Just like the title says, my MCS follows ruts like crazy. I'm running aftermarket 205/45R17 non-runflats. The tread is getting low and I need to replace them soon, so I'm looking for something that might not follow the ruts so bad.

 

New tires will fix your issue. Get an allignment also.

 

Not saying I disagree, but on smooth pavement it's straight. Hmm.

 

It's called 'tramlining'. Usually drainage troughs cut into the pavement which will be permanent or pavement that's been peeled off in preparation for new asphalt surfacing. If they're deep enough even new tires will tend to follow them. Only way to avoid the issue is don't drive on that road. "Doctor, Doctor, every time I go like this..."

 

you are experiencing 'tramlining'

my 2002 S with 17" wheels would do it pretty 'bad' on the OE tires. You can loose it somewhat with different tires but it won't go away. I had to cross several mesh drawbridges on the way to work as well as a long patch of grooved highway and the car could get pretty squirrely . ..

see: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=47

My GEN2 7-S did not do this nearly as much, but it also had 16 inch wheels so the tires had taller sidewalls

 

So it has a name, interesting. I'll read up on that link.

 

ever ridden motorcycles?

ride a bike on grooved highway or over a mesh deck draw bridge and you learn about this REAL FAST! First time I experienced this on a 'cycle' I thought I'd hit glare ice ... except I was in Florida and it was 80 degrees!

 

My MCS doesn't tramline too badly. Now, the last vehicle I had, a 2003 Ford Lightning, seemed to hunt down road imperfections just so it could follow them. It had Goodyear Eagle F1 GS tires with 12" wide tread, and required me to learn a whole new style of driving, in which I basically let it wander around, correcting gently only when it started to get really off course. With the MINI's short wheelbase, though, when it does tramline it tends to dart rather than wander!

 

I only notice this with the shitty chinese tires i have put on in the back due to blowouts and not wanting to replace all 4 just yet. Or, as others have said with low tread tires.

 

Never noticed it on my mini....but I ran 16 tires, usually 195 or 205 width.....on other cars, yes...t sucks....
There I noticed deeper treads seemed to help....and the "rib" style tires were always the worst.

 

I have a stretch of freeway I travel M-F and the concrete surface is split and separating leaving this long groove, my tires love to grab these long grooves. I'm going to deflate to 36 psi, 38 psi is just to hard on roads that have lots of in-perfections.