Car pulls to the left...again...[thread revival]

[Kalevera]

Alrighty guys, I'm continuing Josh's thread here....

As most of you know, pretty much my entire suspension is new (except rear subframe bushings).

I finally got my alignment done today after installing the sachs kit a few weeks ago. Results were:

Left front:
Camber: -0.9 Caster: 6.9
Right front:
Camber: -1.0 Caster: 7.0

Left rear camber: -1.1
Right rear camber: -1.6

Everything about the ride was more or less normal with my stock BBS 15's on 225/60's.

Before having the alignment, I stuck a set of used BBS Sport 17's with Kuhmo Supra 235/45's and hubcentric rings on the front (rears were lost by UPS). I also ran these wheels on the rear for about two days with no problems. Prior to putting them on, I noticed that the pass side tire has a lot more wear on the inner shoulder. Both tires' inner shoulders appear to have "feathering".

Now, the car pulls to the left. Sometimes it doesn't, most of the time it does, and it's really annoying to have to fight against the wheel. Sometimes it feels as if I have NO control over the steering. I had the alignment guys balance the wheels. I assume they air-pressured them correctly. When I asked them about the feathering, they said that it would just make a lot of noise.

Think it's the tires, or is my alignment really messed up?

Best, whit

[tim]

Get some nice Kumho's to fit your stock BBS's at tire rack and drive it as a sleeper for awhile. Meanwhile, scout out e34 wheel designs like the tstar or m-parallels that don't require spacing rings and come in 17". Neither the alignment machine nor the balancer can detect a hub spacer ring out of true. Also, the wheel itself may be at fault.

It takes a new suspension a little time and a few italian tune-ups for it to "settle down." Best to let it settle in with some fresh rubber on the stock diameter.

[liquidtiger720]

wow. Amazing how both of us how the same problems after basically the same upgrades/repairs. And, just like you. sometimes its perfectly fine...others, my wheel is turned toward the right a couple of inches to keep the car going straight.
My results were:

Left front:
Camber: -0.5 Caster: 7.1
Right front:
Camber: -0.9 Caster: 7.5

Left rear camber: -1.5
Right rear camber: -1.3


My left front caster is not withing spec. (7.2-8.2). I really think its my tires for me. Sorry that I can't help you out. I really wish this would just go away.

[Paul in NZ]

my car was terrible with worn rear tires...very worn on inside edges...almost impossible to see without lift

[Kalevera]

Paul: I know that these tires have worn inside shoulders...one looks worse than the other.

Did your's pull to a specific direction with all of this happening?

Tim - the hubcentrics are brand new, made of aluminum, from the tire rack. I believe the wheels were balanced without the rings on, and they feel noticeably better now that they're balanced. But, it's like a bad case of tramlining...will go straight just fine for a minute, then feels like it gets stuck in a groove on the road and I have to fight the steering to keep it on track.

Going over bumps is a nightmare. Sometimes it will "flip" the pull at high (highway) speeds from one side (left) to the other (right), which makes the car really hard to drive.

What really irks me, beyond the fact that the guy who sold me the tires poorly packed them and didn't tell me about the shoulder wear, is that the alignment shop didn't set the front toe to the sachs spec that I gave them.

Best, whit

[Kalevera]

Guys:

I fixed the majority of the problem, although my steering still vacillates between being imprecise and too precise at times.

The problem was that one of the rear tires (pass side) was overpressured: about 36 psi versus ~32 on all others. This is the *ONLY* thing I changed before driving it again, and most, if not all of the pull, is gone.

Best, whit

[liquidtiger720]

I wish mine was due to air pressure. Mine is a little better after correct Air...but its still there.