Pulling to the left

I have a 2000 Miata. It is pulling to the left pretty hard. I took it back to the dealer where I bought it and they said they aligned it but it still pulls. It is back at the dealership tonight for another round.

It as 16" tires and the suspension package. Would anything make it pull to the left besides it being out of alignment?

Thanks, DS

Reply to
David Smith
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It could be a problem with a tire. This happened to my '92 after I rotated the tires.

-Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Buck

A bad tire or uneven tire pressures are possibilities, but most likely it's poor alignment. Don't expect the dealer to perform a competent alignment--the factory specs have too much slop in them, which makes the dealer's job easier but leaves your car with wheels pointing in odd directions. See my alignment page for suggestions.

Reply to
Lanny Chambers

Yep, I did alignment in my '01 exactly according to Lanny's page with free-weights on my seat in August. Can't stop smiling since (exept for times that I get pulled over by cops). Next week I'm going to change my Azenises for new Michelins Arctic Alpins. Why there's a gap between AutoX season and snow???

Thanks again Lanny,

Kempi '01 silverfish

Reply to
Kempi

Even before you check things like alignment, you should check all your tyre pressures are right (and certainly the same left to right). Next, if there is any suggestion at all of uneven wear, you should swap tyres front to rear and see if the problem goes away.

Large tyres will certainly exacerbate any problems, but they won't cause them.

Reply to
Graham

If you have non-directional tires then you can try moving them from right to left. Sometimes tires just pull to one side for no apparent reason...

Reply to
DH

I picked it up from the dealer today. They checked the alignment again. Said it was on the money. They did rotate the front two tires and the problem went away. Well almost anyway. It pulls a little to the right now but nothing like it was pulling to the left. I can live with it now. So I guess it was a bad tire.

Reply to
David Smith

Sorry to see you're not paying attention, David. To a dealer, "on the money" means one front wheel can have positive camber and the other negative, because it's still within the ridiculously-loose "spec." The money it's "on" is yours, which they took without actually doing anything to earn it. If you want a real alignment, go to a race shop. Then you'll find out how a Miata really handles.

Reply to
Lanny Chambers

That's a little too general. My dealer in central Texas,(Mazda South), is staffed by competent mechanics who understand miata alignments. They will set it to the specs that I give them or they can make recommendations based on my driving style. They always give me a sheet showing the exact numbers that were set. The really nice part is the $55.00 charge, I was getting much higher quotes from the specialty shops.

Pat '96M

Reply to
pws

I believe that is rare. Looks like they have their own Hunter machine in their shop and know how to use it. I was put off with my one experience with the Mazda South parts department, but it sounds like their shop is really good.

Those of us not living in heavily populated areas do not even have the option of those much higher quotes from specialty shops. :(

Reply to
Leon van Dommelen

I guess I was just stating that not all dealers are the same. I do feel lucky to live so close to Mazda South. I have only heard good things about their service dept., though the miata has been so reliable and easy to work on that it has never been in their shop for anything more than the alignments since I have owned it. Their parts dept. has also been great in my experience, they have had the correct part in stock every time I have needed one at prices as good or better than any of the miata.net vendors.

Pat '96M

Reply to
pws

Hi Lanny,

I consider you to be the reference in Miata alignment specs for spirited street driving. I have done extensive research on the internet about finding such specs that would allow me to take full advantage of my 92 Miata's handling. I see you have been very active in these forums for a long time so I will try not to bore you and other readers with asking the same questions all over again! :o)

I just got my '92 this past spring and it was mostly stock except for things like a style bar and such. Perhaps the most notable mod so far would have to do with wheels and tires. (14" Mangels alloys and Toyo T-1S').

This winter I will be replacing the original stock suspension (135,000km!) with a Flyin' Miata stage 3 suspension kit. Since my new setup will be about 1" lower and stiffer all around with nice sticky (stickiest I've had!) street tires, I was wondering if I should use your recommended settings or maybe modify them slightly...?

Since the car has the equivalent of roughly 85k miles on it and the bushings may (or may not) need replacing soon and I don't plan on replacing them just yet (maybe next year), I'm wondering if I should go with a little more toe-in in the back (say 1/16 instead of 1/32?) since toe OUT is such a bad thing in the rear? :o)

I think that your suspension setup might be a little softer than what I'll get and my car will be lowered so again, this might warrant a bit of tweaking? I've also noticed that your negative camber settings have been increasing and toe-in decreasing since you started posting you alignment specs. So, evidently you've been experimenting (or changing your driving style) on a continuous basis!

My driving style goes from a leasurely drive when my wife is with me to spirited driving in the curves and around town when I'm by myself to the occasional highway trip (on faily bad roads here in Quebec, Canada). I have not auto-crossed yet and don't plan to do it either.

Naturally, I plan to go to an alignment shop that will accept my directions (specs and order to set things), garantee me equal settings left-to-right and will also allow me to sit in the driver's seat. (See, some people have been paying attention! ;)

Here are the specs that I plan to use (in this order):

1) Rear toe in 1/32" (or 1/16"?) 2) Rear camber -1.75 3) Front camber -1.0 4) Front caster +5.0 (or closest possible) 5) Front toe in 1/32"

Thanks for any advice or comments,

Daniel Born

92 LE Sunburst yellow

Reply to
Daniel Born

No difference in the basic starting point, except that a lowered car may have to settle for more negative camber than I suggest, i.e., not be able to attain -1.5 or -1.75 in back. A few tenths extra camber is not significant, though the front-rear difference is and should be maintained. If you can't get less than -2 degrees in back, then set the front to -1.25 or -1.5, depending on how lively you want the car to rotate. Rear toe is not affected, since you set that first, before camber.

Excessive toe is what kills Miata tires, not excessive camber. If you get 15k from your Toyos, you're doing OK.

Reply to
Lanny Chambers
Reply to
Lanny Chambers

What does 205/50-15 versus 195/50-15 have to do with anything? A set of

195/50-15 Azenis will run me nearly $200.00 less (mounted) for a set than the same size set of Toyos.

My experince has been that they have almost the same life as the Toyos when both are driven aggressively.

I haven't taken them on a track, but I have to wonder why so many autocrossers are using them if they have these properties.

Somewhat, but not that bad. Some people would also complain about the lack of sidewall stifness in the Toyos.

I chill in the rain and prefer the superior dry traction. The Toyo is a great tire, but it isn't magic. Again, if the Azeni is such a crappy tire, then why are so many experienced drivers happy with them?

Pat '96M

Reply to
pws

I didn't know the Azenis is available in 195/50-15. The website quoted only listed 205/50, at $74. If you're spending more than $60 for a

195/50-15 T-1S you're not shopping hard enough.

Because autocross laps are too short to heat them up, much less overheat them. Aggressive track lappers seems to get a couple of good laps out of them, then they start to melt. Literally melt. The Azenis seems designed to work well cold, a distinct advantage in autocross.

The Azenis is a wonderful tire for an autocrosser who doesn't want to keep dedicated AX tires, for whatever reason, and can live with its limitations on the street. Like all tires, the Azenis is a compromise, not the perfect solution for every situation. It would not be on my short list for a 5000-mile vacation trip.

In my experience, the Azenis is relatively easy to drive clumsily, where the T-1S demands smoothness to work well. I suspect that's one reason for the Falken's popularity. That and because it seems cheap, until the thin tread wears off.

Reply to
Lanny Chambers

Where are you finding them for $60.00? I don't think that I have ever seen them for less than $85.00 or so apiece for my size. $60.00 makes them barely more expensive than the prices I found for the Azeni.

Pat

Reply to
pws

OnlineTires.com:

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but the shopping cart seems to be taking a nap right now.

Reply to
Lanny Chambers

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