Okay, I'm probably going to get this checked out next time I go to my mechanic, but I was wondering if I could get an idea of what it is. My car pulls a little to the left. When I let go of the steering wheel, no matter what speeds, it starts pulling slightly to the left. Enough that I'll start going into the other lane, but a long diagnol, it's not too sharp of a pull. Any ideas on what it might be? I have a 98 SE w/ 83,XXX miles. Thanks.

 

need an Alignement?

 

You also have to consider the road crown. For the longest time I though my car had some kind of frame damage cause I could never get it to travel perfectly straight. Most roads are built slightly angled towards the shoulder to aid water drainage and for other reasons I'm not too sure of. I've noticed that wider roads with more lanes(such as freeways) tend to have more of this drifting effect than long stretches of 2-lane highways. but if your car is pulling to one side in a consistent manner on all kinds of roads, you might want to get your wheels aligned before you mess up your treadwear.

 

You need an alignment and have your tires checked or worst case scenerio.. you have worn out suspension bushings

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by kchida
[B]You also have to consider the road crown.

This is true but if the car is aligned properly the car would tend to drift right, not left.

Get an alignment. Most tire places will try to sell you a four wheel alignment but the Max's rear suspension is not adjustable. You will need a "Thrust" alignment. This type is usually a little cheaper.

 

if the road dips towards the sides for drainage, youll drift that way as well.

what does it mean if im braking at a light and the car pulls slightly one way? uneven brake wear perhaps?

 

I have had similar problems and after having the alignment check (it was found in order) it turned out to be the tires. Some tires will develop a "radial pull" either to the left or right depending on which tire. This is also called conicity (when a tire starts to turn inward or outwart while turning, picture a cone). I have been able to correct this by having the tire remounted (flipped on the rim) and rebalanced. It worked for me.

 

I know this sounds silly, but what lane do you notice this more in? B/C the roads where we live, esp. in ffx, slant pretty damn well. Get that alignment checked but mine does the same thing.

 

It happens in all the roads. Doesn't matter which lane. The only place I havent "checked it" is on the highway. Don't wanna let go of the steering wheel there, but everywhere else, it pulls left. Shoot, I could make a left hand turn without putting my hands on the wheel. Guess I better get my alignment checked. Soon.

 

I kinda just learned to live w/ it. Even when I took it go get aligned it was out a bit, but when corrected the car still drifted left. Damn this car!

 

After verifying all the tires have good pressure, switch them from left to right and go for a test drive to see if the car pulls the other direction. If it does, the tires are the problem.

If the tires are eliminated as a problem, it probably needs a proper alignment. These cars seem sensitive to camber. It doesn't take much of a difference left to right to cause a pull. It can usually be brought back in spec' by loosening the strut bolts and pulling the wheel one way or the other, and re-tightening. Some cases may require special 'camber' bolts that allow more adjustment.

Some shops are hesitant to do this, (it's more work) but that's often the cure if the rest of the alignment is spot on.

Get both sides set to the same camber, and it should be okay.

Good Luck!