Wheel alignment after tire change

[vh202]

Hi Guys,

I recently got my tires replaced on my 98 D22 with some mickey thompson ATZs, at the same time I got a wheel alignment. Since then my ute has been pulling quite sharply to the right. When going along at any speed above 60 there is a noticeable force required to keep the vehicle straight and it will very quickly pull to the right.

The workshop(Bob Jane T-Mart) seems happy to adress the issue and has me booked in for a third session to rectify the issue after swapping the front tires around to se if that fixed it first. This time they intend to put some shims in but i have no idea what this means. Is it possible that my suspension is worn(bushes etc) and is the cause of the problem as they have indicated that the machine says that the wheels are within the defined factory standard......

What Im wondering is if it reasonable to expect the ute to steer straight or whether there should always be some drift.

Cheers
Vh

 

[jaymac90210]

G'day mate, I had the same problem with mine when I got new BF all terrains fitted with black rims and a 2 Inch ironman lift. Went back to the bridgestone place I had it done at and they "fixed" it, drove down the road and she still pulled to the left... Before it went in for the tyres the alignment was fine so bugger me dead I have no idea what they did! I'm interested to see what others say when they reply

Jarryd

Ps, 4WD always follow the camber of the road a lot more (coming from an XR6 to a Navara, I noticed this heaps) so keep that in mind

 

[vh202]

Yeah maybe thats it, I drove down the wrong way on a road to see if pulled to the other side and it did, not quite as hard but still quite pulled that way.

Problem is some of the flatter roads still seem to pull to the left...... buggered if I know

 

[jaymac90210]

Yeah maybe thats it, I drove down the wrong way on a road to see if pulled to the other side and it did, not quite as hard but still quite pulled that way.

Problem is some of the flatter roads still seem to pull to the left...... buggered if I know

Yeah well your alignment is definitely out, much like mine.. To be honest? Pay the extra and go to a 4x4 place like an ARB dealer or something where they do specialised alignments for fourbies. I'll be doing the same because I'm sick of not getting it right. Plus, when mine was booked in, the car before me was one of those little Kia Cerrato things.. I doubt the machine those big branded places have would be suited for 4x4 applications even though they claim that they can do "FWD" alignments, I think 4x4 alignments would be heaps more complicated! Just my opinion anyway

Jarryd

 

[terra88]

Most of the tyre joints just do a quick "toe and go" to get your money and get you out asap. Take it back and tell them to FIX it since you have already paid for it. It will need the camber and caster adjusted on the upper control arms but anyone who knows what they are doing should have seen that and done it first time and not stuffed you around.
My advice is next time take it to pedders or someone who actually knows the underbody of a vehicle.

 

[terra88]

If you got a print out from bob jane of the wheel alignment specs tell me what the front camber/caster and toe settings were and I'll tell you what is wrong and what it should be set to...

 

[vh202]

Cheers mate, here is the printout they gave me

 

[vh202]

Fixed it! First link to the picture didnt work. At the top they say they used the target data from a 1986 Patrol (GU?)

 

[terra88]

Ok take it back to them and tell them to fix it. There is too much gap between the left and right castor, should be 3/4 degree max and the camber split is the wrong way. It should always be more to the negative on the left hand.
Basically the left had wheel is too far forward and making the vehicle drift right but also the camber has a part in that as well. I would also set the total toe to about 3mm + or toe in to allow for bump steer.

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner

 

[vh202]

Cheers

A small confession I must make, I said it was pulling to the right at the beginning when it is really pulling to the left. DOH!

Anyway does this still align with what you were saying?

 

[terra88]

are you sure because it should be pulling right?

but anyway if it is pulling left even on the right hand lane of the highway then either thier specs are wrong or maybe the lh brakes are grabbing? Since they swapped the tyres over then that rules out a tyre issue

 

[vh202]

Certain its going to the left.

Looking at the D22 service guide it indicates a toe in value of a minimum of 3mm? Does this sound right? They were targeting 0.3mm!

Also while the difference in camber is minimal the negative camber on the right and the positive camber on the left would cause a slight drift to the left right? Shouldn't the camber be positive on both sides at a minimum?

 

[terra88]

Certain its going to the left.

Looking at the D22 service guide it indicates a toe in value of a minimum of 3mm? Does this sound right? They were targeting 0.3mm!

Also while the difference in camber is minimal the negative camber on the right and the positive camber on the left would cause a slight drift to the left right? Shouldn't the camber be positive on both sides at a minimum?

Toe doesn't make the vehicle drift left or right, it will only wear tyres if out of spec