I bought my a few months back and it came with ugly 20" chrome stern rims and I knew right away that they had to go. The first thing I noticed was the car pulling to the right on the way home. The next day I got the original 18 rims and tires from the previous owner and had them put on professionally. The car then started pulling hard to the left. The opposite as when the sterns were on. A week later I got a wheel alignment and the hard pull did go away but the car would still move to the left slightly. By the end of the week the car was back to the original hard pull. Now I'm just annoyed and confused on where to go from here. I did just buy some brand new tires and rims and I'm going to see if that will fix the problem but I'm not too hopefull.
Anybody have any experience with front alignment issues?
Also: the stern rims I had was slightly bent in one of the front rims. Can't remember if it was left or right front.

 

Did the alignment shop provide you with a printout that showed you specs before and after the alignment?
It would show you how far out of spec you are and whether it was able to get back into spec.
A good shop will go over the #s of the alignment with you before payment.

 

They did not. I had a $35 alignment coupon to a place so they just wanted me in and out. Weren't very professional.
I could go and get a print out if it's in there files.

 

Since we are talking about alignment can someone tune in on my sitatuion? I had my car aligned at a nissan dealer and they told me when parts get old there isn't much movement so they weren't able to fix my camber. It went from -2.6 to -2.5 on one of the wheels. Is this a lie they are telling me or is it true? Does anyone know the what stock camber numbers are?

 

Best bet would b to call an Infiniti dealer (not the dealership that gave u that answer) and just ask for the stock numbers. Don't mention the other dealership trying to get u to pay for something. And see where that takes u

 

xnick101- yeah. That is true. All mechanical parts that are subject to wear can get worn to the point of not being able to adjust. .1 of camber out of spec isn't even worth wasting your time and energy on. And, once every where else tells you the same thing, then you'll end up having to buy new parts anyway. That said, stock camber is in the -1's.

OP-wheels and tires don't help alignment issues. if your car PULLS to the left, meaning you have to hold the wheel and pull it the opposite direction to keep the car from running into traffic, wheels and tires will just make you look better doing it. If you let go of the wheel and it slowly glides to the left, that could be a few things. Could be (although unlikely because of design) road crown. Now, typically roads crown in the middle, causing a slight drift to the right, but anything's possible. Tires. Under (or over) inflated tires can cause a drift to the left or right. different sizes. defects, etc...

If it PULLS, you need an alignment. Plain and simple. If the rims were fairly generic and heavy (as they probably were), you may have warped parts. extra stressing on bushings may have caused irreputable damage. Go to a shop that doesn't have coupons.

 

Chances are you didn't get a true 4 wheel alignment for a $35 coupon. You likely just got the front wheels aligned.....which on a G35, is only half the alignment and a waste of $$. Since the rear is fully adjustable, all 4 wheels need to be aligned together so the 'thrust' angle is correct. If the thrust angle is off, then the front wheels can actually be aligned correctly and the car can still pull.

Easiest way to explain the thrust angle is to think about the rear wheels being steerable (they aren't but given they are fully adjustable, they sort of are in a static mechanical sense). If the rear wheels are steering forward (perpendicular to the frame) then the 'thrust angle' would be "0.00". Now, with the thrust angle at "0.00"....if you'd align the front wheels, the car would drive straight. If the thrust angle isn't "0.00" then the rear wheels are actually steering a different direction (see the first image in the graphic below)....causing the car to pull even if the front wheels are aligned properly.

Here is a graphic I found on the web to demonstrate the idea:



So, the only way to get the thrust angle (Thrustline in the graphic) correct, is with a 4 wheel alignment.

Also, keep in mind, OEM specs for alignments are designed to make cars pull slightly to the left in North America. That's because we drive on the right side of the road and all roads are higher in the center than on the edge to allow for water to drain from the surface. This is known as 'crown'. There aren't 'perfectly flat' roads. Some roads have a higher crown than others....so that accounts for a car driving straight on one road and slightly pulling on another.

There is also such a thing as a 'radial tire pull'. That is, for some reason, radial tires that have been run previously can just prefer to roll the same direction they used to roll in. I realize this goes against how radial tires are built, but in 15 years of being in the tire business, it's a very real reality.

For you, first thing I would try.....inflate all 4 tires evenly to the manufacturers recommendation on the sidewalls. Drive the car. If the pull still exists, swap the front tires/wheels side to side...that is move the left front to the right, right front to the left (assuming your tires aren't directional). If your tires are directional, then have the tires dismounted from the rims and swapped side to side. Again, with the tires properly inflated, drive the car again. If the car still pulls the same way,, go pony up for a true 4 wheel alignment at a reputable shop. If the car no longer pulls....just drive it. If the car pulls the opposite way, you've got tire issues.

If you go the route of getting a 4 wheel alignment, talk to the shop about the thrust angle theory (now that you understand it) and get a feel for their level of expertise. Also ask them what their process is for checking suspension and steering components, i.e. ball joints, tie rod ends, etc.. If you don't feel like they know their sh*t, go elsewhere.



Always test drive your car on a couple different roads. Test driving on the same road isn't adequate to assess if a car is truly pulling or not.

--Sk