2006 Buick Lacrosse with 23k has had multiple alignments and the car still pulls to the side (semi-hard to the right, in this case). Been doing that for years. What's up with that? I see that it was a common problem but nobody ever mentioned a solution. The car has been inspected, nothing else seems to be wrong with it.
All of the specs are in the green except "caster" which is 2.5 (L) & 2.6 (R) degrees (range should be 2.7+) but Firestone says there's no caster adjustment possible.
Could this pull also impact gas mileage by 30%?
BTW: This is my first American passenger car as I inherited it and it will be my last.
OK... Rule about cheap tires not followed, paying the price now.
Veento G3s on the car. Reverse mounting depending on wet or dry climate area... I',m in Southern California, had them "dry climate" mounted.
Three tires have what is described as radial pull... Alignment shop says the influx of crappy tires has increased this issue.
Solution: Picked the two tires with the least amount of pull on the front, and drive them until they're useless. 8/8 and 7/8 of tread left, 5 years old. They'll be due for age-related replacement soon enough... No dry rot now...
Never skimp on tyres. They’re the only parts of your vehicle which are in constant contact with terra firma..
The caster adjustment is primarily to allow the wheels to re-center themselves after turning, but an out of adjustment situation can cause the symptoms you describe. Just about everybody sells camber adjusting kits but I couldn't find anything for caster adjustment. Also, there is a rear camber adjustment that a lot of people overlook that should be checked. This, of course, requires a complete, 4 wheel alignment.
Two different Firestone locations and two smaller shops all did 4-wheel alignments. It was mentioned by one on a Buick forum that a steering sensor might be involved (Yay GM!).
I'm tempted to report it to the NHTSA and see if Buick intervenes since it's 12 years out of warranty 🙂
Sounds like you solved you problem. Good job!
Was the front and rear camber adjustments within specs?
Yes. The Caster was the only out-of-spec. Everything else was "green."
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What a pain it was. It was change wheels around, drive car, come back, change wheels, drive car around. Painful process... I wish an alignment shop was smart enough to know that while the tires were still under warranty.
I talked my dad out of buying good tires because dry rot would have kicked in before they would wear out. I should have considered his age and lessening need to be driven in that car. I would have had him spring for good tires, knowing I'd be getting the car 😀