TRD sport tires on grooved pavement

I travel by freeway a lot and there are newer sections that are heavily grooved. My TRD sport with the stock Michelins feels like it is significantly sliding laterally side to side on these sections. I’ve experienced this before in other vehicles but no where close to this Tacoma. I’m assuming it’s the tires causing this? Has anybody else noticed it? To say it’s annoying is an understatement. I wasn’t going to be in a rush to change tires but may be forced to if it stops the sensation of wandering.

 

My sport had generals & they seemed fine...
For starters I say check your tire pressure.
Alot of these trucks has been grossly over inflated at the factory & weren't corrected during PDI prior to selling.
Should be set at 32 if I remember correctly on the sport.
Mine were at 45, some folks reported 50+....

 

You know I was just guessing that they were michelins. They could be generals. I’m in bed and too lazy to go check. Tire pressure is about 39 in all corners. I’ll try dropping that.

 

They dont all have the same tire...
But that really doesnt matter.

yeah, set too high.
Check the sticker on the driver side door jam, gives recommended tire pressure.
Double check but pretty sure its 32psi.

 

I find any truck with a straight rear axle does this, it doesnt want to track perfectly in the lines.

Dropping pressure help a bit but it will always do it to some extent.

 

Fuck grooved roads. My last job I was driving a isuzu reefer box truck on one and the shit put me in a death wobble. I swear some wheels went off the ground but I corrected it, pulled over, and just laid down for a minute until I could think straight. No shoulder when it happened just trees

 

My SR5 with Cooper Discoverer Road+Trail does the same thing. They were doing some paving near work and the grooving before hand the truck was wandering all over. This is why they put out warnings for motorcycles during this process.

 

Check and adjust your tire pressure to the correct cold pressure on your tire size/pressure place card..
Check your tires tread depth and for even/uneven wear..

When was the last time you rotated your tires? Did this start after the rotate, did the rotate affect it? If Yes, or been over 5K miles then rotate to see what happens..

Lastly if the above is all good, have your alignment checked and set, I have seen brand new vehicles out of line, you could have a negative toe (toed out) issue causing the vehicle to follow the road side to side... On a decent road, a toe out/in issue will not pull, but we call it the silent killer cause it can eat your tires up and never pull... lol

 

Tires with a generally straight rib pattern tend to wander on rain-grooved pavement. I never understood why they groove the pavement that way; wouldn't grooves across the road drain water better? It's probably noisier that way though.

 

Tramlining. You could also have an alignment shop bump your caster up a half degree in addition to the tire manipulations. But keep in mind that nothing will eliminate it, it will merely reduce the effect.

 

The grooves are not to drain the roadbed; they are to help squeeze water out from under the tires to reduce chances of hydroplaning. I suspect the direction has more to do with cost (continuous cut vs having to stop, move, and re-start).

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/pubs/hif17011.pdf

 

Dude, be careful. Posting a brief thoughtful opinion followed by a reliable well researched article is against the "functional" TW code of conduct. Perhaps you're new.

But seriously, that's a fascinating read. Comparison of texturing the surface dragging burlap bags vs artificial turf? The pros and cons of longitudinal vs transverse tining in terms of noise, spray and water shedding? Analyzing the various contributors to acceptable vs objectionable road noise with frequency analysis? Love it!

 

Seems to me that's sort of the same thing. The grooves will work both ways to squeeze water out from under the tires. If you can drain standing water from the roadway, you don't get puddles that you can hydroplane on. Of course, if it's pouring buckets like it has recently around here, the water won't drain fast enough regardless of which way the grooves go. And why do you see grooved concrete pavement but rarely if ever see grooved asphalt?

 

Same thing with my wife's '25 4Runner, it came with the Michelins, and the ass goes back and forth with the lines in the cement surface. I towed our camper with it and it was so bad I pulled over thinking something was wrong. The Falkens that came on my Taco don't do it at all!

 

I had General Grabber Arctics that just felt like I was driving on canola oil when on grooves. KO2s and the current Nokian NATs stick just fine (on the very same grooves: a right handed downhill westbound I-80).

 

Yep, a lot of people don't realize that tires will make or break a vehicle...

 

The truck is basically brand new with 1000 miles. I’m going on a freeway drive tomorrow and will try reducing PSI. Although I’m not sure if the roads I’m traveling have the grooves.

 

Think of the time (money) difference it would cost to reset the grooving machine every time it cuts grooves across the lanes vs just continually driving down the road cutting them.

 

I have checked trucks/vehicles with a 100 (yes one hundred) miles on them that were out of factory spec...

A toe out alignment can/will make a vehicle wander, (seems like it has a pull both to the left and right), and unstable at higher speeds due to the tires trying to follow uneven lines such as pavement lines and or grooves in the road, this is known as tramlining, tramlining is exaggerated by a toe out issue as well as it affects straight line stability...

NOT saying that is 100% your issue, but I am saying it is possible it could be your issue, I have seen this over many years of being in the business and have even tested it out on a couple of vehicles that I drove to fast for what they were/are, not to mention many many customer feed backs with their vehicles...

You could always test drive another Tacoma of the same year and trim (tires) and see if it does it on the same roads, If it is the road and vehicle, it will do it with any one, if it is only yours then it is something with your vehicle...

PS, do not reduce the psi of your OEM tires lower than what the vehicle calls for as you can over heat the tires and cause a burn ring and or affect the handling of the vehicle..

 

Hilarious opening sentence! lol (I see how you came to that conclusion--experience/life on TW)

That is annoying when concrete textures affect linear driving.

I've experienced it going over bridges in my '21 Sport but nothing like described.

I just hold the steering wheel steady until the texture goes away.