My car does not have any traction and the wheel is misaligned...?

Question

it drives like it is going through 4 inches of snow. I keep checking the tire pressure and it's fine, so are the treads, and the rims look OK. What could be wrong with my car? And don't say everything is due to the wheel being misaligned. I think that's a symptom, not the problem. Thanks!

The tires are 2 months old.

Answer 1

Yea, new tires.

Answer 2

There are so many things that can cause these problems. It will be a process of elimination. First, find a mechanic you trust. They need to have alignment equipment whether you think it's the alignment or not. First, they check the tire pressure. Then they check to see how the tires are wearing. Two months might not be enough miles to show irregular tire wear. They will have to check the entire front end for worn parts. If anything is worn, it may contribute to a scrubbing effect in the tires, giving you that pushing sensation, but it would have to be pretty severe. After all the worn parts are replaced, including hub & bearing and axle assemblies if it's front wheel drive, they will make sure the alignment is right. And not just the "toe", but the caster and camber as well. If these are so far out of adjustment that they can't be brought back in with the standard ajustments on the car, then your car frame/unibody might be out of alignment if the car was ever hit before and not fixed properly. If it's not any of the above, you've got brake or transmission or other drive train problems. You aren't gonna figure this out by yourself. Get to a mechanic with a good, honest reputation who has all the proper equipment or certification. It shouldn't cost much to figure out the problem. Not much more than a state inspection would. It's fixing the problem that might get pricey. May the force be with you.

Answer 3

Its tough to answer the question over the internet without knowing more about the car itself. What model is the car? Are you describing the problem with actually going through snow, or on dry pavement too? Has the front end taken a hit recently? How many miles since the last alignment?
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That said, my best Johnny Carson answer is to tell you to look at the lower ball joints, the rack & pinion assembly, the C.V. joints, upper strut mount, and the wheel hub bearings. Those are the things that will influence driveability and traction, barring the obvious stuff such as new tires. I would suspect that one of those parts has gone bad, and if so, you need to find it before it becomes a safety problem.

Answer 4

You're driving with the brake on. Get the wheels off the ground and spin the tires by hand to find the problem.

Answer 5

Check wheel bearings immediately, a worn one will display those exact symptoms.

Check it asap because if it is and it's as worn as it would have to be for you to be feeling it like that, then the wheel could come off at any moment.

If that's not it, good.
It could also be a sticking brake caliper, among other things.

Answer 6

You need to take it to a mechanic. A camber bolt could be broken, the wheels may be out of balance, or the emergency brake is not releasing. It will take a mechanic to diagnose and fix the problem.

Answer 7

You may need a new sway bar and your spring rubbers need adjustment. It may be tight in the corner and loose off. check with your crew chief and you may need to pit at the next caution. Your next set of tires could fix the problem. Maybe an air pressure adjustment.

Answer 8

bring it down to a tire place and have them take a look...it may be that you just need an alinment, no matter how much you want to deny that. You could also need a balance and for them to rotate the tires.

Answer 9

If you are sure it isn't misaligned, then check the axle. it can actually be worse than alignment.
There is no way around this one , you'll have to get it checked.

Good Luck!

Answer 10

Are you driving a front wheel drive with the emergency brake on?

Answer 11

You need new tires, or maybe just a rotation and allignment. See a mechanic