So I got new wheels (Enkei OR52, 16x7) and tires (Kumho SPT, 205/45/16) and just installed them on to my 98 hatchback.

However, once I got on the road the vehicle seems to pull to the slightly bumps on the road. And the steering feel seems awkward in a sense, kind of heavy, yet floating-kinda. Is it because I'm not used to the new tires???
Or is there something wrong with the tires? I am pretty sure I've installed them correctly according to the rotational direction.

Thanks

 

Most likely causes are either (a) something wrong with the tires, or (b) your car needs an alignment. If you haven't had an alignment recently, I would go ahead and do that, and see if it still happens. (If you have, you may want to talk to your tire dealer, try swapping your old wheels/tires back on, etc.)

 

I think you probably need an alignement.

 

It sounds like it's possibly working as normal, I know going from my 14" wheels/tires on my civic going to 16's with wider tread it seemed like my car would find the grooves in the road and sometimes be hard to steer, but on smooth road everything was fine. I would say if this is how it is then it's probably working as intended. If it's not, get an alignment or exchange the tires on your car.

 

alingment will fix that!

 

I know exactly what you are talking about. I have the same car (98 H/B) and I live in Calgary too. I assume that you also drive a DX with power steering. After putting on my 15s I noticed that the steering felt very different. It's hard to explain but it's like the power steering is inconsistent and it wants to grab at every little rut on the road.
I don't see why it would be the alignment but i'm getting it done after I lower my car in the next 2 weeks.
I'll tell you if it makes a difference.

 

It's also possible that the tires are acting this way because they are gripping better, so they are more sensitive to irregularities in the road.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by RedRocketDX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I don't see why it would be the alignment but i'm getting it done after I lower my car in the next 2 weeks.
I'll tell you if it makes a difference.
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