fiater Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 Here's a quick backstory: 86 Brat no accidents, aligned straight as an arrow with no odd tire wear for 10k miles. Put on a PK Davis 4" lift, left original wheels and tires on. Still straight as an arrow. Got Kuhmo MTs in 29" diameter on 15" toyota steel wheels. Put them on, got a pull to the left. Took to one tire place 3 times, they swore it was in spec and should be fine. No matter what they did to it, still had same pull. Went to new tire place, they said it needed new wheel bearings. So i replaced every wearable part in the front end, even new control arm bushings. Went back, they aligned it, still pulls to left. I put original tires/wheels back on (185 diameter, which i believe is 24", 13"stock wheels) and it's straight as an arrow again! the backspace on the new wheel is 4.5", which is the same as the stock wheel. It's about 1 inch wider total though. Could this shift the load on the wheel bearings enough to cause a geometry prob in the suspension, thus a really noticable pull to the left? No matter what mudder is on what corner, it acts the same. Believe the new wheels/tires to be symetrical and balanced, based on this. It's very odd, and I'd like to run my mudders all the time (looks very awkward lifted on stock rims), but can't stand the constant tuggin on the wheel, plus I know it will chew the new tires up in no time. Anyone have this prob before, and any suggestions? It would be very much appreciated. Hopefully, I can soon participate in some Mid Atlantic Suby off road fun... Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torxxx Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 bent rim or rim out of balance..???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
82bratavenger Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 I get this same happening on My 82'. I have noticed that after putting on the 4" lift that my strut springs are alot tighter and they hop a little if I turn a hard subaru circle( I love the turning radius in subbies). I can usually correct the pull by turning in the opposite direction. Just a thought. The MT's will have a little bit of tilt (top leans out a little) but I have been runnig My MTs for over 15,000 mi now with only a little more than 1/32 of wear. Let me know if this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazmataz Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 you probably have a tire pull, try reversing your tires putting the one you had on the left to the right and see if it pulls to the right or put the front to the rear. i would try switching the fronts around first then if the pull goes the other way try and take the tires back. we have to do this sometimes at work when a car comes in with complaint of a pull and the alignment specs are right on, to show the customer that its not the alignment its the tire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 Is it possible one of the Toyota wheels you got has a different rim width than the others? We have seen Peugeot wheels that are 5, 5.5 and 6" wide diameter but look like the same stamping before is why I ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemery10 Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 I have had 14's on my 86 and they wore out the outer edge of both fronts way too quickly. Bought adapters to adjust bu they didn't fit. I since just run 13's but looking at it the main prob was the offset of the rims. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazmataz Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 you could have to much camber or toe, thats what wears out the edges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiater Posted January 12, 2006 Author Share Posted January 12, 2006 Thanks for the advice. I should clarify a bit though. Bought the new mudders/wheels as a package. Wheels were 15" wagon steel wheels by US wheel in the 6X5.5 pattern (toyota). The tires came mounted and balanced, and seem to be spot-on. I've tried rotating left to right, front to back, and x pattern, and still get the same left pull no matter what. It's really odd. 4 times they say in spec and straight, and the wheels/tires all seem good. Not sure what to do next. Maybe play with the height adjustment on the struts, but that seems to throw off camber severely. Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazmataz Posted January 12, 2006 Share Posted January 12, 2006 do you have a printed copy of the specs that your car is at????? they should have gave you a sheet with before specs and after specs when they are doen if so could you either post or pm me the specs and i will see if i can help with a solution. one of the big problems is that on the early model subarus ( pre-lagacey ) they didn't have much to adjust to straighten all the angles needed for a true alignment. the reason i'm asking is because caster and camber differances from one side to the other can cause a pull to one side. chaz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiater Posted January 13, 2006 Author Share Posted January 13, 2006 Chaz, Sorry, but i think i tossed them - appreciate your offer to look at them though. I can remember the last place I went to said the right rear was out of spec, they asked if it was in an accident, which it hasn't been. The other place that tried 3 times before said everything was in spec, but they totally missed the fact that the front hub nut was loose enough to turn by hand! Fixed that with the front end rebuild... The odd thing is, even though toe is the only adjustable component, I would get different before and after readings for every value. I swear the first time they must have just drove it up the rack, fudged some numbers, and said "Here you go sir, thanks for the 70 bucks". To be fair though, they kept taking it back and I watch over their shoulder the next two at no charge. Still though, I just want the thing to track fairly straight and not chew the tread off in 5k miles. Carl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazmataz Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 well as far as chewing up the tires camber and toe are tire wearing angles but caster and camber are what can cause it to pull toe will cause is to dart back and forth. now depending on how out of spec your rear is that could be part of your problem. the other thing is that if your engine cradle ( front subframe ) has shifted and this could happen by as little as hitting a curb hard or big rocks, logs, etc. and that will change your caster and camber. mine has that problem after i went on a major wheeling trip with some hardcore toyotas, jeeps and trucks it was a hell of a trip and a whole lot of fun but i liturely beat the piss out of my car its pulled right ever since. i put it on our rack at work and i had an offset from oneside to the other ( meaning that my left front wasn't inline with my right front anymore ) some day when i get the time i will try and straighten it out. some really good alignment shops can fix this otherwise a frame shop can but without being able to see what your specs are i can't tell you much. the only other thing that could cause a pull would be a brake caliper or hose isn't fully releasing your brakes on that side, this to cam cause a pull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subaru Jim Maple Ridge Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Does The Pull Change When You Take Your Foot Off The Gas Or Run In 4wd? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiater Posted January 14, 2006 Author Share Posted January 14, 2006 I had thought that maybe the lift and front/rear subframe could have shifted, causing the pull, but there is no pull with the original street tires. It's only with the mudders I get the pull to the left. No negligable change in pull accelerating, cruising, or decel. Havn't tried in 4wd yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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