I'm having a very subtle "problem" with my car ever since I had new S02's put on about a month ago. I feel (ever so slightly) the steering wheel tugging (sometimes left, sometimes right). This tugging is very subtle and happens at slow speeds as well as highway speeds. It's as if I occassionally need to push the wheel off-center to keep the car straight.

For a while, I assumed it was just the road contours. Then I thought it was just the new treads wearing in. Now, I just can't shake the feeling that it's something else.

I have no time to see a dealer, so until I do get a magical Saturday off, can anyone suggest what it might be that's causing this? I'm looking for every possible problem so that I can make the dealer check them all. I have absolutely no understanding of how balancing and alignment can affect a car, so what do I need to know (and check) to get this very subtle problem fixed?

 

I would suggest you have the alignment checked. It certainly could cause the sx you mention. Let us know what you find.

 

The only time I've experienced this was from low tire pressure (just prior to going flat). This probably isn't your problem, but perhaps is worth a look.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by lvs2k
[B]The only time I've experienced this was from low tire pressure (just prior to going flat).

 

Are the tires the same size as the originals? The one time I experienced spooky handling in my car was when 2 of my tires were larger than the originals. Going back to the original sizes improved things dramatically. Did you replace all four tires?

 

SC, where did you get the tires? They could be S02's but not the OEM S02's, and there is a difference in handling between them, particularly between OEM and Pole Positions.

HTH...

 

Interesting... I have recently experienced something similar:

I had rear S02's put on about two months ago. Once I got the tire pressure down from the mid 40's , the car felt the same as it always did. About two weeks later, I picked up a nail in the right rear sideall and had to replace the tire. The alignment was done at this time. The car also had EXACTLY the same sensation you describe, and frankly, made the car feel very twitchy... This was tolerable at slower speeds, but at 90+ I did not feel safe in the car.

I obviously stayed on top of my pressure settings, to no avail. I had the car aligned again at a different shop, and the problems seems to have improved... but it's not totally gone. The car doesn't really feel unstable anymore, but it's just not the same as it used to be.

To create a visual, imagine driving a standard highway lane. Each side of the lane has a forecfield which prevents car from leaving the lane. It feels like I am constantly bouncing between the sides of the lane... not in such a way as to feel unsafe, but the car certainly does not want to hold it' track like it had before. Constant adjustments are now required to keep the car on the intended line....

Puzzled, and trying many solutions....

 

I have to agree... when you had the new tyres installed
sometimes the shop throws in an alignment for free or
whatever. 90% of the time they fck it.
A new car which hasn't hit any bad bumps etc... under 40K miles
should not need an adjustment on the alignment.
The point is... trying to find a dealer which is willing to
align the front steering properly.
Oh, and I don't trust half the fancy equipment out there... its
probably not the equipment... just operator error.

-kupe.

 

A couple of things to check: Proper tire pressure, someone already mentioned this. Tire/wheel balance, maybe the new tires were not balanced properly on the wheel, but I wouldn't think it would cause hunting, but it is worth checking. Front toe out alignment, if the tires are pointed outward excessively then the car is prone to hunt. Each toed out tire wants to pull the car toward its side due changes in road traction, groves in the road, etc, so you get this left to right hunting. Front caster alignment, typically bad caster won't cause hunting, just pulling to one side. Sometimes alignment shops use mismatched caster to make a car track straight on crowned roads. Front camber, the tilt of the wheel from top to bottom, typically also doesn't cause hunting, but should be checked. If you get a realignment make sure the shop torques everything to spec.

 

[QUOTE][B]A new car which hasn't hit any bad bumps etc... under 40K miles