As some of you know, I just got new tires put on my car. Before with the old one's, the car would pull to the right slightly. Now with the new shoes she is pulling to the left, more so then before. The old tires had an even wear on them. Should I take it in to get it aligned? The local chevy dealer said they will do it for 100. I don't trust the local shopes around here to do this job.

 

Are you checking this by finding a quiet street and driving in the centre of the street to make sure it's not the road camber pulling the car to the left? Any car will pull to the left on a standard cambered road.

If it's not that:-

You most likely have one of 3 problems.

Suspension/steering out of alignment.

Worn/broken suspension/steering component.

Badly manufactured new tire.

Assuming you're capable, and the tires aren't directional, I would try swapping the fronts side to side and see what happens. If this makes a difference I'd be straight back to the tire shop for replacements.

 

Yeah I checked the road. I drove in the right hand lane and she wanted to pull right over the hump of the road to the left. I'll check the brakes. A month or so ago the car was pulling to the right when you first applied the brakes. I bleed the caliper, and all was well. I had the front of the car up on jack stands for 3-4 days while waiting for the fuel pump. Yesterday when I finished and buttoned everything up. I took it for a test drivve. As soon as I applied the brakes the car pulled to the left now! I didn't know what to do. I drove it the rest of the night, and it went away. Is it possible that there could still be air in the system, and when the front was up on stands, the air traveled to the top?? I'll check it out tomm.

 

Hello Dave. I find a new concrete road to test/confirm alignment. Older blacktop roads tend to be sloped and rutted more. All roads should be sloped for drainage of course but I seem to get better results with concrete. If car pulls when you apply the brakes that tells me it is asymeterical braking not alignment. Ck. for worn pads, fluid on pads and do a fresh bleed to both fronts at the same time. Also ck. for equal tire pressures. mike...

 

Alignment, is a cheap way to have your suspension checked out. have a great day Gene

 

Alignment should be considered a part of routine maintenance. As the springs sag the geometry changes and needs to be corrected. However, if all other components in the suspension are tight it should not cause pulling (all corners sag equally). Usually what happens though is that components are either worn or have been replaced and the alignment not reset.
Suspension front and rear should be checked for looseness of any kind and the looseness corrected first. Once that has been done a 4 wheel alignment should be performed. The tech will confirm tire pressure as part of that process.

I would recommend a front end shop or a tire store rather than the dealer. If the guy at the shop shudders when you tell him you want an alignment on your c3, you're at the right place. The camber adjustment cams seize up and the trailing arm shims and bolts rust making the job a major pia. If the guy knows that, he's familiar with your car. Expect it to cost more than the posted price for 4 wheel alignment.

Steve

 

Dealer is definitely the scariest place.
Talk to Madhatter, if they still have the same align guy as in the last 5 years, your best bet.

You rears may not have to be touched at all.

 

A shop that straighten frames, will not shutter at all. They just fix it. Go to a good Frame shop. In Kansas City, Leroy's Frame works, gets them right. I go to another shop, 40 miles closer, which is closer to me, but they do not want to do Corvettes. They recommend Leroy's, for Corvettes. ( 1-816-833-4560 )

 

As already said, consider the brakes. It could be a sticky caliper or rubber brakes hoses. The hoses can collapse internally, making for a restriction that can cause pulling when pressure to the calipers isn't equalized.

If it's only done it since the new tires were installed, I'd look at them first.

 

Thanks noonie, forgot about madhatter. He did my exhaust back in nov/dec. I will check out the brakes today, and find a cement flat road. Then take it from there. Thanks guys!! As I asked before - is it possible if there WAS air still left in the system, that leaving the front up on stands allowed the air to travel to the top(front brakes) Or is it that the front only use the front part of the brake fluid reservoir, and the back seperate.

 

To answer your question, no, air can not migrate front to back. They are 2 seperate and isolated systems. Nor can air cause your brakes to pull. Even if you have air in the rt frt caliper and not the left it will not pull on braking. In any closed hydraulic system, the pressure always equalizes. Before the lt front can accumulate any pressure the air must be compressed in the rt frt. Pressure always remains equel.

If you have a pull under braking the most common cause is a seized(ing) caliper on the side opposite the pull. A seized(ing) rear caliper will cause a nose dip in the opposite frt corner under braking. The second most common cause of pulling under braking is a worn suspension component. When braking the loose part allows the suspension geometry to change with the braking force.

A road test is not the way to determine any of this. A driveability issue is the warning to get it off the road and up in the air for a thorough examination of all related parts. This is not hard or expensive (if you are unable to do it yourself) but is critical to your safety and that of those around you. Not pulling in any direction on a flat concrete road is no assurance that the upper ball joint is not about to separate and cause a loss of control.

Have fun, but play safe.

Steve g

 

Thanks for the answer. But I must dissagree with you about air and pulling. My car use to pull to the left all the time last year,when I first applied the brakes, then would go back to a straight line. Only when I first tapped on the brakes. I finally got around to bleed the right caliper again, and presto! It was fixed. The car does not pull any direction but straight when the brakes are applied. As for my car now, I found the problem. A slow leak in the Brand NEW tire!. I was down to 19 lbs. That was enough for the front to pull. Thats fixed. Thanks....