07 Camry - Out of alignment?

[proteus220]

Hello, just wondering if anyone else here has the same problem described below: 2007 Camry V6 LE, ~16k miles.

Tread on the OEM Bridgestone tires were down to the wear bars, and put on 4 Goodyear ResponsEdge tires. Cornering ability has increased noticeable, road noise is down, and do NOT squeal on the same turns/same speed, however, upon even a 1/4 throttle from a stop, the wheel now tugs either to the right or left, depending on which angle the steering wheel is at. Now, I really have to hold onto the wheel with both hands to maintain control compared to the OEM Bridgestones.

Could this be an alignment problem or is it that torque steer is magnified from FWD with "better" tires? Before, I could apply full throttle on the Bridgestones, and it will maintain a straight line with even 1 hand on the wheel, none of the "fighting the steering wheel" effect with the Goodyears.

Thanks for anyone's input again

[Punks_Not_Dead5]

get an alignment to be sure, most places and the one that i go to, if the alignment is good they don't even charge you. If you feel it's pulling go to a shop ask them to test drive it and give an opinionon what you should do

[gdanaher]

What you're describing is torque steer but think back to the wear pattern on the old tires and see if that reflects what you are seeing. See if the dealer might check allignment on the house. It most certainly is off a little but enough to casue severe wear problems? Maybe, maybe not.

[proteus220]

Thanks for the input. The OEM tires had perfectly even wear. Neither the inner or outer part of the tires wore out more than the other side. Tires always checked and inflated to 35psi all around.

I will get it checked out, thanks again

[summerwind]

Don't know what happened to my original post to your question...WTF..

I copied the text from the Toyota TSB ST005-01 Repair Manual Suppliment: Vehicle Pulling to One Side.

Try number 2 to answer your question..

Relationship Between Tire Characteristics and Vehicle Pulling to One Side
When radial tires are rotating, they have the characteristic of generating force in the
lateral direction between the tire and the road surface. This lateral force is comprised
of two factors:

Ply-steer, which changes direction according to the rotation direction of the tires.

Conicity, which is generated in a fixed direction regardless of the tire rotation
direction.

If these lateral forces are too strong, vehicle pulling will occur.
Ply-Steer
Lateral force due to ply-steer is produced by the construction of the belts inside
the tire tread. With radial tires, the wire of the belt is slanted as shown in the
illustration below. Thus, it is in the lateral direction that tire tread easily changes
shape (stretches), and lateral force is generated between the tire and the road
surface in the lateral direction.

Conicity
Conicity is lateral force resulting from uneven formation of the left and right sides
of the tire. The direction the lateral force is exerted depends on the hardness of
the side walls and the difference in height between the left/right sides of the tire.

In the case of vehicle pulling caused by tires, the lateral force which is exerted as a
result of conicity has the greatest effect. On a flat road, if the steering wheel is held
without exerting steering effort for 100 m (109 yards) when travelling at 100 km/h (62
mph), the vehicle may drift as much as 1.5 m (5 ft).

When vehicle pulling is due to conicity, the amount of drift can be reduced and the
direction of drift can be changed by changing the location of the tire or reversing
the tire when installing it on the wheel.

IMPORTANT NOTICE
Before repairing vehicle pulling to one side, it is necessary to clearly identify the
cause of the pulling condition. Frequently, the cause of the vehicle pulling to one side
is diagnosed as wheel alignment. However, the actual cause may be lateral force
generated by the tires. Performing wheel alignment when tire force is the cause could
result in the wheel alignment being set at a value outside of specifications. This would
then cause other problems such as uneven tire wear, etc.

[proteus220]

Thanks for all the replies!

Went to get an alignment done at 16k miles on the odometer and the wheel "pulls" during acceleration has definitely been fixed as well as tracking.

Just wondering if alignment can be out so quickly or was just out of spec when new? Never ran into curbs or driven over speed bumps at some insane speed either.

I had a 2001 Camry prior, and after 125k miles, it tracked straight, even tire wear, and never needed an alignment at all.

[Supra7m]

That sometimes happens when they pull the car off the semi truck at the toyota dealerships, when they chain them down.

[lammydi]

Originally Posted by proteus220

Thanks for all the replies!

Went to get an alignment done at 16k miles on the odometer and the wheel "pulls" during acceleration has definitely been fixed as well as tracking.

Just wondering if alignment can be out so quickly or was just out of spec when new? Never ran into curbs or driven over speed bumps at some insane speed either.

I had a 2001 Camry prior, and after 125k miles, it tracked straight, even tire wear, and never needed an alignment at all.

Glad to hear everything works out at the end. Btw, you have to buy a new set of tires at 16k miles??? That's seems early don't you think? Unless you burn out a lot!

[proteus220]

Originally Posted by lammydi

Glad to hear everything works out at the end. Btw, you have to buy a new set of tires at 16k miles??? That's seems early don't you think? Unless you burn out a lot!

I found it bizarre as well - complete replacement of 4 tires at just under 16k? Maybe alignment in all 4 corners were misaligned. The OEM Bridgestones were just horrible, they squealed even at low speeds in turns, and in high speed corners, massive understeer, just poor grip. Another problem on the OEM tires was accelerating from a stop when the ground was wet - what would happen was that the entire car would "bounce" violently, as if the entire dash and front end would break off (I think it's called tire hop?)

Not to be promoting the Goodyear Responsedge tires, but what a night and day difference. No squealing and an increase in cornering grip under similar driving conditions. Smoother, quieter, and definitely not as "squirmy" as the OEM's.

[lammydi]

Originally Posted by proteus220

I found it bizarre as well - complete replacement of 4 tires at just under 16k? Maybe alignment in all 4 corners were misaligned. The OEM Bridgestones were just horrible, they squealed even at low speeds in turns, and in high speed corners, massive understeer, just poor grip. Another problem on the OEM tires was accelerating from a stop when the ground was wet - what would happen was that the entire car would "bounce" violently, as if the entire dash and front end would break off (I think it's called tire hop?)

Not to be promoting the Goodyear Responsedge tires, but what a night and day difference. No squealing and an increase in cornering grip under similar driving conditions. Smoother, quieter, and definitely not as "squirmy" as the OEM's.

I think you will like the Nitto and Pirelli a lot better. Pirelli is better than Nitto though but much more expensive.

[lollonais]

It doesnt take much to get a car out of alignment, even right after an alignment, you can drive over anything or a pot hole and thats it. My wife's needs one bad too and it has 18,000 miles. Supposedely, it should be done every 12,000 and rotate every 5,000.