My 2005 TL has started having a slight front wheel hop that comes and goes between 40-50 mph. If I lift my foot off the gas it stops instantly and doesn't come back when I apply power again. I've had it start up on both right and left front wheels but never both at the same time. It has become noticible in the last 3-4K miles. I also never notice it after I've driven more than 10 miles.
The car has 48.5K miles, Michelin tires (original and due to be replaced before winter sets in) and is not driven hard. The tires have worn evenly and given good service (but I wouldn't recommend them to anyone for serious snow driving.)
Is this most likely a wheel balance problem at this point and/or slight flat spotting that is clearing up as the tires warm?
I would think if it was balance problem in might come and go a little depending if the two wheels in completely in or out of synch. BUT not go away after ten miles. That sounds to me a little more like flat spotting but I've heard it usually goes away in a few miles.
The good news is you've done well getting that many miles out of sock tires and will probably be rid of it with new tires. If the tires are still worn evenly when they are taken off I think I would not go for an alignment. Very opposite of what I normally recommend but almost
50K miles and wearing evenly? Unless it just went out of alignment it has proven itself well. I don't think the tires are not known for that kind of mileage.
I have the same year TL and tires with about 25K and I'm close to the end. May be 5-10K maximum left. No problem as you describe and not quite as easy on the tires as you but not hard either. The problem was either the alignment was off ever since the car was new or when I changed out the stock suspension at 1K, for the A-SPEC suspension, and didn't get it aligned. They were rotated at 5K but I didn't notice the wear or measure the tread.
At 10K they were worn, all four, very evenly. There was 5.5mm left from the original 10mm (11mm?) when new. I got it aligned and both front and rear tow-in were out of spec causing the wear. The A-SPEC (1" lower suspension) should have caused a camber change but I don't think the tow-in change. Any way I managed to save the tires before it was too late but I think I lost about 10K of life being out of alignment.
PS. Let us know how the problem gets resolved and what tires you end up with and why if you would.
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4ax.com:
Step 1: Swap the front wheels for the rear ones and see if the symptoms change.
If you intend on replacing the tires before the snow flies, then report back here once you do that (and you can then forget Step 1). Maybe that action alone will solve this. If it does not, then there is a deeper problem.
I put a set of Continental Extreme Contact DWS on all four wheels and had an alignment done. The rear was out just a hair at 49.5K miles, so the car holds alignment very well. The wheel hop symptoms are gone.
The new tires have far superior hold in the wet (but vs. the worn out Michelin's, not surprising) and haven't had snow yet, so nothing to report there. The ride is just a bit firmer than the old tires, but nothing objectionable.
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