rjacket

So a few months ago I had Potenza RE960's put on at Discount Tire. A few weeks later I went for my alignment at my local very trustworthy Lexus independent garage.

The car felt better, but then I noticed it drifting right. It wasn't pulling but seemingly going in a straight line but off center. I can drive the car at any speed and it is stable. It doesn't take any real effort to keep it straight. But even if I start it off center to the left, it will eventually come back to the right.

Now I know that the camber of the road impacts this so I've actually tested it in many many environments before coming to this conclusion. I took it back to the shop and they replicated the issue. They did not go on the freeway so it took them a bit of time to acknowledge the drift. They said that it may be that the tires are causing the issue.

So, next week I'm due to go to Discount Tire to get a rotation and balance and then I'll see if the issue persists.

A couple of questions for anybody who can find the time to answer:

1) Any advice on what methods of aligning and balancing gets the best results
2) I have to say that when I got my GS I thought it was pulling right so I had it aligned at the dealer for free in the first year. Now 25k later it again was pulling to the right and was realigned. But after alignment the direction of the issue is it's going right. So question here is do you think there's something up with my particular GS as it always seems to end up going right?

*Batman*

Cars normally will drift right because of the camber of the road surface which is designed to cause water to flow off to the right. Because the RE960 is a max performance tire, it may exhibit sensitivity to road surface more than other tires because it is more sticky.

This said, best way to know for certain is to go to a place with a perfectly flat surface like the roof deck of a parking garage and try to replicate the issue there.

TWong350

iTrader: (8)

Batman is correct. The road surface design that he's referring to is called "road crown' and it done for irrigation.

rjacket

Thanks. Yes I think I mentioned in my original that I had accounted for this when testing.

Any advice on what to do based on the fact that I do have an issue. Note that the shop that checked my alignment agreed that it was drifting NOT due to camber even though it was aligned.

jre002

If it is properly aligned and you are getting a significant drift, then the tire shop's diagnosis of defective tires is a likely cause. I've had that happen before where one or more of the tires were defective and causing drift after an alignment was performed. Changing the defective tire(s) solved the problem quickly.

IXI187IXI

iTrader: (3)

why would you get an alignment after you get tires?

did the car feel this way prior to the alignment?

RooRa

if you get new tires im pretty sure you have to get an alignment to make sure the tires are put on right?

IXI187IXI

iTrader: (3)

you only need an alignment if a major suspension part is removed ie. struts. you need the tires balanced if you remove a tire from the rim.

rjacket

It's standard practice to get your alignment done after changing tires. I'm not an expert so can't technically tell you why, but it is the universal advice that one gets.

Did the car feel this way before? No, it was pulling quite strongly to the right. The drifting has happened after the alignment. The car does feel aligned though. It is similar to what it says here:

http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/features/StraightTrak.cfm

Bushwack

Manufacturers will not warranty their tires if an alignment and balance are not done upon new installation.

I was a jurist about 15 years ago on a case where a guy sued Good Year because of uneven wear on his tires which contributed to a front tire peeling off its base and he totaled his 1974 Jenson into a wall. The Good Year warranty explicitly stated new installation requires alignment and balancing; including periodic balancing thereafter (but no mention of further alignments or rotation). He couldn't provide proof of balancing his tires (I think the warranty required every 5,000 miles) and along with a couple other reasons, the case was dismissed.

IXI187IXI

iTrader: (3)

i dont know who told you that but its completely false. there is absolutely no need for an alignment if you just remove a tire. so you mean to tell me every time you take a wheel off you go in for an alignment?

if the car wasnt doing it before the alignment. take it back to them. they obviously did not align the car properly.

thomastan

I had the EXACT SAME ISSUE...change to Yokohama's and problem was solve !!! You can PM me and ill give you my telephone # to discuss the issue.

*Batman*

I'm interested in this too. Please can you explain further on this post...

rjacket

I had all 4 tires replaced and they were out of alignment before and after the replacement. That's why I had the alignment done.

The alignment has been done correctly based on the machine used. I have the printout and they rechecked it when I went back and gave me a second printout.

rjacket

Are you saying you had the same issue after changing to 4 x Potenza RE960's?

The shop that did the alignment said the tires may be the issue. He said he can move them around in various combinations and test drive to see what works. Since he said it would take hours I presume I would end up paying for it so I declined and am getting a rotation on Saturday and then will see if there is any change.

The Hunter link I posted seems to acknowledge that these issues exist and that that particular machine in question allows shops to isolate the problem quickly as opposed to performing multiple combinations and test drives.

So I'm pretty certain that this is what is happening. Hence I'm going to work with American's Tire who I purchased the tires from to see what they can figure out. I've heard good things about them.

My only nagging doubt is that the car has a history of pulling to the right so is something inherently wrong with the car. First alignment was done under warranty because of going to the right. This second alignment fixed a strong pull to the right and now the car still drifts right.