Just curious what the tire experts have to say.....

Lately, through some bad luck, I've had the opportunity to try a brand/model of tire that I normally wouldn't use. I blew out two tires out on the Lost Coast in Northern California on a drive with some friends. I had to wait 2.5 hours for the truck to arrive, another 2 hours to drive out, and then the next morning, they only tires within a 100 mile range that would fit were a pair of Toyo Proxes 4's. (215/40-18) Immediately upon hitting the road again, with the two new tires on the front, I noticed a tendency for the car to drift a bit to the right. I noticed it with my hands off the wheel and I could also tell that with my hands on the wheel, I could just feel something that way also. And when I accellerated hard, it would pull even more to the right. (I have LSD.) I was initially thinking that I might have bent something out of alignment when I hit the pot hole that blew the two right side tires, but then I got to thinking that I've experienced this before. Once when I first got the car and it had the Dunlop runflats on it and there was a drift to one side that was completely cured when I put new tires on the front. And once years ago on a Honda that had a defective front tire. It too would pull to one side until the offending tire was replaced.

So, I went to the local branch of the place I got the Toyo's up in norther Cal and had them order in two replacements to match what I had on the car previously. (Hakook Ventus V12 Evos) Once they were put on, the drifting/pulling totally disappeared. All is well once again.

So, I'm wondering what, exactly, is it that is different between two tires when a pair of them exhibit this problem? Different diameter? Different rolling resistance? (My guess.)

Tire pressures were exactly the same and set cold.

Just curious.

 

So Toyos on the right and Kooks on the left?
By any means not an expert, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
Slightly differing overall diameter and width could be a contributor but I think an alignment and a check-up of all right side suspension parts including bushings is needed.

 

I believe he said the Toyos were both fronts (two blown fronts at the same time? someone was putting down a smoke screen). So that'd point it even more towards alignment.

 

If the tires are not directional, you can flip them on the same axle to see if the pull is off to the other direction. If it is, it could be the tires.

Otherwise, as mentioned, it could be the alignment especially since you might have hit something hard enough to have blown two tires.

 

Well, perhaps I wasn't all that clear in my post.

Yes, both Toyo's were on the front.

(But I blew both right side tires hitting a pot hole at speed 45 miles from nowhere out on the Lost Coast in Northern California on Matole Road. Do NOT go out there unless you're willing to drive real, real slow. I was stupidly driving too fast.)

While I didn't swap the tires side to side, I did complain to Les Schwab and they said, no problem, we'll order two Hankooks and replace the Toyo's no charge. (Good guys at both Schwab stores I dealt with.)

After I got rid of the Toyos, it tracks absolutely, perfectly straight, both hands off the wheel, and when I accellerate. Just like it was before so alignment isn't an issue. And I've had two other sets of tires on the car before blowing the Hankooks. A previous pair of Hankooks and a pair of Dunlop runflats. Neither of these pairs drifted or pulled either. So, it seems it's the Toyos.

So, there was something about the Toyo's that caused the drift/pull. I'm figuring some difference between the two that resulted in a difference in the rolling resistance. I seriously doubt there was enough of a diameter difference with two brand new tires.

And remember, both were set to the same pressure (38) using the same accurate gauge. I was just wondering if anyone knew what internal differences in the tire makes for that kind of drift/pull.

 

Hmmm... Pot hole on the right side hard enough to blow 2 tires, I'd get under there and make sure the suspension is still sound. Even with it tracking straight, There might still be something under there that doesn't present itself all the time.

But that's just my .02c, and I'm meticulous.

 

check inflation pressure, and cross rotate, if the pull still presents, its a defect or alignment.

Alex

 

Well, thanks for all that, but as I mentioned before, the problem is gone. It was the tires themselves. The problem disappeared when the tires were replaced. I was just wondering what is going on when tires do that. Differences in rolling resistance due to slight differences from tire to tire? Something else?

And no, it was not uneven tire pressure or bad alignment, or variations in the road.

 

Without playing a bit more diagnostician, we'll never know. Most radial pulls are due to the tread not being 100% paralell the tire's carcass. I could also be internal contruction misplacment. Hard to tell after the fact.

Alex

 

I've had this happen to me...

To start with, my MINI drove straight & true... I then had the bushings & shock tower mounts replaced in the front of the car and had a 4-wheel alignment done... Once done, the steering wheel was no longer centered when driving straight, which has always been a pet peeve of mine...

A couple weeks later, I replaced the rear tires as they were worn and low & behold, the car stopped pulling and the steering wheel was centered again... WTF!!!

Last weekend, I rotated my tires and now the bloody thing is pulling again and the steering wheel is not centered anymore when driving...

These are all the same manufacture & style of tires all the way around the car... So, I feel you pain & confusion over just WTH is going on...

 

Wow! That's pretty bad if it's pulling the steering wheel off-center and also it was affecting the car with the tires on the rear. Wow. 'Must be some really crappy tires. I sure as heck wouldn't run them again.