swmdal Posted January 3, 2006 Report Share Posted January 3, 2006 So, is it possible for a brand-new set of midrange tires to cause my 2000 V40 to pull to the left, even after two alignment jobs by two different shops within two weeks? That's what the manager at this past week's shop is telling me--that the new tires which were installed in December 2005 must be "off" in some way. All I know is that the car never pulled to the left before the new tires were put on, I've never hit a big pothole with it, and there's no record in Carfax of any accident history. It's pulling harder after the second alignment than it did after the first. Does this sound plausible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the underlørd Posted January 3, 2006 Report Share Posted January 3, 2006 what kinda tires you got man? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWinkey Posted January 4, 2006 Report Share Posted January 4, 2006 So, is it possible for a brand-new set of midrange tires to cause my 2000 V40 to pull to the left, even after two alignment jobs by two different shops within two weeks? That's what the manager at this past week's shop is telling me--that the new tires which were installed in December 2005 must be "off" in some way. All I know is that the car never pulled to the left before the new tires were put on, I've never hit a big pothole with it, and there's no record in Carfax of any accident history. It's pulling harder after the second alignment than it did after the first. Does this sound plausible?Your problem lies in the tires....I had a batch of 8 all off at one time ...bought 4 for my Saab and 4 for my Volvo and they all pulled...sent all 8 back and problem is gone....9.9 times outta ten if you have a pull you have a tire issue ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest_swmdal_* Posted January 4, 2006 Report Share Posted January 4, 2006 Your problem lies in the tires....I had a batch of 8 all off at one time ...bought 4 for my Saab and 4 for my Volvo and they all pulled...sent all 8 back and problem is gone....9.9 times outta ten if you have a pull you have a tire issue Car had a third alignment tonight and they got it pretty close. Now it takes 3-4 seconds of hands-free driving before it starts moving to the left. But I am going to have a different branch of the same Merchant (Merchant's Tire) take a look at the tires themselves, as that branch's manager offered to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starfish Posted January 4, 2006 Report Share Posted January 4, 2006 A vehicle which shows to be pulling while driving needs to first be inspected by a qualified technician. I would suspect if the alignment was tested three times and still the customer was coming back to the place of service, the quality of the training in the person has who is performing the work maybe suspect. So many times I see technicians "Just doin' what the machine says" and not thinking of what the whole picture of what they are or are not accomplishing has on the overall alignment procedure.A pre-alignment inspection should include actively looking at the wheels, tires, suspension, brakes, all steering components for wear, damage and freedom of movement, tire pressure and ride height. Typically on an alignment machine with this model car, only the front and rear toe is set. Seeing that toe is not an angle that creates pulling, I would look into the other angles which according to the machine which were given by the manufacturer at time of assembly are non-adjustable such as caster and camber. Volvo now offers a camber kit (pn#30630515) as an update that can be installed to help bring camber into proper adjustment. The angle could be adjusted to -1 degree on the left side and -0.34 degree on the right to help offset the pull to the left.Good luck with your 4th alignment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott_n_DC Posted January 4, 2006 Report Share Posted January 4, 2006 Good luck with your 4th alignment!Sounds like a trip to my friendly neighborhood Volvo dealer is in order. I might as well start having my paycheck direct-deposited into their bank every other pay period, at this rate. <_< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vitor Posted January 4, 2006 Report Share Posted January 4, 2006 You may have what is called "Radial pull".Fairly easy to find out.Switch the new tires, L/F to the R/F position and R/F to L/F.If the pulling stops or if starts pulling to the right, the problem is in the tire.Some tires have a misalignment of the reinforcing threads that causes the tire to develop more resistance to roll. This problem is enhanced in the FWD cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starfish Posted January 5, 2006 Report Share Posted January 5, 2006 Good point Vitor! I assumed that the alignment tech would have made that adjustment prior to realigning the car the second time or maybe even the third try. But one never knows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWinkey Posted January 5, 2006 Report Share Posted January 5, 2006 Like I said it's probably in the tires ...I don't pull these answers outta my rear end ya' know.....I have never seen toe cause a pull in my 18 years of wrenching but hey I'm open to anything? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTM2U Posted January 6, 2006 Report Share Posted January 6, 2006 Like I said it's probably in the tires ...I don't pull these answers outta my rear end ya' know.....I have never seen toe cause a pull in my 18 years of wrenching but hey I'm open to anything? This use to be a lot more common a couple decades back more so with the Japanese imports. If the pulling switches sides from the front swap then demand a replacement but I doubt you will have any success recovering any of the costs for the alignments except if the tire installer did a poor job. You could do a search on the Internet to see if others are having similar complaints for your tires which would suggests a more widespread problem and even possible dumping of bad tires. Crowned roads can cause pulling so if your driving habits have introduced a new road where this is more noticible do take note of the crown. You may also have niticed that some Mfg. designs are more prone to pulling when exiting the Interstates onto local back roads. Cheers, GTM2U Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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