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      04-16-2010, 01:32 PM   #1
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"Radial Pull" issues.

Hello all,
I just bought a new set of tires and have had nothing but issues with a constant pull while driving. I am completely out of ideas and was wondering if anyone has any insight or has experienced the same problem.

What has been done so far:

Purchased a set of Dunlop DIrezza sport Z1 Star Spec from Tirerack (225-40-18 F 255-35-18 R) and had them mounted and balanced by Discount Tire

Car now has a pull to the right. I don’t think anything of it because it still needs an alignment

Take it to BMW North Scottsdale and have the alignment done. – Still pulls to the right. Take it back thinking they f’ed it up. My maintenance advisor sent it back and confirmed the alignment was 100%. They took the liberty of switching the front wheels around (Z1’s are rotational so they are running backward at this point) and they claimed the pull went away, diagnosing it as a “radial pull”.

Had tires switched back to correct rotation.

Okay, Tirerack was very helpful and sent a new tire no problem. Discount tire recommends trying the right first as that is the direction it is pulling – No Change
Put the tire that was on the right on the left – No Change

WTF!

Called BMW back and told them about the new tire and they still insist it is a radial pull.

My observations that may OR may not have anything to do with the issue:

The rim that was on the front right is now mounted on the front left and vice versa… I did not think this should matter though.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,
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      04-16-2010, 01:51 PM   #2
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I'm not trying to be an ass, but there is something else that can cause alignment issues. The drivers weight being one of those things. You don't have to disclose that, but if the driver is very heavy, they may have to align the car while you're in it.
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      04-16-2010, 01:55 PM   #3
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LOL Yeah I can see that. However I only weigh 150 and the pull only started with the new tires.

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      04-16-2010, 02:04 PM   #4
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      04-16-2010, 03:39 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by itr-tribute View Post
LOL Yeah I can see that. However I only weigh 150 and the pull only started with the new tires.

-itr-tribute
Ok I was gonna say. I had seen a documentary on a very overly obese woman who was "offended" when she took her Kia Rio to the dealer because it was pulling to the left.

They aligned the car, she drove away. Still complained that it wasn't aligned.

They aligned the car again. It kept pulling.

The mechanic finally came out and met the girl, asked her to sit in the car because her weight is affecting the alignment.

She got butt hurt, threw up on the media, and the mechanic was toast because her whale of an ass thought it was prejuduice.

Too bad she is too stupid to realize that the mechanic was actually doing his job, the real way to align your car is with you in it (especially if you're over 350 lbs in a Kia Rio).





Other than that I don't know what's causing your alignment issue, and for the record, No; I don't think you should sit in your car while they align it. Your suspension is stiff enough and you are light enough that it wont make a difference.

Good luck though.
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      04-16-2010, 05:43 PM   #6
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could be a number of things ...Dunlops have had issues of not being totally round.......car could need front end aligned ( most of the time this is the issue)...possibly a bent rim....
But as far as weight is concerned....that was funny!!! My son is big kid( young man)...6ft5...320lbs beast(Football player) and let me tell ya, the car sure corners, accelerates alot different but i NEVER in any of my car had a issue with the car pulling to one side from having the weight in there..but go fast around a tight corner with the big guy in the passenger seat...you feel it...
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      04-16-2010, 06:55 PM   #7
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IZAGLO,

Thanks for the heads up. Just to make sure I covered all my bases...

"car could need front end aligned" Would this have been covered in the 4-wheel alignment BMW does?

"possibly a bent rim...." How would I detect this. Should it have been caught in the balancing process?


I had to lookup the news report for the fat lady and could not stop laughing.It was a parody of the original and just hilarious

Thanks again for any help.
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      04-16-2010, 07:24 PM   #8
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anyone think tire pressure? thats one possibility. another fix, remove your alignment pins and slide your right strut in a bit. increased camber on the passenger side will cause you to go straight
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      04-16-2010, 08:58 PM   #9
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To the original OP:

Did you ask the dealer what, exactly, they meant by 'Radial Pull'?

I never heard of such a thing in all mah borned days, an' I sho would appreshyate it if y'all could 'splain it ta lil' ol' me...


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      04-16-2010, 09:11 PM   #10
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A bent rim would cause the rim to vibrate and be out of balance but usually it will not cause the car to pull...a bad rotor causes vibration, not pull,''''''

oh boy.....whatever it is it's TOTALLY un-acceptable imo...having the car pull to either side is horrible, dangerous and takes all the fun out of driving. If the car did not pull right before you installed the new tires it should not pull right now...being that BMW aligned it check your paperwork for specs...usually when aligning they give you OEM aiignment specs...and what the car was before and after alignement to see if they adjusted anything. Also keep in mind that some tires are more sensitive to road imperfections and also to the level of the road.Ever drive a EVO MR...the steering is go cartish and i found it very hard to drive on center without making driving corrections all the time because the car would find any road imperfection and wonder a tad...great steering but almost tooo sensitive... If you are driving on a road that leans to the right than the car will move in that direction...make sure you test it on a flat as possible road...a car that is balanced and aligned perfectly will pull to one side or the other if the road is not level... My son thought my 135i pulled as well, but it was the road...it wonders to the side that is not level is normal...
But in my 35 years of driving generally if a car pulls it IS the alignment or road....again check it on a flat level road...and if it still pull the only thing you can do is have the suspension checked out and alignment again or as a last resort find a bud with a 2nd set of 135i rims and tires...borrow them for a day and take a ride and see if the car feels different.. Or put your old tires back on and check it again...There is no reason it should pull from just changing tires.

Radial pull my ass....this is BS and if there is such a thing in tires i would not own them...

Last edited by IZAGLO; 04-17-2010 at 10:26 AM..
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      04-17-2010, 10:27 AM   #11
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Not sure if this is any help, but when I replaced the summer performance tires on my E46 with Toyo Proxes A/S, I noticed a pull to the right - but only on some roads. The car had recently had a complete alignment and it seems that the Proxes' tread pattern accentuates the effect on highly crowned roads. Driving the car on a non-crowned road results in it tracking perfectly straight with hands (briefly) off the steering wheel. Do you experience this "radial pull" (what the hell is that, anyway?) on all roads?

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      04-17-2010, 10:56 AM   #12
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Radial trie pull is real! It could be one of the rear tires - causing the pull, not just the fronts! Since you switch positions of the front tires already try switching the rears.

IF that doesn't change the pull... have the dealer show you the alignment print outs (check for toe out) or better yet have them do the alignment again. Something ain't kosher here.
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      04-17-2010, 11:41 AM   #13
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Radial pull

I bought a '96 GSR Integra which came with Michelin tires which were quite worn. The car steered beautifully. I bought a set of Yokahama tires for it and the car pulled badly to one side. Long story short...new steering rack, new ball joints, new bushings, still the same problem. New Michelins, no problem at all. I probably bought a new steering rack for no real reason (memo to self, never accept jobber steering rack, had two which leaked before buying replacement OEM). $3000 plus later, car is nice to drive. The guys at the alignment shop all use Michelins because they have such good quality control.
I hope that this helps.
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      04-18-2010, 08:38 AM   #14
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I had this on my front Right on my 135

I went through all of the same BS. The tires were the stock run flats. Garbage tires imo. They were fine until the first rotation after having snows on for the winter. Then all of the sudden a hard pull to the right.
BMW did the alignment and it did not resolve the problem. Tires and wheels were checked for balance with no issue. Flipped them to the opposite sides and it pulled the other way.
The fix was an adjustment to the camber up front. minus 2 on rt and plus 1 on left. Both are within factory spec. No more pull.

I'm sure I'll be right back at this in the next few months though. The run flats are almost done. Time for some real rubber and another alignment.
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      07-24-2010, 11:24 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DBFIU View Post
I'm not trying to be an ass, but there is something else that can cause alignment issues. The drivers weight being one of those things. You don't have to disclose that, but if the driver is very heavy, they may have to align the car while you're in it.
funny as hell and a classic!
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      07-24-2010, 11:53 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arrutled View Post
anyone think tire pressure? thats one possibility. another fix, remove your alignment pins and slide your right strut in a bit. increased camber on the passenger side will cause you to go straight
THIS!!!! I thought my aligment was bad after i got it done..
Turned out right / front had a differnce of 2 psi causing the drag.
CHECK EM OUT!
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