Car is pulling to the Left and Right? Any Help?

ryeguy2006a · Feb 11, 2011

I have a 2000 GT and I have noticed that recently it has been pulling to the right and the left on the highway. But then sometimes it will drive fairly straight? I have no idea. My uncle is a mechanic and I have taken it to him for a front end alignment. He made it slightly better but still isn't consistant. It does need ball joints, but they aren't terrible. My uncle told me that he thought that the valving in my rack and pinion may be the cause. Has this happened to anyone? Not positive but I think that it may have been in an accident previously, but I don't think that it was a serious accident because the car is really straight. with no obvious signs of a previous accident.

Thanks,
Ryan

Venomous96Cobra · Feb 11, 2011

Need more info:

Is the car lowered?

Win · Feb 11, 2011

What size tires and are you driving on roads that have bad pitting from 18 wheelers? That can cause it.

sn95gtvert · Feb 11, 2011

mine did that with my old 255's all the time anywhere below 65mph city driving was the worst at about 30 on pitted roads.

put smaller tires on and now i have no problem with pull left or right.

Venomous96Cobra · Feb 11, 2011

could be bumpsteer!

ReplicaR · Feb 11, 2011

I highly doubt that this is bumpsteer. You guys need to differentiate between bumpsteer, which is suspension travel characteristic, and tramlining, which is tire characteristic. I've got a bumpsteer kit on my car, and it's been dialed in. I have not noticed a single bit of improvement after with tramlining. One thing that I have noticed is that as tire gets older, tramlining actually gets worse.

Another thing to look at would be inner tie rod ends, which can go bad sometimes, and cause the car to pull to different direction it usually would.

ryeguy2006a · Feb 12, 2011

My car has been lowered about an inch all the way around, and I run 275-45-z17. It sounds weird, but it almost seems like the last time I have made a big turn, that the car tends to pull in that direction? And By big turn I mean when I turn all the way to the right or all the way to the left.

Also the tires that I have are less than a year old and have maybe 5k miles on them.

Rice_slayer · Feb 12, 2011

Probably from running that wide of a tire up front. I ran 275s up front for a bit and it would tramline bad on some roads. I run a 255 and it's not nearly as bad. Get an alignment check done on it

ryeguy2006a · Feb 13, 2011

I already had a front end alignment done on it. I'm sorry, but I have never heard of Tramline? Is that the condition that I am describing of my car going to the right and left?

OnyxCobra · Feb 13, 2011

if it needs ball joints my take is that you shouldn't be bothering with alignments until everything is tightened up. loose ball joints can make a car act pretty funny.

ReplicaR · Feb 13, 2011

Tramining is described as a feeling you get through steering wheel when the car's tire follows the grooves and irregularities in the road. It feels like the car is following a tram line, therefore it's called Tramlining. A couple of things that I've noticed effect tramilining the most are age of the tire, and scrub radius of the wheel. Some also believe that tread design has a lot to do with it, but I've tried many different tires (both directional and unidirectional), and I have not seen a noticeable difference going from one type to another, as much as it was just a new tire, and it tracked down the road better than a worn out tire.

Matt94GT · Feb 13, 2011

ReplicaR said:
Tramining is described as a feeling you get through steering wheel when the car's tire follows the grooves and irregularities in the road. It feels like the car is following a tram line, therefore it's called Tramlining. A couple of things that I've noticed effect tramilining the most are age of the tire, and scrub radius of the wheel. Some also believe that tread design has a lot to do with it, but I've tried many different tires (both directional and unidirectional), and I have not seen a noticeable difference going from one type to another, as much as it was just a new tire, and it tracked down the road better than a worn out tire.

hurmm good to know. my car is bad with this. although its lowered about 2.5" so what do I expect.

ReplicaR · Feb 13, 2011

Honestly, I don't think lowering the car has a lot to do with tramlining, as I've said before it's the property of the tire and wheel, not really suspension.