Suby Skier Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 What causes a car to pull to the right? I have a 99OBW auto that pulls to the right. If I move the right front tire to the rear it goes away. I have had the tire balanced twice but it does not help. Is the tire likely bad or maybe the rim? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 sounds like the tire is bad, they *should* be able to tell if the wheel is bad when they balanced it. is the tire the same brand and same level of tread? i'd imagine a new set of tires would resolve this, but i'm sure you're not interested in paying for that. remember your AWD system is sensitive to tires matching, so pay attention to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDW25gt Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 What causes a car to pull to the right? I have a 99OBW auto that pulls to the right. If I move the right front tire to the rear it goes away. I have had the tire balanced twice but it does not help. Is the tire likely bad or maybe the rim? Have you checked the tire pressure? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suby Skier Posted June 1, 2007 Author Share Posted June 1, 2007 I forgot to mention they are directional tires (Goodyear Tripletread) with about have tread life left. I know if I have to replace the tire I will need a new set. I have checked and adjusted tire pressure. (no leak) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2X2KOB Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Sounds like it's one of those cases where you just have to deal with it until you decide it's time to buy new tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 Is the wheel bent at all? Is the wheel to hub mating surface clean and rust free? I would jack it up and measure the circumference of all the tires. See if the one that makes it pull is much different than the others. Suggested Measuring Device (EndWrench) As you are no doubt aware, all-wheeldrive (AWD) systems are sensitive to variations in tire circumference...Differences of as little as 1/4 inch can have an effect. Subaru recommends the use of a steel tape measure with a thin 1/4 inch blade width to closely follow the tire contour and give accurate results. While these tape measures are commonly available at most hardware stores in 3 and 6 foot lengths, the 10 foot length tape is needed to accommodate larger tire diameters. It may take a little searching or even a special order, but most of the better-known manufacturers, such as Lufkin or Stanley, offer a 10 foot steel tape in the desired 1/4 inch width. (I found this type of tape at Ace Hardware). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 [...]I have a 99OBW auto that pulls to the right. If I move the right front tire to the rear it goes away. I have had the tire balanced twice but it does not help.Is the tire likely bad or maybe the rim? It's reasonably likely the tire has a separated/shifted belt. I forgot to mention they are directional tires (Goodyear Tripletread) with about have tread life left. I know if I have to replace the tire I will need a new set.[...] Perhaps the tire dealer can find you a good used tire that matches and has about the same amount of tread left. Or, try to get Goodyear to help. If you have to replace all 4 tires because of the failure of one that might be due to a manufacturing fault, they should at least give you a substantial discount on the new tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted June 1, 2007 Share Posted June 1, 2007 What causes a car to pull to the right? I have a 99OBW auto that pulls to the right. If I move the right front tire to the rear it goes away. I have had the tire balanced twice but it does not help. Is the tire likely bad or maybe the rim? Rotate the tires and see if the problem goes away. If it doesnt it can be: Wheel Bearing CV Joint Sticking Brake Caliper Bent Control Arm Wheel Alignment Bad Bushing nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted June 2, 2007 Share Posted June 2, 2007 tire balace only has to do with wear and vibration, not steering pulls. If it goes away when you put it on the back, leave it there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 Radial tires that cause pulling usually have belts that aren't properly positioned. When that happens at the factory, the pulling will be evident the first time the tire is used on a front axle. See "conicity" in http://www.aa1car.com/library/tires2.htm . If such a tire is positioned on a rear axle, the symptom typically disappears. On the other hand, if a tire is okay initially but develops a pull, that's often due to a separated/shifted belt. Such a tire, run on a rear axle, will also not exhibit the pulling it does when mounted at the front. However, run on either a front or rear axle, it can become dangerous if things worsen; tread can actually be thrown off the tire while driving. See http://www.tirefailures.com/tirefailures.htm . Suby Skier, I'd strongly suggest that you have the tire examined for belt shift, especially if the tire didn't cause pulling initially, or just replace it (and others as needed). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 If you can. take the tire and wheel to someone who has a wheel balancer that is equipped to measure road force variation. It has a big roller that presses on the tire while it rotates. That will tell you if you have shifted belts or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suby Skier Posted June 4, 2007 Author Share Posted June 4, 2007 Thanks for all the replies:banana: I rotated the tires back and waiting to see if it helps. (It's my wife:s car) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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