96 pulling to the side

sgbuick · 06-24-2009, 12:56 AM

I think I'm having an issue with front tires, not sure though. Firestone FR380 tires in front, had a pull to the right, especially toward the crown in the road. When I swapped them left to right it switched to pulling to the left, especially when there's a crown in the road. A little pull is normal with the crown, but here you need 3 hands on the wheel to keep it from going left. If the crown goes to the right, it usually goes straight unless it is a very steep crown. Was the exact opposite before swapping left/right. Also, on a straight road with no crown, it goes left (before the left/right swap it went right).

Here's the strange part: After I did the left-right swap in May, it pulled to the left but seemed to gradually get more normal over the last 2 months. In fact, I almost forgot about it! That is, until yesterday when I accidentally drove thru a pockmarked supermarket parking lot at night, now it's pulling to the left all over again. I wonder if a shifted belt in the tire can gradually shift itself back into position over time? I'm thinking that I may have shifted the belt again in the broken parking lot yesterday? What else would cause it to gradually improve, only to come back again after driving over broken pavement? Thx.

toddman67 · 06-24-2009, 08:12 AM

The most likely answer would be tire pressure and even wear. Check to see if the 2 tires have the same pressure and then look to see if they both have the same tread depth. If all else fails, rotate the front to rears and see how that goes. If the problem persist, Then I would suspect some worn steering or suspension components and an alignment problem. Check sway bar links.

j cAT · 06-24-2009, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgbuick

I think I'm having an issue with front tires, not sure though. Firestone FR380 tires in front, had a pull to the right, especially toward the crown in the road. When I swapped them left to right it switched to pulling to the left, especially when there's a crown in the road. A little pull is normal with the crown, but here you need 3 hands on the wheel to keep it from going left. If the crown goes to the right, it usually goes straight unless it is a very steep crown. Was the exact opposite before swapping left/right. Also, on a straight road with no crown, it goes left (before the left/right swap it went right).

Here's the strange part: After I did the left-right swap in May, it pulled to the left but seemed to gradually get more normal over the last 2 months. In fact, I almost forgot about it! That is, until yesterday when I accidentally drove thru a pockmarked supermarket parking lot at night, now it's pulling to the left all over again. I wonder if a shifted belt in the tire can gradually shift itself back into position over time? I'm thinking that I may have shifted the belt again in the broken parking lot yesterday? What else would cause it to gradually improve, only to come back again after driving over broken pavement? Thx.

when swaping tires the problem swaped..if this is correct then you best get new tires...belt damage..

sgbuick · 06-27-2009, 12:04 AM

Is there any chance that the belt will go back into place after driving for a while? Also, how can you tell if a belt has shifted? No bulges or anything on the outside of tire. It sometimes seems to get better after driving for several days, until you go over a bumpy road, then it starts pulling again (??)

j cAT · 06-27-2009, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgbuick

Is there any chance that the belt will go back into place after driving for a while? Also, how can you tell if a belt has shifted? No bulges or anything on the outside of tire. It sometimes seems to get better after driving for several days, until you go over a bumpy road, then it starts pulling again (??)

remove the tire roll tire on level smooth surface, if the tire wobbles you have a bad belt/tire...compare with the other tires ..

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