aadmikep

I recently bought an 02 V6 and as I'm driving down the road, if there is any kind of irregularity in the road surface, the car tends to pull in the direction of the irregularity (a crease on the left side makes the car pull to the left and so on). I did a lot of work on my last Stang but never front end work. Is this something a moderate DIY owner can properly diagnose and repair?

Any advice is welcome.

Thanks
Mike

Daehawk

Wide tires willo cause a crease to pull the car. I know mine does. On a nice road I can drive with no hands forever. But a groove or a lip on the pavement and I'm pulling on the wheel.

petrock

I think your problem may be normal, but you could check your inner/outer tie rods, ball joints, control arm bushings and sway bar bushings & end links. These are things that should be checked during regular maintenance (e.g. every oil change). There are a ton of right ups on how to test each of these components on this forum as well as Google/YouTube. Good luck...

aadmikep

Does any major chain shop offer free front end inspections/quotes?

petrock

Probably not, but it won't hurt to call around. Most places charge just to look at a vehicle.

RyansQuick6

Check your hubs as well, mine had a similar issue and one hub was shot

aadmikep

Conclusion: I'm no expert, but this is my interpretation of what the expert told me:

I paid a specialty shop (only $10) to put it on the lift and inspect everything. All front end components are in great shape. It does not need an alignment either. They explained to me that unlike my previous Mustang, this one has larger stock rims and more agressive tire profile. The contact surface of the tire is not rounded from left to right as is the case with standard passenger tires. This better "grip" tracks the road surface more rigidly.

I asked about changing tires. He said no tire he sell (they have EVERYTHING), would make this go away unless I went with a smaller rim that whould allow standard profille (passenger tires) to be installed.

I like my factory look and when I'm on good pavement, the car is terrific. I'm going to live with it.


PS: Thanks everyone who gave advice on this subject!

Daehawk

So I pegged it? Sweet

neo8222

yep it's a issue with "performance" tires there are ways to reduce the issue though.

Go to American Muscle and grab a bump steer kit. it replaces the outer tie rod ends and with the ability to adjust them you can really reduce the issue of the road steering the car. my car and my friends GT has the same issue. You could also try offset bushings for the rack and pinion as well

Edit: Link-----> http://www.americanmuscle.com/stbukit94b.html
Link 2---> http://www.americanmuscle.com/bbk-st...hing-8604.html

scottybaccus

I had a similar situation with wider tires and it was all about the air pressure. I went up to about 45 psi and it cured it. Two years later it was all good. No tread wear issues or anything. That will vary by tire, car, weight, etc.