[factrzero]

I have 500kms on my sedan GT/GFX package with the 17" Goodyear tires.

Everytime I let go of the steering wheel for only a second, no matter the grade on the road, the car pulls immediately to the right. If I steer straight, the car pulls right.

If I'm going between 80 and 100km/h, I can feel more vibration from the tires, and a slight chimmying in the steering wheel.

Is this all normal early wear that will go away?

 

[M3-GT]

no. Check your tires pressure. if they are all equal the go your dealer because it could be a bunch of thing like a tire that has a defect, you need an alignment, etc...a dealer would tell you right away. Did you hit a pothole or something? That can have had an impact on the tire or suspension.

 

[factrzero]

Hello

Nah, haven't hit any pot holes. This has been happening since I purchased the car.

 

[dinu01]

Your wheels are not alligned properly. Had this hapen when I picked up the 01 PRO (and the steering wheel was not alligned well either) - I wonder what the PDI was for if they didn't check for that...

 

[gt6]

My car is at the dealer today to have a vibration fixed. I stopped in last week and they checked the balance, all were ok. The Service Advisor said that they need to rotate the tires on the rims to be able to get rid of the vibration. He indicated that it is a problem that they have seen with the low profile tires on 17" rims. This is fairly common with motorcycle tires but I had not heard it before with car tires but it does make some sense. Personally I don't care how they fix it as long as they do.

I am thankful for a Service Advisor that will at least take the time and effort to find a solution instead of just telling me "that's the way they all are", which seems to be fairly common.

Hopefully I'll have a smooth ride home tonight.

 

[factrzero]

Did it fix it?

gt6, did the rotation fix the problem?

 

[jintegra]

1) First thing to check is the tire pressure. Vehicles shipped from abroad usually have much higher tire pressures (>40) to prevent flat spotting while being shipped.
2) Alignment can also cause vibration, but if this is the problem, you're likely to feel vibration at any speed.
3) Not all balancing equipement are created equal. One of the better (best?) balancers out there is the Hunter GSP9700:
http://209.176.154.132/pub/features/how.cfm
4) Tire(s) may be out of round.
5) Rim(s) may be damaged.
That's all I can think of right now. Good luck.

 

[gt6]

Re: Did it fix it?

gt6, did the rotation fix the problem?

Yes, the tech did the job and everything is fixed. He rotated the tires on the rims until he acheived a balanced situation. Mazda got charged 2 hours tech time for the job. Much better ride now. As I said before, I am very grateful to have a good dealer to go to and Service Advisors and Techs that actually know what they are doing and do what they're supposed to.

 

[funkyfreshmonke]

now, whats the difference between wheel balance and wheel alignment? which makes your car pull to the right?

 

[dinu01]

Problem List [Specify Build Date!!!]
Arrow http://mazda3forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=2146&highlight=allignment

Steering issues (Alignment ?)
Arrow http://mazda3forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=10726&highlight=alignment

Slight Pulling to the right....really irritating now.
Arrow http://mazda3forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=5194&highlight=alignment

Highway handeling sucks with my MZ3 5door. . . wHY?
Arrow http://mazda3forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=6953&highlight=alignment

Pulls to the right.
Arrow http://mazda3forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=3036&highlight=alignment

Vibration/Pull
Arrow http://mazda3forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=1144&highlight=alignment