AWD_Rules3830 Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Ok as some of you may now know i was in an accident a few months ago and the car was repaired all fine and dandy. Well not quite. The front drivers side tire was replaced, this was done at alittle bit before 5,000 miles. I wanted to get 4 new tires of my choosing but my parents would hear nothing of it. Well here is my problem ... They is pulling to the right at high speed, At low speed it is fine (usually, when the pressure was off it was drifting bad at even 35 mph). At 55 to 70 its slightly noticable but at 75+ it becomes highly pronounced and very annoying. If i let go of the wheel the car will immediatly no what want the same of the road start to drift right, they damn thing won't stay straight. I also have to keep the wheel pointed to the left to keep the car straight (i would say about alittle less than 10 degrees) at 75+ as well. What could the culprit be? I love my car ... basically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Swap the new tire over to the other side and see if that makes a difference. Also try to find a road with no camber or go to a big parking lot. Even slight camber in the road will cause the car to drift and it's usually to the right because that's how most roads are cambered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pillboy Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 That would have to be a big parking lot for 75+ mph...oh, wait Nebraska IS a big parking lot. Try a 4 lane divided highway and drive in the left lane (that lane is cambered toward the left). Also be aware of cross winds as they can also cause car to wander or pull (drive the road in the opposite direction to cancel this factor out). After trying these things, probably have the alignment checked. It is still ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boulderguy Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 If the new tire has more than 1/4" in circumference difference compared to the others, which it probably does given that is has 5000 fewer miles on it, you will do some serious drivetrain damage. AWD cars have to have even tires all the way around since they're all tied together. A good tire place can probably scrub it down for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongHiway Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Did the accident involve / need front end repair (aside from the tire)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWD_Rules3830 Posted November 29, 2006 Author Share Posted November 29, 2006 Did the accident involve / need front end repair (aside from the tire)? well yes, it pushed the tire back into the well. im not sure if there was damage beyond that. I love my car ... basically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWD_Rules3830 Posted November 29, 2006 Author Share Posted November 29, 2006 My point is the car wasn't doing this before the accident. They are getting rotated tomarrow however. I love my car ... basically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShockerGT Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Did you get an alignment after the fix? Couldn't you buy 4 tires yourself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWD_Rules3830 Posted November 29, 2006 Author Share Posted November 29, 2006 Did you get an alignment after the fix? Couldn't you buy 4 tires yourself? they said the alignment was spot on when the fixed it ... College student lol. I love my car ... basically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boulderguy Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Have the tire guys check your tread depth all the way around, I bet that's the prob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWD_Rules3830 Posted November 29, 2006 Author Share Posted November 29, 2006 Have the tire guys check your tread depth all the way around, I bet that's the prob. we'll see. I love my car ... basically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboy333 Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 It sounds like alignment to me, before it was re-aligned, my son's RX7 did the same thing. Also, was there any frame damage? I hear on AWD cars any frame damage really messes things up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWD_Rules3830 Posted November 30, 2006 Author Share Posted November 30, 2006 It sounds like alignment to me, before it was re-aligned, my son's RX7 did the same thing. Also, was there any frame damage? I hear on AWD cars any frame damage really messes things up. according to the body shop, no. I love my car ... basically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xenonk Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 did you get a print out of the alignment? I bet somewhere they didnt care about the caster and thrust angle. There's your most likely problem. Don't be so quick to trust your shop's word. You'll be suprised of how many alignment techs fudge the numbers to make it look like it's "perfect". Keefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongHiway Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 did you get a print out of the alignment? I bet somewhere they didnt care about the caster and thrust angle. There's your most likely problem. Don't be so quick to trust your shop's word. You'll be suprised of how many alignment techs fudge the numbers to make it look like it's "perfect". Not to disagree and worthwhile checking but it's possible there's unrepaired front end damage independent of the alignment. I took a corner too sharp once and rolled over a part of a cement (Jersey) barrier. The shop swore to me they used a laser (line) to ensure the frame was "pulled" back into the correct position. The car was never the same after this. It did not pull either nor give me front end vibration but I had premature tire wear on one side after this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWD_Rules3830 Posted November 30, 2006 Author Share Posted November 30, 2006 did you get a print out of the alignment? I bet somewhere they didnt care about the caster and thrust angle. There's your most likely problem. Don't be so quick to trust your shop's word. You'll be suprised of how many alignment techs fudge the numbers to make it look like it's "perfect". Oh i dont trust them at all. Im now having to pay money to possibly get the alignment fixed if they warrant it today (its in the shop right now, different one). I love my car ... basically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Rebo Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 they said the alignment was spot on when the fixed it ... I had to get my car aligned 3 times at the dealer after I bought it because the steering wheel was off-center. Each time, they said it was good to go. It wasn't. The point is, if the car drifts left or right, and you know the tires are all good (after you rotate them), then try a different alignment shop. I've found that some dealers and/or shops just don't take their time with alignments. For me, the steering wheel is almost always off center when they're done. EDIT: You said above that your car is at a different shop. Good stuff. Let us know how it turns out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Charlie Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 I worked at a place that never did alignments. Well, I saw one. The tech put it up on the rack, spent an hour throwing snowballs at other techs, then took it off the rack and shipped it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWD_Rules3830 Posted December 1, 2006 Author Share Posted December 1, 2006 Well the tires were rotated today, hopefully that will fix the problem, they were also nice enough to fix a rattle for me too (no hassle). They just put dino oil it in (were suppose to) so i guess i got a free oil change (paid for parts just not labor) because i went to wal-mart and told them to put mobil one in it. I love my car ... basically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Charlie Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 Dude. Wally World is a scary place for car work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pillboy Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 Dude. Wally World is a scary place to walk into. Fixored. It is still ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 Fixored. True. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Charlie Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 Sorry. I was being too specific. Inaccurate, too. It's a scary place to be in. To place your life (and the lives of your car/other motorists/pedestrians) in their hands is absolutely horrifying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWD_Rules3830 Posted December 3, 2006 Author Share Posted December 3, 2006 Is it possible the tires could be out of balence? It could explain how the pressure could be right and the alignment could be correct but its still pulling. I love my car ... basically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STG Posted December 3, 2006 Share Posted December 3, 2006 Is it possible the tires could be out of balence? It could explain how the pressure could be right and the alignment could be correct but its still pulling. No. If the tires are out of balance, you will feel a vibration at speed. Balance has nothing to do with alignment. You should take the car to a chassis alignment shop to see if the unibody and suspension points are aligned. I'll bet the body sop did not straighten your car properly. I checked around and found a race shop in Nebraska that could point you in the right direction: http://www.orionmotorsports.com/ No, they don't work on Subarus, but they do chassis alignments and straightning and I'll bet they can tell recommend a professional shop for chassis and wheel alignment. Also be advised that you car's alignment can be within specs and it will pull. This happened to me years ago with a brand new Volkswagen. The dealer checked it three times - it checked out OK and still pulled to the right. Back then, VW Porsche-Audi had a distributor in Culver City, CA so I drove over there and parked in a VP's space. The receptionist said I needed to move the car, I said, "Not until I talk to somebody about my problem." As luck would have it, two engineers from Wolfsburg were visiting and they took my car inside for inspection. As it turned out, the dealer was correct. The alignment was within spec. but - ALL THE TOLERANCES WERE STACKED TO ONE SIDE. Simply put, all the + or - measurments on the front suspension of my car were all at or near the - limit. (This is a gross oversimplification.) That's what caused my car to pull to the right. The engineers and techs "centered" the adjustments and everything was fine. They said it happens rarely. They also recommended an alignment shop in Torrance California that aligns race cars. I still use that shop when I drive down there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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