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Alignment???

R

raverockstar

New member
What could cause my car to turn left on highway speed.

I mean if I take my hands off the steering wheel it will turn left after 2 seconds so I have to keep the steering wheel a little on the right the whole time.

I bought the car like this and I didn't noticed something on the tires (they are pretty new)

Do I need alignment? Something else?

I have it on my other gp too

If its alignment. Can I do it myself or better pay 90$ to the shop?
 


I would first check Tire Pressures, Any Signs of Brake Caliper Drag and then yes of course an Alignment!
 
You should really check your tires frequently, at least once a week..... well I do. If your tires show any kind of severe wear it could be causing your car to drift. I had my car aligned(yes by a shop, like you would have to do) because I thought my alignment was off, cuz it kept pulling to one side. Nothing changed until I got new tires then Boom it drove straight again. Moral of the story ,could be tires,could be alignment and YES you will have to bring it to the alignment shop.
 
4 causes.

1 Tire pressure difference
2 Brake Drag
3 Worn out suspension component, tie-rod, balljoint, control arm bushing etc.
4 Alignment

I would start checking in that order.

You can home check an alignment but it won't be the most accurate thing, basically take a tape with the car on the ground and the wheel straight and catch it on a tread on the tire and go to the other side, if the measurement from the front of the tire is the same from the back then you are at least in the ballpark, but a shop with a laser alignment rack would be much more accurate.
 
most roads are also 'crowned' to promote rain drainage. you'll always typically pull towards the ditch on all roads when you let go of the steering wheel.
 


What Bio said, ruts in the road can do the same thing. Your car can be set to drive straight as an arrow but the road won't let you.
 
you can rotate the tire to see if that fixes it, also check your wheel bearings, when really shot they can lean and cause a pull as well.

id just check over the front end, if all looks well take it to an alignment shop. if the shop is any good, they will also give your front end the once over before doing the alignment.
 
To answer the question, no, you need an expensive machine to do an alignment. You can't do it yourself. $40-60 is right for an alignment. $90 is kinda steep. Check around for a coupon book/clipper magazine/whatever. They usually have coupons for alignments, cheap.
 
this was my alignment story, be wary of them in the mail coupons, i got one from brake o rama, got 2 new tires and the alignment done, and they simply just f'ed me hard. the in and out specs are listed in the thread. on page 2. find a shop with a computer alignment, its the best way to go. Firestone also has a 6 month warranty, for the 70 dollar job, or 150 ish or more for the life time warranty, where you can take the car in every 5,000 miles and have it checked/realigned for free.

http://www.grandprixforums.net/car-drifts-highway-67676.html
 
Likely the OP's front LCA bushings are separating. You should replace them if they are, but expect them to be worn in 2-3 years. Less if you drive more aggressively.

The tie rods could be worn out as well.

Have it checked, or inspect yourself.

Replace worn parts, then have it aligned by someone who is competent. Not the person offering the best deal. Also get a print out of the in/out alignment specs.
 
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