I have aligned and balaced my car 2 times but it stills drifts to the right side what could the problem be?

Answer 1

This is a difficult question to answer without knowing the type of vehicle. Not all cars come with factory adjustments. First lets suppose they aligned it correctly, this means you probably have a seperating tire. Some radial tires can have the steel belts inside start to shift causing a "radial tire pull". As stated above if this is the case cross the 2 front tires and see if it pulls to the opposite side, if so you'll need to replace 1 possibly 2 tires (if they are directional tires rotate the fronts to the rear and see if the problem goes away).

If its not a tire issue there are a number of parts that should have been checked before the alignment was done in the first place, tie rods, ball joints, upper and lower control arm bushings, hub bearings etc, all this in addition to also checking for possibly a shifted cradel/sub frame or any obviously bent parts.

Another easy thing you could check that is a common problem I find when people come in for a pull after an alignment is that some people dont know that it could just be a crooked steering wheel. When you drive with the steering wheel straight up and down it pulls right, but if you turn the wheel slightly to the left does it drive straight? (meaning not pull the wheel back to center or past center) If so you just need to straighten the steering wheel.

Aftermarket Camber/Caster kits are availible from various companies for most vehicles, which if everything else fails can fix almost any problem short of a bent frame.

If you have a caliper hangin up you will usually get a much harder pull when you apply the brakes. If you dont feel it pull harder when you apply the brakes, chances are that its not brake related.

Just to give you a generic set of numbers to base your alignment off of, most vehicles should drive straight with

0 Cross Camber
-0.5 to -0.7 Cross Caster
most all vehicles have different toe settings.

Camber is the most common culprit of a pull, Caster is split to compinsate the crown of the road. Toe is mainly a tire wearing angle however, some cases the toe can cause or increase a pull.

If it is front wheel drive caster wont really mean anything camber has most of the effects of pulling in that case.

Answer 2

If the alignment was performed correctly, I'd check the tires. If one side is worn more than the other, it could easily cause this because the diameter would be slightly different. Also, check the air pressure. Make sure left and right are the same, and in the correct range.

The other thing is, that may be totally normal when the road slants to the right. Most roads are not flat, and slope toward the edge for drainage. When you drive on a slanted surface, most cars will pull to that side.

Answer 3

This is not a difficult question to answer at all. My shop does 7-8 alignments/day. About once a month we'll se an alignment that actually caused a pull. The rest of the time its the tires.

Swap the front tires from side to side. If the pull either goes away or changes direction, you have your answer.

I'm not going to go to Plan B because I'm pretty sure Plan A has got it covered.

Answer 4

Put the car on deck and examine all the suspension parts might be some ruber bushes have cuts ur mechanic r Allignment guy will tell u exactly after the inspectin over the deck.

Answer 5

the problem can be on either side. A difference in caster from side to side is usually the problem. alot of newer car as-in the last 10 years don't have adjustments for caster. I also would flip the front tires from one side to the other just long enough to insure problem is not a tire.

Answer 6

it has to be either the tires or the person or shop,who is aligning it,,that's all it can be other than a bent rim,,and you,d notice that id take it back,,they may not be setting it right for the crown in the road,,that's the high spot put there so water will drain off,that may be the problem with it,good luck hope this help,s.

Answer 7

Some Good answers and a few more. check To see if you have a slight sticking caliper on the side it pulls on and check to see if the nuts are torqued evenly on both sides and have you greased and repacked the front bearings lately?

Answer 8

It can be a tire pulling problem. You can have this problem even with brand new tires.

Change the tires from front to back and see if it stops.

Answer 9

whoever is alighning your car is doing a crappy job thats all there is to it...even if one of your brakes was dragging or one of your wheels were bent or tires worn out, If you had a compitant mechanic alighining your car they should spot it right away.

BOTTOM LINE TAKE IT BACK AND HAVE THEM MAKE IT RIGHT WITHOUT CHARGE OR AT LEAST PROPERLY DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM.

Answer 10

If the car was ever in a wreck, the frame could be bent.