Jeep pulls to the drivers side

[Lance628]

I would say your control arms are off somewhere

 

[WJCO]

I would start by rotating your front tires side to side just to eliminate the possibility of a tire itself causing a pull. Then make sure both of your axles are centered under the vehicle and adjust track bar as needed. So your alignment sheet says everything is in spec?

I know this is an old thread here. But thought maybe talking alignment this thread might be helpful.

http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?t=3861

I too am having this problem. Ever since installing my 3.5 RK Suspension mine has pulled left (driver side).

I have paid for about 3 total alignments, with the last one being at the stealership and they said I needed inverted ball joints and that would fix it. Something about inverted ball joints would be best for my setup and correct my problem.

So I'm 3.5" Max Travel RK lift, 8 fully adjustable control arms, front and rear track bar adjustable. Running 37x12.50x17 Nitto TG with Fox SS and running Currie AntiRock swaybar. When installed was all setup we made sure to follow ALL directions for length of arms according to RK directions. So got 3 alignments and still pulls.

Since, I've now replaced the front track bar with the AEV JK High Steer kit and OME SS. still pulling. So my next move is to attempt this thread and check my own alignment. I've got the printout each time and everyone says there's nothing to do.

Ultimately, I'm getting rid of this RK kit and moving over to an AEV 3.5 kit, and I'll change my tires to probably the BFG K02's as I drive more on road these days anyway and these perform great on highway with less pull from what I've read.

Hope this helps! Anyone reading this if you have suggestions for me and my issues  as it pertains to the Jeep (there's no helping MY issues...lol).

 

[TheFett]

I would start by rotating your front tires side to side just to eliminate the possibility of a tire itself causing a pull. Then make sure both of your axles are centered under the vehicle and adjust track bar as needed. So your alignment sheet says everything is in spec?

Ok so to add some more info in here. Jeep now has 106,544 miles on it. When lift was installed it had 72,475 on it. Tires originally (stupidly) were 35x12.50x20 Nitto TG. I went had it aligned and had a slight pull to driver side. I installed the Currie AntiRock swaybar to help "soften" the ride and off road function. Will NEVER do 20's again I can say that!! After about 1,200 miles I got rid of the 35x12.50x20's and went to 37x12.50x17 Nitto TG. went and had it aligned again. Now started pulling more to the left. At this point I figured Tires were to blame. Determined to find a solution I started to remove parts.

1st off was the Currie AntiRock sway bar. Back to stock sway bar.
2nd off was the Fox SS and front track bar, swapped out for the AEV JK high steer kit with the OME SS. Again aligned this time at the stealership and have print out again to show everything is ok.

*I have to add the Manager at the stealership did NOT charge me for the alignment, he said there wasn't anything to change so he couldn't charge me for that. He DID mention to change my ball joints cause there was nothing left in them currently for adjustment? He continued then to say inverted ball joints would help tremulously.

So now to date I haven't changed the ball joints yet and I've got 106,544 on them since they've Re OEM.

I wonder if since it's a Dana 30 front axel. I've never done the c gussets or anything to this axle. Have I warped my axle? Would just getting newer ball joints fix this? Is it just radial pull due to the Nitto TG's? If the axle was warped wouldn't it be worse and not something that has been consistent since the lift install.

Sorry, all that to say. WJCO you think I should look at my axles and readjust them? Kinda dumb here, but I would adjust the axles, or check their adjustment by my track bar, or would it be my control arms? I'm guessing both but just asking for better advice from someone like you who has more knowledge than well, myself we've established....lol I've already done the tire swap part, I read someone else make that comment either in this thread or another and gave that a shot and it didn't make a difference at all.

Tread too on these Nittos now is well let's just say I might make it to February before needing new tires anyway. Liked the look of the TG but for highway I sacrificed my better judgement at the risk of my wallet and will be buying different tires next go around. Love the Nitto's live the look, but I have to be more practical too. At least for now

 

[WJCO]

Sure your axle or control arms could be bent and not visible, but this would show up on your alignment printout most likely. If they're telling you that every angle is in spec, then that doesn't make sense. As far as ball joints go, if you don't already have adjustables, then they may be recommending those for adjustment. The only thing the ball joints would change though is your camber angle, which the shop stated was in spec. And as far as camber causing a pull, it has to be way out to cause a pull and way different from one side to the other. Camber angle pulls are fairly rare. If you have a copy of the print out, post a pic here or post the measurement. You could fool around with your caster to compensate for the pull, but that's really hiding the problem rather than fixing. My guess is that one of your axles isn't tracking right, or you could have a defective tire (unlikely).

Ok so to add some more info in here. Jeep now has 106,544 miles on it. When lift was installed it had 72,475 on it. Tires originally (stupidly) were 35x12.50x20 Nitto TG. I went had it aligned and had a slight pull to driver side. I installed the Currie AntiRock swaybar to help "soften" the ride and off road function. Will NEVER do 20's again I can say that!! After about 1,200 miles I got rid of the 35x12.50x20's and went to 37x12.50x17 Nitto TG. went and had it aligned again. Now started pulling more to the left. At this point I figured Tires were to blame. Determined to find a solution I started to remove parts.

1st off was the Currie AntiRock sway bar. Back to stock sway bar.
2nd off was the Fox SS and front track bar, swapped out for the AEV JK high steer kit with the OME SS. Again aligned this time at the stealership and have print out again to show everything is ok.

*I have to add the Manager at the stealership did NOT charge me for the alignment, he said there wasn't anything to change so he couldn't charge me for that. He DID mention to change my ball joints cause there was nothing left in them currently for adjustment? He continued then to say inverted ball joints would help tremulously.

So now to date I haven't changed the ball joints yet and I've got 106,544 on them since they've Re OEM.

I wonder if since it's a Dana 30 front axel. I've never done the c gussets or anything to this axle. Have I warped my axle? Would just getting newer ball joints fix this? Is it just radial pull due to the Nitto TG's? If the axle was warped wouldn't it be worse and not something that has been consistent since the lift install.

Sorry, all that to say. WJCO you think I should look at my axles and readjust them? Kinda dumb here, but I would adjust the axles, or check their adjustment by my track bar, or would it be my control arms? I'm guessing both but just asking for better advice from someone like you who has more knowledge than well, myself we've established....lol I've already done the tire swap part, I read someone else make that comment either in this thread or another and gave that a shot and it didn't make a difference at all.

Tread too on these Nittos now is well let's just say I might make it to February before needing new tires anyway. Liked the look of the TG but for highway I sacrificed my better judgement at the risk of my wallet and will be buying different tires next go around. Love the Nitto's live the look, but I have to be more practical too. At least for now 樂

 

[WJCO]

Oh and the obvious, make sure your tire pressures are all equal. ^^

Sure your axle or control arms could be bent and not visible, but this would show up on your alignment printout most likely. If they're telling you that every angle is in spec, then that doesn't make sense. As far as ball joints go, if you don't already have adjustables, then they may be recommending those for adjustment. The only thing the ball joints would change though is your camber angle, which the shop stated was in spec. And as far as camber causing a pull, it has to be way out to cause a pull and way different from one side to the other. Camber angle pulls are fairly rare. If you have a copy of the print out, post a pic here or post the measurement. You could fool around with your caster to compensate for the pull, but that's really hiding the problem rather than fixing. My guess is that one of your axles isn't tracking right, or you could have a defective tire (unlikely).

 

[TheFett]

Sure your axle or control arms could be bent and not visible, but this would show up on your alignment printout most likely. If they're telling you that every angle is in spec, then that doesn't make sense. As far as ball joints go, if you don't already have adjustables, then they may be recommending those for adjustment. The only thing the ball joints would change though is your camber angle, which the shop stated was in spec. And as far as camber causing a pull, it has to be way out to cause a pull and way different from one side to the other. Camber angle pulls are fairly rare. If you have a copy of the print out, post a pic here or post the measurement. You could fool around with your caster to compensate for the pull, but that's really hiding the problem rather than fixing. My guess is that one of your axles isn't tracking right, or you could have a defective tire (unlikely).

Ok thanks so much for the info WJCO. I'll start checking some if not all of this stuff this weekend. Looks like I might have "what did you do to your jeep this weekend" post coming up...lol

Ok found the most recent alignment spec, and welllll ok now I feel dumb. As I look at it in even more confused. I know they didn't charge me, they said there wasn't anything to fix, but uh unless I'm looking at this wrong doesn't something look amiss!?!

 

[WJCO]

Ok thanks so much for the info WJCO. I'll start checking some if not all of this stuff this weekend. Looks like I might have "what did you do to your jeep this weekend" post coming up...lol

Ok found the most recent alignment spec, and welllll ok now I feel dumb. As I look at it in even more confused. I know they didn't charge me, they said there wasn't anything to fix, but uh unless I'm looking at this wrong doesn't something look amiss!?!
View attachment 171704

Several things. Your camber is out on the LF but it is more negative than your RF. So........if camber was the issue, your vehicle should be pulling to the right, not the left.

As far as caster, it is in the red, but it's even, so it shouldn't pull at all to either side. However........I think it should be higher than that on both sides, I'm sure other posters here will know. That # seems low.

Bottom line, you do have some out of spec measurements, but I don't see any of those causing a pull symptom. I would keep an eye on that LF though as far as tire wear. An adjustable ball joint may fix that angle, but there may be another reason that that angle is out. I would still make sure your axles are centered correctly to start with. Just me.

 

[TheFett]

WJCO thx again for the words of wisdom. Not falling to the way side here. I will get underneath this weekend and start by working on getting the axles centered. Seriously left the dealership scratching my head and just thinking to myself there no hope for me....(the JK) I mean of course!....well ok BOTH I suppose if I'm being honest.

What's that old saying? "If you want something done right?".....ask a fellow Jeeper who's been there and understands!! That's how it should go!

 

[WJCO]

WJCO thx again for the words of wisdom. Not falling to the way side here. I will get underneath this weekend and start by working on getting the axles centered. Seriously left the dealership scratching my head and just thinking to myself there no hope for me....(the JK) I mean of course!....well ok BOTH I suppose if I'm being honest.

What's that old saying? "If you want something done right?".....ask a fellow Jeeper who's been there and understands!! That's how it should go!

I hope it works out for you. The more I look at this, that caster seems really low. Does your Jeep have adjustable control arms? Can you lengthen them? I see most of our WJs around 4, and it's a very similar suspension to your JK. It your caster is too low, it could be that you have more of a wander than a pull and for what ever reason it favors that left side on a regular basis. :idontknow:

 

[WJCO]

Does anyone here know roughly what the caster angle should be on this setup? 3.5" Rock Krawler Max Travel

 

[USMC Wrangler]

So I finally have mine resolved it seems. When I installed the rear coil spacers I believe I failed to loosen the lca's. I apparently had a bind of sorts. Today I loosened the rear lca's and the rear track bar, the shook the heck out of the Jeep. Re-torqued everything and took it for a spin. Absolutely no pull during acceleration or deceleration! The steering wheel was crooked to the driver's side, but fixed that pretty quick. I did finally get the JKS front links swapped, which made a minor improvement. That was done a couple weeks ago.

 

[WJCO]

So I finally have mine resolved it seems. When I installed the rear coil spacers I believe I failed to loosen the lca's. I apparently had a bind of sorts. Today I loosened the rear lca's and the rear track bar, the shook the heck out of the Jeep. Re-torqued everything and took it for a spin. Absolutely no pull during acceleration or deceleration! The steering wheel was crooked to the driver's side, but fixed that pretty quick. I did finally get the JKS front links swapped, which made a minor improvement. That was done a couple weeks ago.

Nice. Good deal.

 

[USMC Wrangler]

Instead of making another thread...unfortunately, the problem is back. The only change is I rotated my tires tonight before work. It's pulling left during acceleration and diving right during deceleration. The last time the steering wheel was crooked to the left, now all of a sudden after the rotation it's crooked to the right. Other than going over the torque specs again, why in the world would a simple tire rotation cause this?

All Spidertrax checked out and the wheels are all at 95 ft lbs. I haven't even had a chance to hit any trails in a couple months, so...frustrating

 

[2nd.gunman]

If all you did was swap the tires around then it must be a slight difference in the rolling circumference of your tires left to right

 

[WJCO]

Instead of making another thread...unfortunately, the problem is back. The only change is I rotated my tires tonight before work. It's pulling left during acceleration and diving right during deceleration. The last time the steering wheel was crooked to the left, now all of a sudden after the rotation it's crooked to the right. Other than going over the torque specs again, why in the world would a simple tire rotation cause this?

All Spidertrax checked out and the wheels are all at 95 ft lbs. I haven't even had a chance to hit any trails in a couple months, so...frustrating

You could have a bad tire. Sometimes that is not visible. I would check that all tires are the same pressure and I would make sure they are all the same size. This may sound stupid, but more than once I've seen a set of tires sold with one being slightly different in size and not noticed when the tech put it on.

I'm actually getting a similar symptom on my WJ. One thing that someone I know that had the same issue did, was to rotate his rear lower control arms from one side to the other and see if the symptoms change to the other direction when accel/decel. That's how he diag'd his with the exact same problem. New lower arms actually fixed the issue. I haven't gotten around to looking at it yet. Just started acting up a little over a week ago.

 

[DWiggles]

after going through This Process, I still have a "respectable" pull to the right. I have less then 100 miles on EVO long arm, and 37/1350 Toyo OC MTs. I went through and double checked all measurements everything seems square, yet the jeep still pulls. :doh: :grayno:

I'm talking it into a chassis shop tomorrow to pay them $175 to set it up... :naw: it better drive PERFECT after $175 :banghead:

 

[CrazyLarry]

after going through This Process, I still have a "respectable" pull to the right. I have less then 100 miles on EVO long arm, and 37/1350 Toyo OC MTs. I went through and double checked all measurements everything seems square, yet the jeep still pulls. :doh: :grayno:

I'm talking it into a chassis shop tomorrow to pay them $175 to set it up... :naw: it better drive PERFECT after $175 :banghead:

I wouldnt waste money taking it into a shop. Its most likely radial pull from your tires. Toyos have a tendency to pull to the right just like Nitto TGs have a tendency to pull to the left. I had the MTRs and had a right pull the whole time I had them. I sold them this summer because I couldnt keep them balanced. I put the Trail grapplers on and the jeep pulled left. No changes to alignment or suspension what so ever. Very common with mud tires to have a radial pull but hey its your dime

 

[Renzo1200]

I fixed my Toyo radial pull with a gas charged steering stabilizer. Drives straight as an arrow now.

 

[DWiggles]

I wouldnt waste money taking it into a shop. Its most likely radial pull from your tires. Toyos have a tendency to pull to the right just like Nitto TGs have a tendency to pull to the left. I had the MTRs and had a right pull the whole time I had them. I sold them this summer because I couldnt keep them balanced. I put the Trail grapplers on and the jeep pulled left. No changes to alignment or suspension what so ever. Very common with mud tires to have a radial pull but hey its your dime

Well being as all 8 arms are adjustible, $175 is pretty cheap insurance that this issue IS radial pull and not an alignment issue gone "accepted as normal because some guy on the internet told me" then the jeep is eating $2k in tires in 20k miles... But hey, it is my dime :thumb: lol

I fixed my Toyo radial pull with a gas charged steering stabilizer. Drives straight as an arrow now.

I'm not worried if its radial pull, I'll deal with it if thats the case. Just want someone to double check my work so I'm not wondering if I messed something up.

 

[CrazyLarry]

Well being as all 8 arms are adjustible, $175 is pretty cheap insurance that this issue IS radial pull and not an alignment issue gone "accepted as normal because some guy on the internet told me" then the jeep is eating $2k in tires in 20k miles... But hey, it is my dime :thumb: lol



I'm not worried if its radial pull, I'll deal with it if thats the case. Just want someone to double check my work so I'm not wondering if I messed something up.

Just trying to help man. But seeing how you're being a sarcastic tool I guess it's your own damn fault for being to incompetent to do your own alignment. Setting control arms to the same length and measuring your own toe and caster isn't rocket science. So yeah it is your own dime. I guess that 175 is the price you pay for being useless. Good luck