears to have caused my front tires to cup. As the tires wore, the steering shake got worse and happened on all surfaces. The tires were rotated and the shake improved, although it still happened on some surfaces, such as the cement parking lot in my apartment.
The tires were balanced today and I haven't had a chance to drive the Q post-balancing yet, but I expect that the low-speed steering shake will continue on some surfaces. Audi tells me that this is normal. I know from driving other cars (including the A4 loaner car that I have parked in the same cement parking lot in my apartment at the moment) that this is not normal at all. However, I'm done fighting the good fight for the moment.
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09-11-2010, 07:22 AM
#8
AudiWorld Expert
Thanks for the responses and advice everyone. The car is in the shop now and I just spoke with them:
- They inspected the steering hose and confirmed that as they suspected it is indeed the newer part, so the TSB doesn't apply to my car (I'm not sure about the exact production date, but it should have been right around January 2010). Mine is a 3.2L, so YMMV if you have a different engine on yours (according to the dealer some 2010 2L turbos have the older part). Your dealer should be able to tell by your VIN whether the TSB applies to your car.
- HOWEVER, they also did a road test and noticed a steering vibration at high speeds (which I had not noticed - I just thought the highways here in Seattle, where I just moved, were horribly paved!). As a result, they Road Force balanced all 4 tires and they say the high speed vibration is now gone. They agree that this may have been the culprit for the cupping.
I feel a whole hell of a lot better and am hoping that the cupping does not continue now that this has been done.
With that being said, I should address the low-speed steering shake issue:
Like I've stated before, my 2010 3.2L Q5 has had the steering shake issue at parking lot speeds since new. This has been happening even though the steering hose on my car is the updated part as covered by the TSB which has been discussed several times on the forum. Poor balance appears to have caused my front tires to cup. As the tires wore, the steering shake got worse and happened on all surfaces. The tires were rotated and the shake improved, although it still happened on some surfaces, such as the cement parking lot in my apartment.
The tires were balanced today and I haven't had a chance to drive the Q post-balancing yet, but I expect that the low-speed steering shake will continue on some surfaces. Audi tells me that this is normal. I know from driving other cars (including the A4 loaner car that I have parked in the same cement parking lot in my apartment at the moment) that this is not normal at all. However, I'm done fighting the good fight for the moment.
- They inspected the steering hose and confirmed that as they suspected it is indeed the newer part, so the TSB doesn't apply to my car (I'm not sure about the exact production date, but it should have been right around January 2010). Mine is a 3.2L, so YMMV if you have a different engine on yours (according to the dealer some 2010 2L turbos have the older part). Your dealer should be able to tell by your VIN whether the TSB applies to your car.
- HOWEVER, they also did a road test and noticed a steering vibration at high speeds (which I had not noticed - I just thought the highways here in Seattle, where I just moved, were horribly paved!). As a result, they Road Force balanced all 4 tires and they say the high speed vibration is now gone. They agree that this may have been the culprit for the cupping.
I feel a whole hell of a lot better and am hoping that the cupping does not continue now that this has been done.
With that being said, I should address the low-speed steering shake issue:
Like I've stated before, my 2010 3.2L Q5 has had the steering shake issue at parking lot speeds since new. This has been happening even though the steering hose on my car is the updated part as covered by the TSB which has been discussed several times on the forum. Poor balance appears to have caused my front tires to cup. As the tires wore, the steering shake got worse and happened on all surfaces. The tires were rotated and the shake improved, although it still happened on some surfaces, such as the cement parking lot in my apartment.
The tires were balanced today and I haven't had a chance to drive the Q post-balancing yet, but I expect that the low-speed steering shake will continue on some surfaces. Audi tells me that this is normal. I know from driving other cars (including the A4 loaner car that I have parked in the same cement parking lot in my apartment at the moment) that this is not normal at all. However, I'm done fighting the good fight for the moment.
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