here's the problem. when i let go of my stearing wheel, the wheel turns a bit to the right and the car starts going right. if i hold the wheel in the middle the car will go straight. i had an alignment done and wheels rotated but the problem still persists. tire preasure is set to stock. it's a 2k itr all stock with 30k miles. any idea what else could be causing this ?

 

hahah streets were made to have a minor crown, so that when it rains the rain will run off into the gutter your car is fine
minor thing to complain about
find a flat surface to drive on and you'll see what i mean

its the streets fault your ok


[Modified by YellowKahuna, 1:01 PM 3/18/2003]

 

but if the car still pulls, even on flat ground, check the tire wear.. your tires could be worn unevenly/lumpily.. this will make the car appear out of alignment..

 

Also, tire width/aspect ratio can play a part in this.

My 195/50/15 S-03's are HORRIBLE on most streets. They follow every groove, crown, bump, divot, etc on the roads and the highways. But, they were excellent on the track last year. As soon as I got back on the public streets/highways, all over the place.

My 205/50/15 Azenis are WONDERFUL on the same roads and highways as far as not tracking all over the place and pulling the car one way or another.

I suspect the very wide Azenis (and taller sidewall) have a something to do with my car going straight suddenly.

 

it's not the roads. if i let go of the wheel, the wheel turns right about 2-3 inches. if i let go of the wheel the car will swerve a LOT to the right. and if it was the road, it would move the left somtimes, which it never does. always to the right.

 

what are the current alignment specs, did they give you a printout? Having the alignment done might just mean they got everything within spec technically, but the R is light and even a little bit of bais one way or another when it comes to toe could cause your pull....also, try rotating tires, make sure they're all rotating as they should (directionally for example if they are asymetric tread).

 

i had the alignment done at acura, but didn't get the specs from them. i also rotated the tires 2 days ago. tires are 195/55/15 with about 80% thread left. but why does the wheel always turn right by itself. i have to hold the wheel steady in the middle. if i let go, it automaticly turns to the right a bit. and i know the car usually follows the road, but this happens on any road condition, either super flat and smooth or bumpy roads. and only pulls to the right, never left

 

it isn't the road then for sure.. it is your car.. something is wrong with the tires, suspension, etc, or they screwed up balancing/alignment.. ask them to do it again(there should be some sort of guarantee.. if not, argue for them to do it for free.. and get a printout this time).. have them check the tires while you're there to make sure they're wearing properly.. if you ask real nice, you can probably go in the bay with the tech and watch all of this..

 

make sure the tires are not facing backwards, stock tire also comes in left and right tire where other directional tires can be both.. so, you might have all 4 right tires or 4 left tires - but that shouldn't affect much i'd think

alignment - did you have the same problem before this? if not, then you might want to get it redone.

tire balance - if steering wheel shakes at highway speeds, then your tires are out of balance.

 

if it was the balancing of the wheel he would feel it in his steering wheel.
it would shake back and forth
but If he holds the steering wheel straight and it goes straight why complain?
are you going to drive with out your hands that might be a little dangerous

 

I had this problem a while back on my Grand Cherokee. Tire pressures, crowned roads were all rules out.

I brought it to two different alignment places after thinking it was a bent suspension/bent frame at first.

Culprit was too much {total} toe-in at front. The dealership did the first alignment - which was ****. Then I brought it to an "alignment only" place that also does frame straightening. After that - it tracked perfect. NOTE: toe-in on front L/R was slightly different on my car - but the shop "knew" how to set-up my truck cause they had worked on several before with similar problems.

Coles notes: bring it to a specialty alignment shop and have it done again (ask for pre/post printout of alignment too)

 

Its not your alignment

It is your tires. How many miles do you currently have on your tires? Is the wear pattern even? Did it pull to the right BEFORE the ROTATION?

If your tires are old, and the wear is horrible, AND it DIDNT pull prior from the tire rotation, your front right tire is bad. To be sure it is the front tire, swap the front left and the front right and drive it. It should NOW pull to the left. A way to tell if the alignment is off or if the problem is in the tire, is if it was the alignment, the steering wheel in MOST cases would not move, and if its the tire, the steering wheel would move considerably.

If you have under 8000 miles use on the tire, just be expected to buy new tires under your own expense. I highly doubt the dealer would even warranty that. That is more of the tire manufacturer's issue. Most manufacturers would not even consider replacing them if you have more than 8000 miles on the tires.

 

BPR,

Jeeps are **** anyway to do alignments on. If you knew how Jeeps suspension are designed, I would rule your experience out of this thread. Jeep's do NOT have the adjustability INDIVIDUALLY to set Toe.

 

I dealt with this problem for a year. $130 spent on 3 alignments at 2 different shops did not fix it. It started after I got my camber kit, so I assumed that was my problem. It would always pull to the left. I was running 205/40/17 ecstas.

Two weeks ago I switched to a 215/45/16 azenis. I was pleasantly surprised that my ride was less harsh even though I had more pressure, and my car tracked completely straight. My last alignment was 30k miles ago.

 

the tires are on the correct way. they are falken ZE-502 195/55/15 that came with the car when i bought it.
yes this problem was happening before the alignment too, but seemed to get worst after rotating the tires.

no, but if i let go of the wheel for 3 seconds to scratch my ***, the car is in the next lane

the wear looks normal, and tires have a good %75 left in them. im gonna switch the lef & right tire and see if it pulls to the left. thanks for the suggestion migs.

 

Has the car ever been in an accident? A bent frame can cause a car to sway to one side. I hope this is not the case. Good luck with the new R. Oh and if you drive it on the streets, they can steal it. Nobody is invincible unfortunately. Layer the security.

 

I don't think its a "pulling" tire from what he says - otherwise i would have suggested rotating.

The initial alignment I had was ****. The dealership then tried to say that switching to cheaper tires (from my Michelins) would get rid of the problem. The reason I brought my truck to the dealership in the first place was because they were going to give me a free alignment because I complained the vehicle pulled to the right from delivery.

More tire rotation did not help in my experience.

I still think it's an alignment issue.


[Modified by Big Phat R, 11:00 AM 3/19/2003]