My 04 seems to be a little worse on rough roads this year....

I always thought it tracked like a slot car on the road, but, whenever I hit a bump or chuckhole in the road, she seems to lose control. For example, when I was entering the freeway this weekend there were a few potholes in the road at the entrance. Even though I had the wheels turned, the car went straight (towards the cement barriers!!!) until the wheels hit the ground and went where I had the steering wheel turned. I wasn't going too fast when I did it. I've also had similar experiences when taking turns and hitting a pothole or bump at higher speeds.

I don't recall the car acting like this before. Has it been: A. a slow change in the car that needs dealer attention, or B. the roads are getting worse in northern Ohio, or C. my driving is getting worse. Choose one only.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? I know StabiliTrak was improved over the years, so those of you with newer cars probably don't have the same issue.

Maybe I should move to sunny SoCal where the winters and plows don't tear up the roads!!!:rolleyes

Do you have the rear swaybar? It seems to really help keep the rear tires planted to the pavement. How many miles do you have on your tires? Check your air pressure. If it's too high it will effect handling. You may want to have a 4 wheel alignment done.

I pick B.


Bruce :)

Air pressure is good (~32 lbs all 4 tires), tires have less than 10,000 on all 4, and no swaybar. I'll probably do the alignment- did I mention the potholes? Maybe I'll do the swaybar also- it will be cheaper than the alignment!!:lol

I felt a difference as soon as I added the rear swaybar. Low investment, good results. Can't beat that...!

SilverX

Air pressure is good (~32 lbs all 4 tires), tires have less than 10,000 on all 4, and no swaybar. I'll probably do the alignment- did I mention the potholes? Maybe I'll do the swaybar also- it will be cheaper than the alignment!!:lol

If a sway bar is that important, perhaps the boys and girls at BG should send one to every owner.

BTW - both our 04 and 07 follow every groove in the road. We've never found the XLR to be as in touch with the road as our C6 corvette, or any of the cobras we have owned. Now, at high speeds it does become more responsive, but the front end always feels heavy and not as connected as it could be.

If you are having tracking issues, especially problems with the car failing to follow your steering directions; that's an issue with the front tires not being planted, a rear sway bar won't help . Your magnetic shocks should sense the tires are not planted and should be attempting to "close the gap" by pushing the tires downward, maintaining contact with the pavement.

Just my 2 cents worth, been wrong before.

If the tires are original, and the rubber is drying out, even their low miles won't help. Old tires will have a tendency to slip more as the compound becomes less compliant, and if the road is dusty or wet, they can be treacherous.

It can be hard to tell exactly what's causing what when that happens, but if the suspension isn't keeping the wheels on the ground, an alignment won't help (although given your description of the roads, it may be needed).

By stiffening up the rear of the car, a sway bar can improve the car's front grip, and it certainly makes the car handle better. IIRC, they've been stock since '08, when they recalibrated the mag ride suspension.

Stabilitrak, generally, would only come into the picture after the problem had occurred, and it can only maximize available traction after the fact.

Generally, I'd stick with the recommended tire pressures since the tires function as part of the suspension, have a spring rate of their own, and the suspension is tuned to them. However, if it continues to be a problem, I might try dropping down to 30psi out of curiousity. That said, with runflats, it might not make much difference, given the stiffer construction.

I don't know how the shocks' performance changes with age, so the possibility exists that they may not be working as well as when they were new, so there may or may not be an issue there. Naturally, trouble codes would be revealing.

Regardless, take care til you find the solution

A rear sway bar will help with front tire grip - but only when the bar is under load, i.e., when the car is leaning. Moving down the road in a straight line or when attempting top turn slightly (as described the O/P) the sway bar will have little or no influence on the front tires. My guess is the shocks are not performing to spec, allowing the tires to lose contact for far too long. Tire pressure could be an issue, but again, they would have to be pumped way past spec to be causing the problem he is describing. Same with tire age and alignment issues.

Well, Rich ..... after all of this very valuable information ... let me offer MHO .. :jester

I pick "B" ...

This year we traveled from BG on some of the worst stretches of highway you could possibly imagine. Bob posted on the forum the truth of that .... we hit a pothole in Oklahoma that actually bent 2 of his rims. And this pothole was on the I40 .... there was road construction all the way across the States .... The best roads were in New Mexico .... the worst by far, Oklahoma .... This year we traveled with a sway bar installed .... last year we did not have it. Yes ... it makes a difference. But, Mark called the shot the best .... it stablizes the rear, but only after you come out of the pothole can you feel it grab. Your problem sounds like it occurs when your front wheels hit it .... not when you exit the holes .... is that right?

Anyway, Southern California is a great option ..... no salt on the roads here ... just on our Margaritas ....!

RA:angel

Aren't you cute?

oh .... and clever too! :jester

Maybe I need to make my wings bigger???? RA :angel

Or maybe bigger margaritas. We miss you.

Yeah, Mark .....That's what I'm talkin' about! :yesnod :cheers :yesnod

Miss you guys too .... and the whole Holiday Bar gang .... R3 seems like yesterday, and yet a long, long time ago. :cry

Now, that I've pretty effectively hi-jacked this thread - ummm. sorry, Rich .... I really would like to know what causes your car to react that way.

THE TRUCK that we have does the exact same thing .... Ray says it's the suspension and tires that are on it (heavy-duty, to pull the boat) ... but I hate that out-of-control feeling when the tires hit hard. That is the reason I don't like, or drive, THE TRUCK.

RA :angel

Come on now - no thread jacking. :nono

Yeah .... me and WHO else is guilty of that ..... hmmm, oh, you taught me well mswaim! :rolleyes :rolleyes :glol
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Oh, yeah ... Mark T. does it too ... (slap-slap!!)

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I know, I am guilty too sometimes - but we all need to try harder not to do it.:angel

Okay, here's the end of my story-

The "Check Engine" light came on last weekend, so I took the car in on Monday.

ALL HAIL CENTRAL CADILLAC in Cleveland, Ohio!!!!!!!!!!:thumbs

While rotating the tires (they asked, I said okay), they noticed one of the struts had a small leak. They replaced it, as well as a couple of the tire pressure sensors - they couldn't get them to re-learn their new positions after rotating the tires.

I also took them up on their $79.95 Alignment. It was out, but not toooo much.

Anyway, after a new gas cap (that's what tripped the "Check Engine" light, which I thought was unusual, since my DIC usually tells me there's an issue with the gas cap), new strut, some new tire pressure monitors and a fresh alignment, she's as good as new!!!:thumbs

I also mentioned the issue I had with the OnStar digital upgrade- check out that thread for that resolution (I don't want to hijack my own thread, now do I?)

What a great service department! They know how to service XLRs and keep customers happy! I even bought the 1:18 Hot Wheels model on my XLR from their botique for $30.00!! I got an 08 SRX as a loaner - Cadillac did a VERY nice job on the interior of it! I didn't like the interiors of the SRX when they came out - they look great now!

Rich, most of the time you won't get a check gas cap message. They will normally turn on the Check Engine light and store one or more codes for an Evap. system large or small leak (p0442 or p0445). I'm glad to hear that they took such good care of your baby. It sounds like she will be ready for Detroit.

Bruce :flag

Perhaps the most embarrasing thing that happened at the dealer was as the porter drove the car up to me while I was talking with the service advisor and the tech. I blurted out "There's my girl!" as if I was picking up a new puppy! :o Thankfully, they seemed to understand!

I'll spend the day getting her ready for Detroit, and I'll enjoy every minute of it!

FYI- I've been experiencing similar problems recently, even though I do have a rear sway bar installed. Took the 2006 XLR in for service (21K) and they found I had a cracked rear spring. Perhaps something to consider ...

My 04 seems to be a little worse on rough roads this year....

I always thought it tracked like a slot car on the road, but, whenever I hit a bump or chuckhole in the road, she seems to lose control. For example, when I was entering the freeway this weekend there were a few potholes in the road at the entrance. Even though I had the wheels turned, the car went straight (towards the cement barriers!!!) until the wheels hit the ground and went where I had the steering wheel turned. I wasn't going too fast when I did it. I've also had similar experiences when taking turns and hitting a pothole or bump at higher speeds.

I don't recall the car acting like this before. Has it been: A. a slow change in the car that needs dealer attention, or B. the roads are getting worse in northern Ohio, or C. my driving is getting worse. Choose one only.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? I know StabiliTrak was improved over the years, so those of you with newer cars probably don't have the same issue.

Maybe I should move to sunny SoCal where the winters and plows don't tear up the roads!!!:rolleyes

I agree with everyone here about tires drying out, especially here in SO Cal. They get hard. I put four 20" Dunlops with the V tread on front and back and it tracks really nice now, but my 04 and this 06-V with other tires, wanted to follow every groove in the road.
Bob (BB)Rich, most of the time you won't get a check gas cap message. They will normally turn on the Check Engine light and store one or more codes for an Evap. system large or small leak (p0442 or p0445). I'm glad to hear that they took such good care of your baby. It sounds like she will be ready for Detroit.

Bruce :flag