problem with the new tires...?

Question

I putted new tires on my accord 94... 215/45r18 in the back and 215/35r18 in the front... before that my alignment was perfect and now bigger tires in the back and smaller in the front the car kinda goes to the right when u let go of the wheel.. why is that... how can that be fixed......

Answer 1

Its called a radial pull. If the tires have a non-directional tread pattern I would suggest cross-rotating the fronts.

If the alignment was done properly that means all the ball joints, tie rod ends and wheel bearings are tight so you don't need to worry about those things. Camber is the only alignment angle that will cause a pull and your car does not have adjustable camber. Besides, if it was set properly as you say, this is not your problem.

I'm not going to get into all the things that are wrong with your choice of different tire sizes for the front and rear of a FWD car. I would suggest though making sure you have the right inflation pressures, because in my experience it is a fairly safe bet that you probably don't.

The front tires need to be at least Extra Load 215/35R18XL's with a load index of 84 and should be run at 42 psi or you risk overloading the tire and causing a blowout. If the load index is 80 then you need to get different tires. That tire doesn't have enough load capacity for your car no matter how much air you put in it.

For the rear tires you can run 30 psi using either a Standard Load index of 89 or an Extra Load index of 93. At either load index the 215/45R18 has a much higher load carrying capacity than your badly chosen front tire size and is a much better choice for the Accord.

ASE Certified Automotive Service Advisor with 5 years experience in the tire and wheel industry

Answer 2

The wider, lower profile tires will be more sensitive to the contours of the roadway as you drive, and the car will pull one way or the other more easily than with the old tires & wheels. If you really look at the road, you'll see that many times there are actually two ruts or dips in the lane where everyones tires travel, you'll really notice it during a rain storm. Wide tires will tend to "climb " the sides of those ruts and cause the car to pull to one side or the other. Also, if the new wheels are offset more (stick out more to the side of the car) this will also increase the sensitivity and pulling. I would also check for worn suspension parts or possibly the rack & pinion steering has become worn with mileage and may need adjustment.

Answer 3

Your car is not tracking properly with wide tires in the back and narrower tires in the front.You need to either put the same size tires all the way around,or have the front end aligned with the tires you have on now.

Answer 4

You putted? You putted new tires on? Wow. Sad. Are the tires directional? You may need to switch left to right. Check air press. also. If what I putted here doesnt help take it to a tire store and have a tech. take a looksy. Do you really talk like that because you sound like a simpleton.

Answer 5

Get them balanced at a garage - they put(ted) the wheels on a spinner and attach little weights on the insides of the rims to balance em out, very quick and very cheap - it will eradicate the problem.

Answer 6

Check the air pressure in the tires.
35 psi on all of them.
Having one low tire will cause more of a pull to that side due to rolling resistance..

ADDED:
Ballancing the will do NOTHING for tracking. Only wheel hop, and vibration.

Answer 7

might be tire drift. you tires are wider now so theyll grip every groove in the road. could also be that your alignment was off before and wore the tire to drive straight.

Answer 8

Yiu may have a loose nut behind the wheel

Answer 9

have all 4 wheels aligned to make sure they are tracking right.

Answer 10

are the tires balanced?