Problems with wheel alignment? or is it something else?

[Turok]

So I just got my 4 wheel alignment done at Altech Automotive which was recommended by a few ppl on here.

They did a wicked job and the car drives like butter on the streets and up to speed of 75km.. once I get over that speed, the car pulls to the left moderately, enough where if I count to 5 or so the car will be in the gutter or off the road.

I took it back to Altech and the owner took it out for a test drive and he noticed the problem, but wasn't sure what was causing it. He even put the car up and connect the alignment equipment to show me again the alignment was perfect, which it was. He didn't look into it any further because he was over booked as it was and I just came in so he could re-check the alignment.

What would cause the car to pull left, even though the alignment is 100% correct?

PS: I just got new tires from Tires23, which is why I wanted the alignment and the car was pulling to the left long before I got the new tires.. which was another reason I wanted to get a 4 wheel alignment done.

[condor888000]

Do you have a print out of the alignment?

[Noisy Crow]

Check your tire pressure on all four tires
Check to make sure the parking brake isn't dragging on one side (apply the parking brake a notch or two at 80 km and see if the car still drifts... don't forget to release the brake!)

Since the alignment has been checked the only other thing I can think of is that something is messed up with the steering....


Google found me this:


STEADY PULL

This is a condition where the vehicle continually pulls or drifts to one side while traveling straight. The driver typically has to maintain steady pressure on the steering wheel to keep the vehicle on the road. Possible causes include:

Uneven camber side-to-side. Too much cross-camber can make a vehicle pull or lead towards the side that has the most (positive) camber or away from the side that has the least (negative) camber. The underlying cause may be a bent strut or mislocated strut tower, a bent spindle, collapsed bushing, weak or broken spring, or a shifted crossmember or engine cradle. Check SAI and the included angle to see if these are in or out of specs to diagnose the problem. Also check ride height. Correct by replacing worn or damaged parts, correcting location of strut tower, repositioning engine cradle, and/or reducing cross-camber to half a degree or less by readjusting camber to specifications.

Uneven caster side-to-side. Too much cross-caster can make a vehicle pull or lead towards the side that has the least (negative) caster. The underlying cause may be a bent strut, spindle or mislocated strut tower. Correct by replacing damaged part, correcting location of strut tower, and/or reducing cross-caster to half a degree or less by resetting caster to specifications.

Rear axle steer. The front wheels are with alignment specifications but the vehicle pulls to one side. The underlying cause may be rear toe out of specifications, a bent rear axle, chassis misalignment or a stackup of assembly tolerances in the chassis causing rear axle misalignment. Measure and compare the wheelbase on both sides, check for the presence of a thrust angle, and/or measure individual rear toe. Correct by realigning the rear axle or rear toe, or by performing a thrust angle alignment.

Brake drag. The pull is constant to one side and may get worse with the application of the brakes. Raise the vehicle and spin each wheel by hand to check for excessive drag. Possible causes include caliper sticking, frozen or sticking piston in caliper, overfilled fluid reservoir in master cylinder (does not allow caliper pistons to retract when brakes are released), weak drum brake return springs, misadjusted drum brakes, misadjusted parking brake, misadjusted parking brake pedal switch (creates residual pressure in the master cylinder to cause drag). Readjust or repair brakes as required.
NOTE: If the pull only occurs when the brakes are applied, the problem may be unequal braking not a dragging caliper or misalignment. The vehicle will pull towards the side with the stronger and away from the side with the weaker or inoperative front brake. Uneven braking can be caused by a sticking floating caliper, a frozen caliper piston, the use of different grades or brands of brake linings side-to-side, fluid leaks, or contaminated linings on one side (by brake fluid or grease). Correct by repairing brakes as required. Other causes may include worn or loose control arm bushings or strut rod bushings that allow alignment changes when braking, so be sure to inspect these components before blaming the brakes.

Low tire pressure. The vehicle will lead towards the side with low pressure in the front tire. Correct by inflating tires to recommended pressure.

Mismatched tires side-to-side. The vehicle will pull or lead towards the side that offers the greatest rolling resistance. Compare tire sizes, tread wear, tread styles and patterns, also brands.

Uneven. If one side of the tread is worn more than the other, the tire develops conicity. The effect is much the same as camber, causing the tire to roll towards the side which is worn most. The uneven wear may be the result of incorrect camber, toe and/or failure to rotate the tires periodically to even out wear. If rotating the tires side-to-side reverses the direction of the pull, the tires need to be replaced.

Ply steer. A manufacturing defect in the way the belts are positioned inside the tire causes the tire to generate a lateral (sideways) force as the tire rolls. To test for this condition, drive the vehicle forward, then in reverse. If the direction of the drift or pull changes, one or more tires at at fault. Rotating the tires front-to-rear or crosswise may help cancel out the ply steer, otherwise tire replacement is necessary to correct the condition.

Unbalanced power assist. Seal leaks in the control valve or off-center steering may route hydraulic pressure into one side or the other of the boost cylinder piston causing the steering to want to turn itself to one side. This can be checked by raising the wheels with the engine running to see if the wheels turn to one side by themselves. No changwould indicate another cause, but if the pull suddenly vanishes an imbalance in the system is to blame. The control valve assembly or steering gear needs to be replaced.

Excessive road crown. Roads are raised or crowned in the middle so rain water will run off to the outside for proper drainage. But the slight slope to the pavement can often make a vehicle drift to the outside. This can be countered by adding a little positive camber and/or negative caster to the left front wheel , but this should only be done if the vehicle spends most of its time on crowned roads and the customer demands a fix.

[Turok]

Yes I have a print out of the alignment.

Should go to the dealer to have it checked out? I'm going to Jimmys tomorrow to get my oil done and 60K inspection, I'll get him to take a look.

Well the pressure is fine and the pads shouldn't be an issue I just got new HAWK pads put on by Mazda just over a month or so ago.

[Default User]

stretching it - but maybe a slightly bent wheel

[condor888000]

Post the specs on the print out. The alignment may be correct and in spec, but specs are so wide it may still be the issue.