MY CAR HAS HAD A PULL TO THE RIGHT FOR A LONG TIME I CAN'T SHAKE? JUST GOT 3RD ALIGNMENT, AND IT'S STILL THERE! i need a rear camber kit. my tech said sarcastically " they all pull" i was wondering if this maybe was a common issue? anyone else have their car pull? i'm getting a lift kit , big knobby tires, and going 4 wheelin'! MONSTER TL!

 

mine does but its really not bad its possibly because of the street when im driving in the far right lane....

 

get on an even stretch of freeway where you can get up to 85-100mph, then let go of the wheel . when i do it, my car is in the next lane within 3-5 seconds! if i let it go it would just pull right off the road! what really is annoying is that my whole suspension system has been worked! comptech springs, sways , neuspeed lower & upper strut, koni yellows, high perf tires, etc.. she handles amazing except for this pull!...

 

So let me get this straight...you DON'T have headers right? Just double checking to see if you CAN have the NEUSPEED lower tie bar with headers...even though this site says you CAN'T.

 

what is that thing on ur side fender? is it a sidemarker?

 

When they did the alignment, what were the specs? How much off are you?

Do you have uneven tire wear?

Have you rotated your tires? Do you still have the problem?

Have you tried rotating in a criss-cross direction instead of front to back?

 

except for a slight toe indicator from the rear, but it was still in the green. what's wierd is there is no uneven tire wear, i rotate my rubber every 1, 000! don't laugh , i know it's ocd! i also change my oil and tranny fluid every 2- 3,000 miles! never tried the criss-cross rotate, but i don't see how that could fix it? thanks for the tip though S

 

are those BMW clear side markers????

 

Try switching your tires side to side. There is a thing called RADIAL TIRE PULL - I've seen it before, it should start pulling other way.

Or maybe all you roads in Florida graded to the right...

 

Hi,

I took my TL in for an alignment check (2nd time) and they found it to be one of my front tires. They said belts in tires can shift in the tire causing it to pull in one direction. He used a term, but I can not remember what he called it. If your technician thinks that this is the culprit, they normally (and simply) would determine this by switching the front-left wheel for the front-right wheel. (If belts in the rear tires shift, you won't feel a pull) If the "pull" goes is in the opposite direction after the swap, then that is your answer. This is true because I looked at the measurents of the first and second alignment and all looked fine. I had no suspension problems, no uneven tire wear, etc....After the front wheel swap, I knew that this was the case. The technician told me this was semi-normal and not dangerous or worth tire replacement. He said if this is that annoying to rotate my tires from front to rear and the "pull" will not be felt. So on my next tire rotation (1000 more miles) I will do that. Good Luck!

Conteez
Charlotte, NC

 

Steve, even with that 4x4 look, your car still looks hot!

 

Damn that is one CLEAN TL!:wow:

FYI, I can't even tell if my TL is black anymore due to all the snow and freezing weather up here.

 

she is perrty ain't she!:toothless conteez thanks for the info, stranik has the right term " radial tire pull " and there lies the rub so to speak...you can't see it if it is happening? how can it actually be diagnosed as that? i think that it's in the ride height of the car. i read that if you lower the car 1" it will turn your camber neg.84! hence the cam kit. i'm running bridgestone potenza re730zr17's. for you C !

 

2002, with hyperwhite PIAA bulb

 

Yea, I had a pull... cause I slammed into a curb! hehe.... scratched up my rims, but today I just got my new rims/tires. I bought a set of '03 TL-P rims w/ tires from a guy on here.... They look AWESOME on my car. It also drives SO much better, but there is a slight pull. I need to get them aligned though, as I have free alignment anyways for as long as I own the TL. If that doesn't stop it, I need a new right strut and shock (from the curb accident) or just fill the right side up with a tad bit more air.

-Ryan
'99 SSM TL

 

Hey KMan,

Some of the better shops will weight the car for the driver and occupants when they do the alignment. If they know it's usually driver only and the driver is 200lbs, they actually throw 200 lbs of weight on the drivers seat and do the alignment. Other option is to sit in the car while they do the alignment. These are all assuming that it's an alignment problem. If it's tire related, the cross rotation of tires will give you the answer.

Good luck.

Sweet looking ride.

 

Make sure to be silent about slamming into things - almost always it automatically cancels any alignment policies!!!

 

It is only done if the car is requiring a full weight for alignment. For example, Ferrari requires it. Our TLs do not need it.

 

If they do an alignment, they should check camber, caster and toe in/out. So they should know. Of course, some techs are lazy and do not check something that is not adjustable - "I can't adjust it anyway, so why check it?" sort of logic, not measuring camber and/or caster.

I hope you have your printouts... take a look.

So an alignment (and a lazy tech) MAY be your problem after all...

 

My '99 started pulling right when I replaced the OEM tires with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S's. The "national" shops all shrugged and said the alignment numbers were all within spec range and there was nothing else they could do. I then took the car to a specialty performance/tuning shop where they had a technician who actually knew something about suspensions. He installed a spacer on the front left which reduced the caster from +2.5 to a +1.0 and voila -- no more pulling right. The handling is imporved dramatically and the car tracks straight with my hands off the wheel.

Good luck.

 

Strannik -

Well, this curb incident was a while ago, and i had it all aligned then, my steering wheel was all cockeyed and crap, so when I did it then, I bought the lifetime alignment thing because I knew I was getting new tires soon, which I just got yesterday. Although today the tech said I need a new Tire Rod end or something or other... what the hell is that?


-Ryan
'99 SSM TL

 

Strannik.

The settings change with driver in the seat. I'm not clear why the TL does not need it?

Vatican's experience is similar to mine. I prefer specialty shops that know how to set up a car for the driver & not what the computer tells them is or isn't within spec. I stand by the statement that a car can be within spec but not optimal. A good suspension guy knows the difference.

 

hey comet, how much did the lifetime alignment cost you?

 

$110... and lifetime brakes is 220. Good deal. Are wagner brake pads good? I havn't signed up for the brake deal yet, but I'm seriously contemplating it when my brakes are shot.


-Ryan
'99 SSM TL

 

They suck. Don't do it. Buy some quality pads and do it right. Factory pads online only run $40.00. If you're not looking for an upgrade, at least stay with the Acura pad.

 

Tie rod end is the piece that pulls or pushes your wheel to the side when you turn your steering wheel. There are 2 on each side - one (inner) attaches to rack-and-pinion unit, other (outer) to the spindle, to which the wheel is attached.
Because it moves around, it may eventually wear out at the joint. However, most (read - all) Japanese cars do not have this problem untill at least 100K miles. Of course, if it was replaced with some cheap aftermarket part... could happen. But, from my experience as autorepair shop manager, this is the way mechs try to make you pay for your alignment. So try to have it checked somewhere else, if possible.

 

It is only a good deal until they start squicking and you have to come back every week...

 

It does change, but I believe it depends on total vehicle weight, and spec tolerances, so if tolerances are high enough it is not required. And TL weights 2 times what Ferrari does.

 

Very true....
You may want to post the alignment specs, before and after figures for further discussion. I assume a computerized almt was already performed..
juniel

 

Vatican

What's the name and address of the shop you used?

 

while most of u guys pull to the right,mine pulls to the left for some odd reasons. Because it's not that bad, so i havne't yet checked whats wrong with it

 

how much is a tire rod? i think i may have bent mine when i slammed into a curb recently...