Hi
I have Nissan Altima (CVT) 2008. Last week i got my front passenger side tire flat. I replaced all 4 tires with same quality and type from Sam?s club. (P215/60R16 94T X RAD DOT: B3495HDX1710). I did Wheel alignment from AAA car care centre. After that, when I drive my car around 50 to 60 mils speed from left/centre/right lane of the road, it pulls to right side always. I went to same different AAA car center; they did wheel alignment again, but still pulls to right side when drive. They told me wheel balancing is not good, so I went to SAM?s club, again they did wheel balancing, but still pulls to right side when drive. Then I went to different AAA car center locations; they did wheel alignment again, but still pulls to right side when drive
Can you help me?
Did the alignment shops drive the car before and after the alignment? They should.
I believe we can rule out balance. That leaves alignment or ---- Air Pressure — Air pressure is often overlooked, but it is cheap to fix and happens more often than it should.
Good Luck
Yes, they did,
After alignment, I was driving the car, and AAA car mechanic sitting, and watching.
I drove my car in left lane, and it pulled to right side, when I kept in right side, that time also, car pulled to right side.
He blamed the road
Thank you
Air pressure is perfect. 31 in all 4 wheels.
Thank you
I once bought a new set of tires and no matter how aligned and balanced everything was the car always pulled. When I swapped the front tires side to side it pulled the other way.
It took me like 4 trips back to the shop and persistence before they replaced the tire. No more pull. Tires can be defective new off the rack. Go back to Sam’s, ask them to drive it. Ask them to swap the tires and drive it again to see if it changes.
Yes in AAA car care center, they swap the front tires. but still it is pull to the right side.
Thank you
Try the rear tires.
Switch the tires from the right side of the car to the left side of the car, and see if it now pulls to the left.
What actual brand and model of tire did you have installed?
I know your car came with Continental ProContact’s when it was new (mine did).
I replaced mine (2007 Altima 2.5 S) at 20k miles with a set of Fuzion HRi tires, and they really sucked in the snow. So when I got to 40k miles, I replaced them with Goodyear Assurance TripleTreads.
These tires are the best A/S tire I have ever had on a front wheel drive car, and turned my Altima from a car I dreaded the forecast having snow in it to one where I didn’t mind so much anymore.
BC.
there are three things involved in alignment for the front of the vehicle.
- caster-one wheel in front of the other-can make the car pull to one side does not normally cause improper tire wear but can make handling bad and cause the pull. caster is not adjustable on this car
- camber-leaning in and out from the top-can make it pull if both camber adjustments are “leaning” to the same side. causes improper tire wear also.
3.toe in or toe out. will not make it pull but will cause improper tire wear.
in the rear there are 2 things that are involved in the alignment. once again camber and the toe in or toe out.
- the rear toe can “steer” the car from the back if not properly adjusted.
make sure you get a complete 4 wheel alignment. also try switching the tires from the rear of the car to the front. and then if necessary switch from side to side. i have seen times when 2 or 3 tires were causing the problem not just 1
let us know how it turns out for you
I notice that you’ve specified a speed where this occurs. Normal tire or alignment related pulls are not speed dependent. So I am wondering if you are experiencing this only under acceleration - and if so, that would be torque steer, which is a characteristic of most FWD cars, and there is nothing you can do about it.
If properly aligned no effort should be required to keep the car moving straight ahead. I certainly don’t suggest anyone drives with their hands off the wheel but on well maintained highways the car should remain straight indefinitely when no pressure us put on the steering wheel. I rarely align cars but have fought steering problems and sometimes found it necessary to push the adjustments to the limits to get the desired result. And be very certain that if the vehicle is driven with a load, especially if the load is biased to one end or side, that the load is duplicated as nearly as possible when at the shop.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT… A Toyota was brought to me with the complaint that it was difficult to handle in a turn. The car had been aligned at a major tire chain and taken back repeatedly with complaints that it was not repaired. I drove it down the street and all seemed well until I made a sharp turn at about 20 mph. The car darted severely and nearly tipped over and was difficult to stop. After several checks for loose components and double checking every spec I was in the trunk triple checking the rear strut mounts and noticed that the trunk mat was wet. I lifted the mat and found the well for the spare tire was level full of water.
Has anyone ruled out a dragging brake pad (or shoe)?
One thing people commonly do when looking into a complaint such as this is to get their thoughts stuck in one track, such as alignment. While alignment might be the first and most likely possibility, there are other things that can cause a car to pull to one side. A dragging pad or shoe is one.
Another is a defective tire. A tire can be defective in a manner that causes higher than normal rolling resistance and still ride smooth. There is one condition in particular that can cause pulling wherein the tread surface is not perpendicular to the centerline of the tire, making the tire sort of conical when looked at from the perspective of the tire’s rolling axis. If the tires are moved to the other side, the pull will move with the tire.
In short, this needs to be looked at from the perspective of diagnosing the pull rather than rechecking the alignment.
I guess that’s the real problem, mountainbike. Often when a shop looks at the customers complaint they try to quickly match something on their menu and overlook too many peripherals. Or sometimes overlooking the possibility that their equipment is not accurate.
I think it’s human nature to get trapped into a particular line of thinking. That’s why a fresh set of eyes often sees epmthing obvious that the first set was blind to.
Hi All
Thank you Very much for your replys.
I took my car to Nissan car service center. they checked all and they told me the front brakes rotors has VIB, and brake oil needs to replaced. i did both, now the car runs stright. and it is not pulling to the right side.
Thank you
Sounds like mountainbike is king of the board…not a chump to be stumped.
I simply view life through a different prism.
I’m just happy that the OP’s car is now running right.