dohcem1

Hey guys, got a lil problem with my car. I did a five lug conversion from an 04 type S and i went and got an alignment right away. I car drives straight when i drive up to around 40mph. But when i get on the freeway, it pulls to the right alot.... I went back to the alignment shop, they checked, realignment and said its at specs! zero toe, caster, -0.1 camber etc. Went on the freeway again... STILL pulls to the right. I have to keep my hand on the steering wheel WITH a bit of force to keep the car straight. So i decided to go to another shop, they checked and REALIGNED from scratch, but still same results. I dont know what the problem is.

Any input would be GREAT thank you.

josh's ep3

How are the tires? Are they directional? If so, make sure they are going the correct direction.

cloumep3

Had similar issue with not proper tire rotation with directional tires I had on my old IS300.

mustclime

check tire air pressure.

prejdmlude

has ur car been in an accident before.

dohcem1

My car had never been in an accident. The tires are brand new (i bought it before i went to get an alignment). Checked everything and nothing seemed to be wrong... Im begining to think its the new bearing , it seems kinda tight?

square_1

Yeah, you could have an issue with the brakes. Maybe a caliper is sticking. Also, what brand of tire did you get? If they are a cheap tire they could be bad even if they are brand new.

I had the same problem. Hard pull to the right, and alignment was to spec. It turned out one of my tires had some separation. Got new tires and it was perfect.

Check the tires and brakes.

dohcem1

I checked everything, bleed the brakes again, did everything again. Nothing helped so far. The calipers seem to be working perfectly. I jacked up the car, spin the each wheels while i had someone step on the brakes, it stops. Then he released, and i spin the wheels without any problems. So it couldnt be the sticky calipers. I got the nitto tires so its not like a cheap brand or anything. Size = 205/50/16 . Maybe i should keep driving it for few hundred miles before doing anymore parts replacement? Its just very annoying and kind of dangerous (in my eyes) cause I have to FORCE on the steering wheel to keep it straight.. so yeh. thanks guys.

Should i just go ahead and get new bearings too for the left side? maybe the right bearing is new and not "loose" like the left side?

square_1

Yeah, that could be a possible problem. I wouldn't just leave it at "just drive it a couple hundred more miles". This problem is happening for a reason. Something is not right. Cars don't just randomly get crazy alignment issues for no reason.

Replace the bearing and see what happens. The hardest part should be getting someone to press the old one out and the new one in, but it is worth it if it fixes your car.

Hope it all works out for you man.

sohclude

I say the same thing. It must be the new bearings . Better change the left side to a new bearings too.

dohcem1

Damn, i was hoping its not the bearing. Well, ill go ahead and order new bearings WITH new balljoints and do it all at once..

Now big question, do i have to go and get an alignment AGAIN after this? since i will be removing the left front knuckle? Damn cause i spent at least 200$ on alignment alone at this damn shop... theyre getting rich!! lol

anyways, Hopefully i can get this done by this weekend..

josh's ep3

Yes you will. Should have went to Firestone and got lifetime alignments for $175 lol.

dohcem1

........................................F**K!! lol i didnt even know such thing existed. Well now that i know, i'll look for a Firestone shop alignment . -_-

Ok since we're on this alignment thing, heres a question: How important are those weights inside the wheels? I know it affects the balance of the wheel. Mine kinda fell off and just wondering if its a good idea to rebalance the wheel again... thanks

G0tSchnitzel?

I got my lifetime alignment for 130 from Firestone last week..funny thing is i kinda have the same problem u do..just lowered my car like 1 week ago..got it aligned that day..and a day later my car is pullin to the right..

dohcem1

YEA, it pulls to the right side. I wonder why the RIGHT side. My car is not lower or anything. Its on stock suspension (my car is an 02).

josh's ep3

Yea, I would think it would be worth it to get the wheel rebalanced.

$130?? That's cheaper than I thought! I'm going to have to hop on that soon, my car pulls just slightly to the right but I need an alignment lol.

sicky

OP, being that you are in CA, go to America's Tire or Discount Tire. They have lifetime alignments for cheap. Last time I paid $139.99 for it.

G0tSchnitzel?

yeah i was just down there last week in lakewood by the towncenter and they charged me $130..its really worth it..guys there r kool..plus they check other crap too while they're at it...

but yea mine pulls to the right as well and I have an 02 also..i have no clue y its doin it so im baffled lol..im waitin 2 get this camber kit in so i can get it realigned..ive got some mad camber in the back

03K20A3Si

I'm a tech and do several alignments a week...if it hasn't been done yet, swap front tires left to right, right to left(front only) and see if it changes to a pull left or no pull at all. I don't care if they're directional(just for testing purposes), just try that first. Maybe that "little driving" that was done before the alignment created an issue with your new tires, or it existed before everything was done when the tires were new. If that's the case...I'd complain to wherever you purchased the tires if you can prove that swapping front tires side to side cured the pulling issue. Tire pressures should be ok if the alignment shop did their job correctly. Maybe you even have a sticky strut bearing plate? Have you tried making a sharp left turn and right away getting above your 40mph "pulling concern" speed...I've seen that too.

Hope it turns out to be simple man

kobeballer96

my alignments cost me 20 bucks.... for beer lol buddy at work does it we have a in ground lift made for slammed cars, well mostly are s2000s or course.

dohcem1

Actually, i have heard of them. I think there's one near my place . Ill check them out this weekend when im not working.


DAMN I didn't think of this.. lol thanks alot. I'll swap left side tires to the right side and vice versa this friday and see what happens. Now what is this sticky strut bearing plate that you mention? I don't quite know what or where that is (SOrry for the newbiness) . thnaks

G0tSchnitzel?

hmm ic wut your saying..in my case I dont think its my tires because my car was running fine on the same tires before I isntalled the new struts and springs..u think we maybe did something during the install that would cause the car to pull to the right after an alignment? something the alignment shop wouldnt see at first glance?

03K20A3Si

If you removed your strut, on top where your 3 bolts mount the strut to the body/engine bay of the car is the strut plate. When that is bolted in the car, inside of that mount has a bushing that allows you to steer from side to side. Over time these get worn and can bind, causing "memory steer" or a pull. More than likely it's tire related but I thought I'd throw that out there.

03K20A3Si

You just installed lower springs, correct? If something isn't set right between the spring/spring seat/mount area,it's a possibility. The problem may have been there before the alignment, but because the tow was off, it forced itself straight. After the alignment, it's all in spec and now the problem surfaces. Just what i've seen before...you may have other issues, I just said the common ones. Hope that helps guys!

josh's ep3

Great suggestions ^^ This thread will be very helpful for many I think!