Since I've had this car it always pulls, usually to the right. I noticed when I've done the struts/springs at different times the right front seems to be tighter and I have to untighten the sway bar bolts just to get the knuckle low enough.

Is is possible the pull is coming from a bent part and possibly the sway bar being too tight on that side? I've had at least 5 alignments, all with the same results. I've also used camber bolts to get equal camber and tweak, etc. I have equal caster and have experimented with toe changes, but ALWAYS have a pull. Tried several tires too.

For only 1-2 months the car pulled slightly to the left out of 5 years I've owned it when I first put on lowering springs, but I don't remember what changed. That may have been because the camber was severely different; eg, very positive on the left side before an alignment.

One last thing, the car jerks to the right when using the throttle.

 

did u get an alignment right after u lower ur car?

 

When I did it the first time, not immediately. Maybe a week or two later. They only changed the toe slightly b/c that was before I had camber bolts. It seems like I forgot to tighten down the right side of the sway bar as well, which is why I'm thinking it could cause the temporary LEFT pull (all other times it's been a RIGHT pull). I did one eventually after every spring/strut change, and I have a lifetime alignment on the car, but no one has every made it drive straight.

I've actually resorted to doing alignments myself with a few simple tools. I can get pretty close actually with a level for the camber and boards with nails to check the toe. There's not much to it.

I thought the rear factory toe-in was a problem at one time, but I don't think it affects the pull very much. It's .25 on the LR and about the same or less on the RR.

 

are u refering to front sway bar or rear sway bar?

 

FSB. I don't have a RSB. In fact, I also took off all the stuff I had before: springs (three sets overall), struts, FSTB. Same results of course; right pull.

Like I said, the right side really seemed to bind more than the left when I was installing/removing struts. Before, when I wasn't loosening the sway bar link bolts, I would have to nearly hop up and down on the knuckle to get enough clearance over the CVJ to put the strut in. I don't know if that's an inherent part of the design or if something is bent, etc.

 

well... first of all i don't get why u are doing something on ur FSB unless u are installing stuff like energy suspension FSB bushings etc..

secondly, how do u manage to adjust ur camber bolt without a professional machine reading its camber spec?

lastly, is your front toe in spec? if ur toe in spec then u shouldn't have any tire wear problem.

sorry for late response i wnet out for food

 

okay, speaking from personal experience, i have my car lowered on maxspeed w/ tokico HP/kyb agx and got an alignement immediately when it's lowered. i didn't use a camber back then and the car drives like stock.

1 year later i lowered it more on s-tech and same shocks, i didn't get an alignement done until i lost 2 sumitomo HTRs 8 months later, then i got an alignment done, and two new falken ZR tires. my camber was .2 off then spec on the right side, and everything else is in spec (including the toe). this was without my eibach camber kit. and my steering wheel is a little bit tilted to the right, but normal tire wear and A+ handling etc.

6 month lateri got eibach camber kit and i went to the shop and have them put it on and everything drives like stock.

 

My car is stock and has been pulling left or right for as long as I can remember. Tires wear evenly so I kind of got used to it?

 

Doubt the FSB is involved, it only comes into play on leans and turns, not straight accel. Can you post your front alignment figures from your last measurement. I'm curious as to the SAI in addition to the regular camber & toe.

 

yea please post spec see we can help u out

 

The roads have a slight tilt to them so the water can drain off of it. I dont remember what they call it but it a tilt in the road to the right. My car pulls to the right sometimes not on every road and Ive gotten 2 alignments and the car is perfectly aligned but it pulls to the right sometimes. Just something to think about if you dont have the problem all the time.

 

Since I've had this car it always pulls, usually to the right


My two bits....
A) It's possible you have defective suspension pcs.
B) I would also have someone check to see if the car has ever been hit before.I had a problem with my RX7 Turbo 2 about 10 yrs ago. The car was hit really bad and never fixed properly.Finally realized the chassis was "bent".

I'm all the simple things have already been checked (air pressure etc)

Best of luck!

 

One basic check you can do is this:
get a long piece of cord like they use in chalk lines. Even white cotton thread could do. You will need two friends to help.
Park the car on level tarmac and centre the front wheels.
Now stretch the cord, tightly, across the centres of the front and back tyres. All the way along the car. Your aim is to check if the cord *just touches* the sidewalls of the front and back tyres equally in 4 places. If it doesn't, then the monocoque body may be out of true and require a body jig to straighten it. This test of course assumes you're running stock tyres, if the front boots are different to the rear, the test isn't accurate.

 

Let me see if I can answer all the questions.

Mxrider52, the word (road tilt) you're thinking of is crown or crowning. The car will drive straight for a while if I'm on a badly crowned road that tilts to the left. However since I mostly drive on roads that tilt to the right, causing the car to pull even harder to the right, it annoys the absolute **** out of me.

I will post the specs later today. I have records for 2-3 alignments. All of the settings are w/in spec, but it's never driven straight. It's been this way with different tires, wheels, struts, springs, and even spec alignments. Something must be damaged...

Happyricefob, I loosened the FSB b/c I thought it could be bent and be pulling the LCA, L or R, to one side or the other. Maybe it is? I drove it that way out of curiosity and felt some bounce on the R/F and the car pulled slightly MORE to the right while driving in a straight line. I didn't try the left side. I could have sworn I could see the caster angle change while I was loosening it (about 4 full turns), but it may have been my imagination.

I don't think that would be the "proper" way suspension is supposed to be designed (FSB should not control caster), but there's not that much holding the wheel in place except the LCA - which could very well be the/a problem. Other than the strut, the LCA is connected by one huge bolt, right? What's most likely to bend first? The LCA and/or bolt, FSB, or chassis?

Clive, that sounds like a good test. You would basically be measuring "squareness," right? In woodworking you measure the diagonals to check for square, but obviously it's more challenging with a car. I thought of measuring the L/R wheelbase lengths, but I assume this is what's done in the alignment. you guys will be able to see that when I post it.

I guess it's down to FSB, chassis, or LCA. I had a shimmy at one time, but I think it was mostly tires. I read a while back someone here cleared up a shimmy with LCA bushings or a complete arm. There is some occassional vibration now, but nothing severe. BTW, I'm back to a stock setup except for wheels/tires. 2000 maxima 16's.

 

my 98 pulls to the right.I just had an alignment and the cars never been in an accident but it sill pulls.If I get on the highway sometimes it feels like it wants to pull in different directions.

 

Have you ever had a true 4 wheel thrust angle alignment to see if the car is indeed tracking correctly? If the rear is out of wack because of a slightly bent beam, you'll feel the pull up front as well.

Post the specs from a 4 wheel thrust angle alignment so we can see how the car is tracking. Without the actual readings were only guessing at what could be causing your car not to track straight.

Low profile or even stock sized Z rated performance tires will follow the crown of the road.
A softer side wall all season or touring tire will feel more neutral.
Don't confuse that with a pull from an alignment issue.

 

I'll have the reports at lunch or sooner. What is SAE by the way?

 

Will having the rear wheels lean in make the car pull? Like my left rear at 1.48 and my right rear at 1.1

 

ok u guys, as long as ur alignment is in spec, the only other thing that would make ur car pull 1 way or the other is the camber. only the front tires are adjustable. if the camber is .2 or even .1 off from each other, the car will pull 2 one side. im having the same problem. my car keeps pulling to the left. my car has been in and out of the shop for 3 weeks and theyre still trying to figure it out. my only advice is never get ur car aligned at a place like town fair tire. get the alignment specs from the FAQ's in this forum and give it to a legit shop where you know theyre gonna do a good job. ill let u know how my car comes out after today.

 

Ok, here are the two alignments I could find. The car pulled to the right in both cases before/after the alignments. Thoughts? Oh, and what is SAI?

 

I see 2 problems in the first pic and must assume this was a "before" shot of the alignment. The toe is horrible with the left going in and the right going out. That's your right steer right there. The L/R SAI is a little different but that's normal.

The 2nd pic shows toe-in nearly equal but the SAI is very off from L/R. Somebody check me but that's usually a bent susp part like an arm, worn ball joint, strut mount, etc. right?


SAI is the measurement in degrees of the steering pivot line when viewed from the front of the vehicle. This angle, when added to the camber to form the included angle (see below) causes the vehicle to lift slightly when you turn the wheel away from a straight ahead position. This action uses the weight of the vehicle to cause the steering wheel to return to the center when you let go of it after making a turn. Because of this, if the SAI is different from side to side, it will cause a pull at very slow speeds. Most alignment machines have a way to measure SAI; however it is not separately adjustable. The most likely cause for SAI being out is bent parts which must be replaced to correct the condition. SAI is also referred to as KPI (King Pin Inclination) on trucks and old cars with king pins instead of ball joints.

 

Nope, those are the AFTER settings. Isn't front TOE dynamic though, so it will change as you move the steering wheel? Total toe (in the front) is what's important, right? (+0.05 to +0.20 toe-in is what I think they were supposed to use.)

The SAI seems to be what's commonly off in these alignments. Caster is pretty close, Camber can be set, and TOE can be set. So the right side of the car may have more of a "bobbing" up and down feeling than the right because the SAI of the right strut will be jutting out slightly. The left will feel more "grounded" or stable steering component because it's more vertical than the right, correct? Maybe that's what causes it to jerk to the right when accelerating. If I let go of the throttle (when are we not applying gas...?) then the car will drive straighter.

So... in conclusion, I have a bent part or frame correct? Probably the LCA (or frame?!?!). SAI could be adjusted with camber plates as well couldn't it? ...not that I want to spend $300 to "band-aid" a bent part. How much are LCA's with bushings? Seems like I heard someone here bought them for $65 each online, and this cleared up a shimmy as well.

 

I didn't read the entire thread but what do you mean by "using the throttle?" Do you mean mashing it, or what? I actually think 4th gens torque steer to the left normally, but I'll try and see next time I go out driving.

 

I'm trying to update the photos. My LAN or ISP or FTP program is causing problems...

 

I mean the harder I push the throttle, the more it pulls to the right. When I'm not using it or I'm braking, the car drives fairly straight.

 

Toe will change when you move the wheel, but keep in mind that if you have true right toe, your wheels will be pointing to the right while your steering wheel is straight ahead... but net toe or toe-in is more important as long as you don't mind an "inaccurate" steering wheel.

Anyway, looking at that I'd say you have a bent component somewhere, yeah. It's not severely bent, but it's definitely there, let's hope it's just an LCA and not a part of the frame like you said.

I'm not sure about the camber plates, it seems like they would, but not perfectly.

 

That's called torque steer.

 

I've heard of/experienced torque steer before, but the extent I'm experiencing it would be a major design flaw. The steering wheel will turn at least 20 degrees if I roll to a stop while the car is pointing straight, then accelerate. The fact that it continues to pull with any throttle tells me the alignment or part is a major problem.

 

Sorry. I didn't mean to insult your intelligence.

 

I think it's called road crown.

 

Welcome to post # 14.

 

No offense taken. You can't assume anything in a messageboard or online, so it's better said than unsaid, especially when trying to diagnose a problem.

It's interesting to see that others have a pull. It absolute annoys the hell out of me though, so it must be fixed. I've lived with it almost 4 years... I've thought of selling the car, which I still might do, rather than putting a lot of time and effort into fixing this.

 

So what do ya'll think? Should I replace the LCAs and hope for the best or say screw it and live with it/sell it? lol One good thing is I have a lifetime alignment on the car. It isn't doing me much good though now since the car isn't driving straight. I thought about setting the R wheel camber to more negative so it would tend to pull to the left more.

Swazey, did you get your car aligned properly?

 

Bear with me for a minute...

Another thing I could try to *possibly* change the SAI is adjust the camber bolts. They are eliptical and sit inside the steering knuckle, rotating in the upper strut bolt hole. With negative camber (or positive), there are two points where the camber will be the same. For example, thinking of it as a clock face as the eliptical bolt rotates, at 2 and 4 o'clock you can have say -.075 degrees. At 3 o'clock it will be say -0.5 degrees. The way SAI might possibly be adjusted is the knuckle will be higher in one case, lower in the other - 2 or 4 o'clock. With the suspension loaded, if the knuckle is higher (4 o'clock - eliptical part is pointing DOWN), the SAI angle should be smaller. If the knuckle is lower (2 o'clock - eliptical part is pointing UP), the SAI angle is higher, or increases.

Does this make sense? I tried to put the knuckle in the same position on both sides, but can't remember if I ever had them at opposing points; both were at 2 or 4 o'clock, not mixed. This could be a way to get a small change of the SAI angle. I can draw this and take a picture if you'd like to see what I'm talking about. It's not easy to describe obviously.

 

Sorry! I didn't see that .

Mine pulls to the right also.

 

Yes, if you already have elliptical bolts that could be much of your SAI changes. Those and plates play havoc with measurements. Oh, and whoever did that first alignment was a noob. You want equal L and R toe as close as possible unless your running circle track. That's the easiest thing to change then you center the steering wheel to those.

 

I'm gonna try flipping the bolts tonight. I'll post the results. At least they'll change the camber and I can get the thing to drive straighter. I never thought much about the SAI angle, but it may have more of an effect that I realize...

 

Your camber and caster is what will cause a pull. Both of those alignment reports show very acceptable readings L/R.
I see no reason why your front end alignment specs would cause a pull.
The rear looks very straight as well.
Everything is well within spec, especially if your lowered.

 

I get the same pull to the right, but it will go straight if I hold the wheel straight...

If I let go it moves to the right..

Here's the alignment specs


already have new ES control arm bushings, sway bar endlinks, new outer tie rod ends....

SAI IS..
Front Left: 15.6
Front Right: 17.4

 

What can we do to get out rear wheels basically straight? My left rear wheel at -1.48 and my right at -1.07