[mikeparkavenue]

Turning the wheels all the way in either direction resulting in stuttering or clunking sound.The dealer said because of 19" rims.the dealer said it happens when car is cold .I didnt notice if it happened if car was warmed up as it happens usually making u turn in my driveway to pull out .Any input fellas???

 

[rsm]

I've experienced that if the car is cold in the morning and I turn the wheel all the way to the left for a U turn on a residential road. Sounds like the driver's side front wheel is getting destroyed or something! Never heard of knuckling, but sounds appropriate. Everything looks ok though, so assumed all is well. Not sure what rim size would have to do with it either (mine are 20s). I've never experienced this after the car is warm.

 

[pitchfork]

is it rubbing? next time it happens get out of the car and see if the tire is rubbing anything

 

[ratti]

Check the tire for damage, if it is then likely it's rubbing. check for shredded tire bits on the fender liner

 

[rsm]

Hmmm -- wheels/tires have plenty of room -- but I'll check. Why would there be a difference in behavior, cold car v. warmed up?? Seems like some other cause.

 

[d.mat]

This sound seems to be typical of the tie-rod ends - usually happens when its worn out (which is not the case here as the car is new) or the greasing in the ball joints of the tie-rod ends are not effective/not enough in the cold and thus causing this! Just a thought

 

[UKGhibli]

This is due to something called the 'Archimede's Principal' and is to do with the surface area of the wheels..... something to do with the difference between the internal / external circumference of the tyre's when turning..... apparently

 

[Nova]

This happens with my car as well. I used to think it's because I'm hitting patches of ice/snow/sand, but I think it's just because of the way the car is since others have reported the same problem.

Essentially, the problem is that all four wheels of a car takes a different path around a curve. The tighter the turn, the more severe the difference. This problem affects the front wheels the most since they are responsible for "turning" the car. As such, all steering mechanisms in modern cars have geometry that accounts for this need by turning the inside wheel more severely than the outside wheel.

I believe this issue affects our cars due to a combination of factors:

1. A very active all wheel drive system that applies power to the front wheels at low speeds.
2. Very wide tires that do not scrub quietly like narrow tires would.
3. Summer tires that are very hard in cold weather, especially when the car is cold.
4. Very wide track at the front and rear, amplifying the need for different steering angles.
5. Relatively flat front tire camber even at extreme turning angles, resulting in a larger contact patch.

 

[vanzunator]

The issue of front wheels skipping in tight turns (U-turns, roundabouts etc.) was evident in two separate demo Gharbi S Q4s that I drove for 24 hours each in Vancouver, BC.

The service manager at dealership acknowledged that it is a common characteristic of Ghibli S Q4s due to the combination of reasons that “Nova’ mentioned in his/her post. The way that he described it is that a chain reaction of events that happens when the front summer-performance tires momentarily loose traction in a tight turn on the cold pavement and then the AWD system tries to transfer torque to the wheels with the most grip. The sudden change in distribution of power then creates the feeling of the wheels skipping, scrubbing or knuckling.

I know this is not an accurate scientific or engineering description, but that is how the service manager described it. He suggested that the use of winter tires like Pirelli Sottozero Series II in cold weather can almost entirely rectify this issue.

Regards,
PJ

 

[rsm]

I don't believe your service manager addressed the issue, at least the issue I experience (and avoid). It doesn't sound or feel anything like tires slipping at all. The sound is more like large mismatched metal cogs grinding/popping -- it's an ugly ugly sound; the sound of damage... alarm clocks should be built with this sound.

I haven't taken this up with the dealer yet, but I probably should.

 

[McGrathDW]

Same issue with 18s

Folks - I have experienced exactly the same issue with the 18" wheels. It's only when cold, and on tight turns. I get it every day pulling out of the parking garage.

I got a call from my service manager saying that Maserati was oferring a special on Pirelli Winter tires (1/2 price) because so many people have had issues with this.

The cost of the tires was reasonable. But then it's a $300 hit every time you change from Summer to Winter. So $600/year. Figures the tires will last 5 years (only being drive 1/2 a year) and the tire swapping alone will cost you $3000! Add in the tires and it's close to $4000.

I can get a wheel/tire combo for that price.

 

[rsm]

How can this be blamed on tires when it only happens when the car is cold??? The sound that is made during a tight (full radial) turn immediately after starting the car in the morning (something I'll never do again with this car) is alarming. I don't believe this has anything at all to do with tires...

 

[Nova]

Right, when the tire is cold, it looses grip easily. Once you drive for a while, it warms up enough to get a better bite.

 

[bjg625]

I have this same problem with my SLK55, temp. definetly has something to do with it!

 

[rsm]

Hmm. I really want to believe this is just a matter of cold tires slipping, but it sounds harsher than that -- it doesn't sound or feel at all a like tire not gripping, more like grinding and almost metallic popping sounds :/ And this comes from the front passenger-side wheel during a full, albeit very slow, left u-turn on a normal sized residential road. So let's say this is a tire slipping, can anyone explain these horrific sounds? Does your "knuckling" exhibit the same behavior and sounds? :/

 

[Wrecked Em]

This is definitely not a tire or ackerman related issue. I think the dealer is just feeding you bs because they don't know the answer. This behavior is almost exactly like when I've had clutch type differentials set up with the springs preloaded too tight. I'm not certain whether this car uses clutches, but if so, the diff is probably hanging up due to the cold oil. Either that, or the plates are fusing together when it's parked for a while, and the first sharp turn pops them loose. My guess is that after a few thousand miles, it goes away.

Probably not related, but I've noticed the parking brake hang up once or twice also.

 

[JamesMay]

I've had this issue with both our 911 and Ghibli when it had the summer tires on it. The 911 still has summer hi-performance and we've had this issue for as long as we've owned the car. It only happens when it's cold (tires are cold, that is) and making a tight turn. It is the tires slipping.

With the Ghibli, once we changed to winter tires, the issue went away.

 

[ratti]

Right, when the tire is cold, it looses grip easily. Once you drive for a while, it warms up enough to get a better bite.

Yup, it freezes up, becomes more solid. Reason why tires are made for specific uses like Winter, summer, etc

 

[anderson_b76]

I think we are talking about two separate issues. I have the tire issue as does any car with performance tires in the cold, but RSM's issue seems to be different.

 

[JamesMay]

I think this article correctly describes what I'm used to with our 911 as well as the Ghibli with summer tires:

http://www.autonews.com/article/201...ttes-thumping-rubs-some-drivers-the-wrong-way