Newbie, and my Civic is misbehaving

[WIlsonsGarland]

Hiya folks! I was pleasantly surprised to find an entire forum dedicated to Honda Civics, and I'm looking for a little help with my car (2009 Civic sedan) since it's been acting up as of late. I'm kind of car-tarded, but since getting this car (my very first one), I'm doing my best to learn more about basic maintenance.

I had to go get a new tire last week because one of my back tires (new studded Wintermaster tires, which I've only had for about three months) was completely, irreparably flat. My car has a tire pressure monitoring system that's supposed to tell me when the tire pressure is anything but normal, but apparently a flat doesn't qualify as abnormal tire pressure as far as the TPMS is concerned.

Anyway, took the car to the garage for a new tire and to check it over and was told the problem was just the tire and nothing else. The car does handle better now than it did before I got the new tire, but I'm noticing now that when I drive at about 45-50 mph, the car swerves and skids. Mind you, the roads here are perfectly clear and I've driven on that particular road many times before at that same speed with no problems at all.

I asked if the alignment could be off, but the folks at the garage said it was just the one tire. The tire pressure was also checked and the rest of the tires were fine. Is there anything else that could be causing the tail end of my car to spin out on dry roads? I don't feel comfortable driving my car at normal speeds (well, normal for me) when I can't trust it to steer properly.

 

[5SpeedEJ6]

Wait, you literally lose control of the car going 50mph? There is definitely something wrong here. The first thing to check for sure is alignment in my opinion. Did they check the alignment? Or did they just say "oh it doesn't look bad so it must be ok".
Another cause could be something related to breaks. Do you have rear rotors or drum? If it's rotors it could potentially be sticky pads, but it doesn't sound like it.

 

[Bradley Robert]

Wait, you literally lose control of the car going 50mph? There is definitely something wrong here. The first thing to check for sure is alignment in my opinion. Did they check the alignment? Or did they just say "oh it doesn't look bad so it must be ok".
Another cause could be something related to breaks. Do you have rear rotors or drum? If it's rotors it could potentially be sticky pads, but it doesn't sound like it.

half ass mechanics lol................

 

[WIlsonsGarland]

It's not out of control in the sense that I go careening into trees every few feet, but I definitely don't feel in control of the car. I drive a little fast and tend to take turns very sharply, and I was able to do this perfectly fine up until the beginning of March (got the car in September). Basically, if I drive like a sane person, the car seems okay. But if I drive like I prefer to drive, the car feels unstable when I take turns.

It definitely feels like it's a problem with the back of the car, which is also where the tire was that needed to get replaced (it was the back right tire). I spun out a couple times at around 50 mph earlier today.

I'll have to get back to you about the type of brakes the car has. And I did ask if it was the alignment and the guys at the garage said that wasn't a problem. Whether or not that meant they actually checked it when they checked the tires, they never said. I guess I trusted them when they said it wasn't the alignment (which is what I originally thought was the problem when I was spinning out at 30 mph last week).

 

[HeX]

Visually inspect your bushings and suspension equipment at each wheel. Bushings should be bad on a '09 but you never know. Something could be obviously damaged that your shop just didnt bother to look at. Also make sure each wheel is held on tightly at the lugs. Perhaps they didnt properly tighten the lugs on thst wheel which would cause your issue.

By the way, "car-tarded" is a great word! Help yourself out of that category by randomly browsing through the forum & searching anything you can think of as theres a wealth of available knowledge here. Welcome aboard!

 

[jackdog1]

Visually inspect your bushings and suspension equipment at each wheel. Bushings should be bad on a '09 but you never know. Something could be obviously damaged that your shop just didnt bother to look at. Also make sure each wheel is held on tightly at the lugs. Perhaps they didnt properly tighten the lugs on thst wheel which would cause your issue.

By the way, "car-tarded" is a great word! Help yourself out of that category by randomly browsing through the forum & searching anything you can think of as theres a wealth of available knowledge here. Welcome aboard!

Do you think it might a problem with one of his rear bearings?

 

[HeX]

I could be mistaken but I dont believe bad wheel bearings are only felt at higher speed under more aggressive driving. Im not an expert on the subject, so dont take my word for it. Lift up that wheel side on a hack stand and also try to shake & move it around by hand. If it wobbles or moves then that may be it.

 

[jakeeton1002]

Hiya folks! I was pleasantly surprised to find an entire forum dedicated to Honda Civics, and I'm looking for a little help with my car (2009 Civic sedan) since it's been acting up as of late. I'm kind of car-tarded, but since getting this car (my very first one), I'm doing my best to learn more about basic maintenance.

I had to go get a new tire last week because one of my back tires (new studded Wintermaster tires, which I've only had for about three months) was completely, irreparably flat. My car has a tire pressure monitoring system that's supposed to tell me when the tire pressure is anything but normal, but apparently a flat doesn't qualify as abnormal tire pressure as far as the TPMS is concerned.

Anyway, took the car to the garage for a new tire and to check it over and was told the problem was just the tire and nothing else. The car does handle better now than it did before I got the new tire, but I'm noticing now that when I drive at about 45-50 mph, the car swerves and skids. Mind you, the roads here are perfectly clear and I've driven on that particular road many times before at that same speed with no problems at all.

I asked if the alignment could be off, but the folks at the garage said it was just the one tire. The tire pressure was also checked and the rest of the tires were fine. Is there anything else that could be causing the tail end of my car to spin out on dry roads? I don't feel comfortable driving my car at normal speeds (well, normal for me) when I can't trust it to steer properly.

How does it feel/sound when you're driving over small and/or bigger bumps in the road? Not turning or anything, just a straight line.

If you let go of your wheel, is it veering off in any direction?

 

[WIlsonsGarland]

Thank you all for taking the time to read and respond to my questions. I realize that some/all of what I'm asking might sound ridiculous in the sense of, "How could they not know that?!" Most people I've known who are really car-savvy have been working with them since they were young, but this is all new territory for me and I'm pushing 30. But I really want to learn; I've watched my parents run crying to mechanics for itty-bitty maintenance issues and I don't want to be that way, so I'm trying my best to learn the basics. But until such a time that I have something resembling an idea of how to fix my car, I'm going to be having someone look at it again tomorrow because I think the alternator is misbehaving on me (second time in a month my 5-month-old battery has died on me).

Also, a friend of mine suggested that I could have been skidding because I'm driving on clear roads with studded tires. Could the type of tires be why I'm losing traction when taking turns sharply? My buddy said that studded tires reduce the traction on clear roads due to the metal studs being in contact with the pavement. As far as sound and feel, the car sounds normal (also, none of the warning icons are lit up on the dash) and it seems to stay pretty steady when I let go of the wheel... which I do probably more/longer than I should since I like seeing how long my car can stay steady before I have to actually steer it. Perhaps I just need to pop my regular tires back on - at this point, I don't think it's going to be snowing. As far as the possible problems with other parts of the car, I'll have to get back to you on those as soon as I can locate them. Like I said, car maintenance is extremely new to me, and I'm not familiar with quite a bit of a car's basic anatomy yet. I took the car out a couple days ago (before the battery crapped out) and went out of my way to take turns as fast and as sharp as possible and it seemed to handle alright. Maybe spinning out was just a fluke?

 

[XpL0d3r]

Also, a friend of mine suggested that I could have been skidding because I'm driving on clear roads with studded tires. Could the type of tires be why I'm losing traction when taking turns sharply? My buddy said that studded tires reduce the traction on clear roads due to the metal studs being in contact with the pavement

First, to ClubCivic!

This is what I was going to question as well. There was a study on traction of studded tires on pavement, I haven't read it all, but you might find your answer in there:

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/551.1.pdf

Really I would just not recommend not taking corners so fast with those tires. Once you get back on your summer shoes, you should notice a difference.

I live 1/2 mile from an interstate exit, 25mph half circle. On my summer wheels I can take the turn around 50 before I get out of my comfort zone. In the winter with my studless tires, I won't go more than 40. PA doesn't use salt though, right? Or at least it's not the salt that destroys cars like up here in NY

 

[lethal6]

I agree with @XpL0d3r, you should NOT be driving aggressively on dry roads with studded tires. I would bet a good guess as that being the reason you are losing traction and it could be a very good indication of why the tire went flat. Driving aggressively could have pushed one or more of the studs up through the rubber. We have seen it here at work with Cayennes that have studded tires and they drive to hard. Studded tires are for gripping in packed snow and ice. Your friend is 100% correct. On dry pavement you have metal between you and the hard pavement. Not a combo for good traction. There is a reason why studded tires are illegal after a certain date when the weather starts warming up (1. studded tires on dry pavement is bad for the pavement, 2. they are dangerous).

I have driven on all 3 a lot. Like said above, that corner speed is lower with winter non-studded tires, with studded tires it would be even less. I used to be able to make my civic slide pretty easily with studded tires. They seem to be more for gaining traction while moving and slowing down and aren't recommend or certified for use at high speeds or aggressive cornering.

 

[WIlsonsGarland]

Where I am, I believe winter/studded/chained tires have to be off before April 15th. Of course, I've seen about two collective inches of snow this winter, so I probably never needed the studded tires to begin with. I always thought studded tires added more traction in general - I had no idea it was actually worse to use them on clear roads. Kinda wish I didn't have to buy a new tire in order to learn that lesson, but sometimes you gotta learn things the hard way. I know I won't be making that mistake again.

Currently, my neighbor is being awesome and is seeing what's going on with my alternator, and I think I'll put the summer tires on once he gives me the green light to take the car home.

 

[lethal6]

Our tire course instructor put it something like this: there are metal spiked shoes that people wear for different reasons be it for digging into a roof when doing shingle patch work, or a mountain hiker using them for traction to dig into an icy cliffside. Imagine walking around in those on regular pavement and how hard/slippery it would be. Same general idea for studded tires on dry cold pavement versus ice and packed snow.

 

[Osiris19]

First, to ClubCivic!

This is what I was going to question as well. There was a study on traction of studded tires on pavement, I haven't read it all, but you might find your answer in there:

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/551.1.pdf

Really I would just not recommend not taking corners so fast with those tires. Once you get back on your summer shoes, you should notice a difference.

I live 1/2 mile from an interstate exit, 25mph half circle. On my summer wheels I can take the turn around 50 before I get out of my comfort zone. In the winter with my studless tires, I won't go more than 40. PA doesn't use salt though, right? Or at least it's not the salt that destroys cars like up here in NY

PA oversalts the hell out of everything. I'm gonna agree with everyone else. The studded tires aren't needed anymore. Unless we get some freak snow storm again, I would just pack them away for next winter. I think the date is April 8th, but I can't remember.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[WIlsonsGarland]

Yeah, Pennsyltucky loves its salt. Usually in my neck of the woods, the pavement is so washed out from all the salt that gets thrown down that you sometimes can't see parking space lines in parking lots once the snow/ice has cleared. I'm gonna get my summer tires back on sometime soon. Aside from the comfort in knowing I won't spin out, I miss how much lighter my car is with everyday tires.

Also, apparently there was nothing wrong with my alternator or my battery. My neighbor said he fiddled around with the keychain buttons and the car worked again afterward. He said it might have been some kind of a problem with the anti-theft system, but that he honestly had no idea what happened. But my car is at least running again. Anyway, thank you all for your advice! I'm glad I can say the issue with my steering was something as minor as the wrong kind of tires rather than something requiring extensive repairs.