Titan Pulls Left after Alignment??

**Stilltime** · 12-04-2012, 07:48 AM

2010 Titan 4x4 CC
Nitto Trail Grappler 295/70/18 on Pro-4X wheels
Bilstein 5100's at middle setting

I had 2" leveling spacers on for quite a few months, recently swapped them out for Bilstein 5100's on the front. SHOULD have got an alignment done a while back, but didn't because I was planning on doing more suspension mods and was going to get one done after it all. Before installing the cam bolts, it didn't pull one way or another.

Tires have wear on outside due to bad camber from 2" spacers, but still plenty of tread left. Just installed PRG cam bolts last night, and dropped it off at Nissan dealership to perform a cross-rotation and alignment. Service manager just called and said this:

"Everything aligned good and the suspension is all straight but there is a slight pull to the left. This is probably due to the tires being worn on the outside. Since the tires are so aggressive, sometimes they like to pull to one direction or another. I would recommend flipping the actual tire on the rim so the wear is on the inside."

I asked, "If both front tires were worn on the inside, and they were cross rotated to the rear, why is it pulling to one side?"

Again, he told me it is probably due to the tires, but the alignment specs are good. Is this BS or does this commonly happen? I'm not sure what to believe. I don't have a lot of trust in any shops, I NEVER have work done in shops, but an alignment is out of my skills at home. Do I drive it and let the tires gradually wear even again and see if it goes away? The shuttle is picking me up in a little while, so I'll take it out on the interstate and see how noticeable the pull to the left is.

What is SAI and Included Angle? Why is the Rear: Left Toe so high?

Thanks in advance,

Chris C.

chadp82 · 12-04-2012, 07:59 AM

It very well could be the tires. If they were worn unevenly, they could be causing the pull.

I had a Blazer previously and I hit a retread section that came off of an 18 wheeler on the interstate that knocked my alignment out. I should have had it checked right away because it was a pretty hard hit, but didn't notice anything wrong after hitting the tire, it drove fine and there didn't seem to be any damage. A few weeks later, I started to notice a little wobble in the steering. The tires had a slight uneven wear. I had the alignement fixed, but the shop said it may pull due to teh tire wear. They rotated the tires to make it the best they could, but said it won't be 100%. I got new tires because they told me that the slight pull may push the alignment out again. Fortunately for me though, the tire shop let me swap tires under the warranty plan, so I got 4 new tires, and all it cost me was the alignment and about $30 for a new balancing and warranty plan on teh new tires.

VQP0WER · 12-04-2012, 09:57 AM

I had similar problem. Took it in 3 times and they alleged that the wind from the open bay doors was moving the laser reflector thing on the wheel enough to throw off a accurate reading. Once the doors were shut, they realigned and everything has been good since.

wyo700 · 12-04-2012, 10:19 AM

Try swapping your front tires around. When I worked in a shop and some thing like this would happen we would switch the front tires and it would usually fix the problem. Try it.

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loufish · 12-05-2012, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Try swapping your front tires around. When I worked in a shop and some thing like this would happen we would switch the front tires and it would usually fix the problem. Try it.

That's what a good shop should have done before the customer picked up the truck....

**Stilltime** · 12-05-2012, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loufish

That's what a good shop should have done before the customer picked up the truck....

It didn't pull before the alignment or cam bolts, and I asked for a cross rotation before doing the alignment. Instead of driver front > passenger rear, passenger front > driver rear etc they just swapped left to right.

I need a new jack since mine only lifts my T high enough to get off the ground with more 2x4's than I'm comfortable with, so I can rotate the tires properly and see if the problem maintains.

It definitely DOES pull to the left. Not a lot, but it's there and it will pull me into the other lane should I let go of the steering wheel and forget about it...

I would have liked to had the issue resolved before leaving the dealership but they were confident it was because of the tires' wear patterns.

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wyo700 · 12-05-2012, 01:34 PM

I would still just do a front tire swap.

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**Stilltime** · 12-05-2012, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wyo700

I would still just do a front tire swap.

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As soon as I can get a new jack!

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titanss · 12-05-2012, 02:27 PM

If the tires are worn to bad my mechanic will not try to align any vehicle because they will give a false reading.
When new tires are installed the alignment will be out again and eating the new ones.

**Stilltime** · 12-05-2012, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by titanss

If the tires are worn to bad my mechanic will not try to align any vehicle because they will give a false reading.
When new tires are installed the alignment will be out again and eating the new ones.

Thanks for that! Didn't think about that. I called the dealership, they were super nice about it and I'm dropping it off torrid morning. They're going to bring the rear tires to the front (as I wanted to begin with) and realign.

I'll posted up the results tomorrow afternoon. I hope it drives straight after this! The pulling is very annoying.

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loufish · 12-08-2012, 08:35 AM

This is another example of what gets me mad at shops that shouldn't be in business....When a customer comes in for a "simple" alignment, the tech should do a road test to verify what the car is doing or not doing before touching it....BUT the flip side is most people now days don't want to pay the extra for a more thorough job and shop only by price.

There's nothing more frustrating as a vehicle mis-behaving after doing work on it and not knowing if it was doing it before...I work on cars for a living and don't like surprises afterward.

**Stilltime** · 12-08-2012, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loufish

This is another example of what gets me mad at shops that shouldn't be in business....When a customer comes in for a "simple" alignment, the tech should do a road test to verify what the car is doing or not doing before touching it....BUT the flip side is most people now days don't want to pay the extra for a more thorough job and shop only by price.

There's nothing more frustrating as a vehicle mis-behaving after doing work on it and not knowing if it was doing it before...I work on cars for a living and don't like surprises afterward.

Taking it here was the most expensive of the four places I got a price from. I looked at the service manual and it stated all of the ways NOT to do an alignment with the Titan, so I figured I better take it to the dealership (Uftring Nissan) to have it done on their laser alignment system.

After taking it back it is a little better. Basically if my hand is touching the wheel it stays straight, no force is required to keep it straight but it will gradually pull left if my hand isn't on the wheel.

I'll drive it and just rotate them frequently to try to get them worn evenly. It's free for them to check my alignment, so I'll have it checked as often as I feel necessary.

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TITANBOY · 12-09-2012, 05:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stilltime

Taking it here was the most expensive of the four places I got a price from. I looked at the service manual and it stated all of the ways NOT to do an alignment with the Titan, so I figured I better take it to the dealership (Uftring Nissan) to have it done on their laser alignment system.

After taking it back it is a little better. Basically if my hand is touching the wheel it stays straight, no force is required to keep it straight but it will gradually pull left if my hand isn't on the wheel.

I'll drive it and just rotate them frequently to try to get them worn evenly. It's free for them to check my alignment, so I'll have it checked as often as I feel necessary.

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now try to swap the fronts side to side. if it pulls to the right its the tires, if it pulls to the left its the alignment. a real mechanic would know how to tweak the caster to make it drive straight.

titanss · 12-09-2012, 06:37 AM

All vehicles have some sort of pull, may take a mile to drift over but it is there. The way the roadway crowns for water run off the the cause.

loufish · 12-09-2012, 07:01 AM

Quote:

All vehicles have some sort of pull

Yes and that concept is always a problem trying to quantify on a forum as what you or I might feel is an acceptable amount, may feel like too much for someone else....

My trk will track pretty straight on most really flat roads, but will almost always pull right around town...