Car pulls to the right (passenger side)

[PirateZHP]

I bought new tires all around (Conti DSW), and I got an alignment. All the numbers were set where they needed to be. I don't have the alignment sheet, but it was done right. But, the car pulls to the right. To go along with that, the steering feels much more responsive if a steer to the left vs the right.

I have installed sway bars front and rear, and new (adjustable) front endlinks. I don't know if either of those would have done it, BUT I did not feel it pull before I got the tires and alignment.

Any thoughts?

[fredo]

Did you take it for alignment to an Indy or Firestone (or similar place) ? I hear the settings for a regular 330 and a 330 ZHP are different. For sure, the Indy knows about it.

[Vas]

Tire pressure is even?

[3ZHPGUY]

Does it pull on flat surfaces like a parking lot? The crown of the road can cause a slight pull. The things you did should not create a pull however; defective tires can cause a pull or the alignment caster can influence a pull. Have someone follow you and check to we if the car is going straight down the road and not ( dog tracking=/ & not | ). You can also try flipping the front tires Crome side to side and see if the pull follows the tire.


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[PirateZHP]

Did you take it for alignment to an Indy or Firestone (or similar place) ? I hear the settings for a regular 330 and a 330 ZHP are different. For sure, the Indy knows about it.

I got it done at an Indy, and verified they had the right setting with someone's alignment from the family.

Tire pressure is even?

Yessir... first place I checked

Does it pull on flat surfaces like a parking lot? The crown of the road can cause a slight pull. The things you did should not create a pull however; defective tires can cause a pull or the alignment caster can influence a pull. Have someone follow you and check to we if the car is going straight down the road and not ( dog tracking=/ & not | ). You can also try flipping the front tires Crome side to side and see if the pull follows the tire.


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This pulls more than the crown of the road. I haven't tried in a parking lot, but both the HWY and town roads.

Thanks for the thoughts, boys. I am going to call the shop and have them look at it again. It's going to piss me off...

[LivesNearCostco]

My car also pulls slightly to the right. Definitely more so on crowned roads, which are most of the roads. And I think more so when I go to very negative (-3.0 instead of -2.0 degrees) camber up front for track/AutoX. Here's what I think can cause this.

• Uneven tire tread, though unlikely with new tires. My old Saturn once had this once tires got worn and rotating the tires around eliminated it, then it came back when I rotated the tires again! Later getting new tires eliminated it for good.
• Wide front tires -- the wider ones are more likely to follow road crown or those grooves in concrete freeways. Are your fronts wider than 225?
• Uneven caster. I think the car pulls to the side with less caster. My car has uneven caster, which I can somewhat compensate for with the camber plates.
• Road crown -- Most US roads are crowned to drain water off and make you pull to the right. Can try to test by finding a road that is sloped entirely to the left but not turning left. Or take car to Japan/Australia/UK for a month and test drive on their roads.
• More negative camber or toe-out -- I have heard that more negative front camber or more toe-out (less toe-in) causes the tires to follow the road more. But this should not affect you on a flat (non-crowned) road.

[jsfbmw]

This is very interesting because I experienced a similar thing. Except after I got 4 new Michelin PSS and an alignment, the car would drift to the right and steering felt easier to turn to the right than to the left. A little different than your symptoms.

I did a "road crown test" and the car pulled correctly right or left depending on the crown. Not that I have a solution for you, but with cold weather here, I switched to snow tires that are narrower and have a higher profile, and the pulling is significantly reduced - almost not noticeable. So maybe it's your new tires that are making the car more sensitive.

I think 3ZHPGUY's suggestion of swapping fronts is a good test. Do it before you accumulate many miles. Note that if the DSW tires are directional, you will have to dismount and re-mount the tires.

[PirateZHP]

Thanks guys. The indy wanted me to bring the car in. So, it's in this afternoon and I should have some sort of answer. It could be a bad tire or it could be the alignment needs to be redone. In any case, I hope they figure it out and get it right. I'll update you all what they "find".

With fingers touching the screen...

[ELCID86]

Good luck. Did you get a results print out?


Thumbs, iPhone, Tapatalk.

[LivesNearCostco]

As jsfbmw said, there is a way to test the road crown issue without looking for that rare stretch of straight road that is completely flat or slanted only to one side instead of crowned. Find a straight section of crowned road that has no traffic and clear line of sight. Drive on the middle of the center line and car should go straight (or not pull as much to the right). Drive on the left side and car should pull to the left because of the crown on the other side of the road.

This is illegal on public roads and potentially very dangerous if you have oncoming traffic, so if you want to try this pick your road and time carefully.