Can someone with access to the factory service manual please post the factory wheel alignment specs? My car pulls hard to the right. I've had it aligned at NTB twice. They claim it's within spec. I have the print out that they gave me with my car's actual specs. But I don't know what the acceptable ranges are.

I'm looking for Nissan's stock factory spec ranges on:

Camber...Front and Rear

Toe........Front and Rear

Caster....Front and Rear

Thanks!
Andrew

Front
Camber: -1° to 0°30'
Toe-in: 1 to 3mm (.04 to .12in)
Caster: 0°40' to 2°10'

Rear
Camber: -1°40' to -0°10'
Toe-in: -1 to 3mm (-.04 to .12in)

Thanks JimR!

OK, here's what my actual settings are (after alignment):

Front...............L.................R........... ........Spec
Camber:.......-0.6°...........-1.1°............-1° to 0°30'
Toe-in:..........0.02°...........0.01°...........1 to 3mm (.04 to .12in)
Caster:...........1.6°............1.0°............ 0°40' to 2°10'

Rear.................L.................R.......... .........Spec
Camber:.........-1.0°..........-1.4°.............-1°40' to -0°10'
Toe-in:............0.15°.........0.11°.............-1 to 3mm (-.04 to .12in)

Note that my toe was measured in °, while the toe-in spec is in mm... Anyone know how to compare the two? So aside from the toe (which I'm not sure how to interpret), the camber and caster appear to be within spec. Yet my car still pulls hard to the right.

Any thoughts as to why I would still have the strong pull?

Andrew

It's from the camber on the front right. Even if your camber is off, you want each side to be the same. That's where you get your pull and tire wear.

not only camber but the caster being different from the left side will also have an effect because the right side will not want to make itself "go"(for a lack of technical term) strait.

it make perfect cense to me but it kinda hard for "me" to explain it(without ofcourse using a lot of hand gestures and stuff:D). i know someone else will have a more technical reason but in the end the side with the less caster will pull.

Originally posted by BORNGEARHEAD
It's from the camber on the front right. Even if your camber is off, you want each side to be the same. That's where you get your pull and tire wear.

Nah, half a degree of camber won't make a huge difference driving down the road... And caster would only make a difference when the wheel is turned or when you hit a bump.

Did you do a thrust angle alignment?

I assume you are getting a pull with steady throttle?

Andy

Originally posted by maxQ

Did you do a thrust angle alignment?


I'm not sure what the thrust angle is... But my alignment sheet has a Thrust Angle measurment on the Rear only. The Thrust Angle reads 0.02°

Originally posted by maxQ
I assume you are getting a pull with steady throttle?


Yes, it also pulls the same with no throttle as well.

Andrew

You've checked your tire pressures, right? If they're off by 5+ psi left to right, that can cause pull...

Are your tie rods tight? (the ends of the steering arms behind the knuckle.)

Did it pull to the right off of the alignment rack? How long since the alignment?

Originally posted by maxQ
You've checked your tire pressures, right? If they're off by 5+ psi left to right, that can cause pull...

Yes, tire pressures are good all around. I run 35lbs up front and 31 in back. Both sides are even. I typically check pressures at least every 2-3 weeks. Also, I don't think I mentioned that the tires are practically new - Less than 3000mi. I had it alligned as soon as the new tires were put on.

Originally posted by maxQ

Are your tie rods tight? (the ends of the steering arms behind the knuckle.)
I don't know on this one. How would I tell if they are loose? Would there be play in it? Would I be able to move it around or something?

Originally posted by maxQ

Did it pull to the right off of the alignment rack? How long since the alignment?
It pulled to the right before the alignment, it pulled to the right immediately after the first alignment, and it still pulled to the right after I had them re-check the alignment about 1000mi after the first one.

I don't believe that the frame is damaged either. I bought this car from the original owner who assured me that it had never been in an accident. I went over this car very thoroughly both before I bought it and afterwards. I've even pulled the entire interior out of the both the passenger compartment and the trunk in order to clean it. And I have not found any evidence of bodywork or even respraying. So I'm pretty confindent that the frame is straight. (Unless of course the massive torque of the SR20DE twisted it. :D )

Andrew

um, to the best of my knowledge caster has a lot to do with if the car will drive strait or not. example: hook a tow bar up to the front of a car and tow it down the road, i will track strait. now back up, the front will turn almost immediatly. the concept of this is the fact that with caster the weight of the car is "pushing" down on the front suspention thus making it go strait. that in conjuction with the increase of camber with amplify the problem.

Andrew --

Did it pull with the old tires? If not, try swapping the front tires side to side and see if your symptoms reverse. If the car now pulls to the left, then one of your front tires is bad. Swap one to the rear (and then the other) to isolate your problem.

I had this happen to me with new tires on my Maxima.

Good luck,

Bill

Thanks, billc - another good idea. The car did pull with the old set of tires, but I think I will try swapping my new tires around and see if that makes any difference.

Andrew

Originally posted by aklucsarits

I don't know on this one. How would I tell if they are loose? Would there be play in it? Would I be able to move it around or something?

Yes, you should be able to move the tie rod by hand if it's bad(you don't necessarily need the wheel off for this, but it'd help with seeing it...).

If nothing moves before the steering wheel does, it's fine. The alignment guy should have noticed if they are bad (especially twice...) but you never know...