Car drifting to left after tyres have been changed

[woppy101]

I have just had all 4 tyres changed on my 2019 Golf, and now the car drifts to the left and i have to slightly turn the wheel to the right to keep the car in a straight line. Has anyone had something like this happen after a change in tyres? I haven’t hit any pot holes or anything like that to knock my tracking out and I haven’t ever heard of a tyre change knocking out alignment

[530dTPhil]

First thing would be to check the tyre pressures.

[woppy101]

All correct @39psi

[530dTPhil]

Are they directional tyres and, if so, have they been fitted correctly? Failing that, the next step would be a geometry check perhaps.
Were all four of the old tyres worn evenly?

[woppy101]

530dTPhil said:

Are they directional tyres and, if so, have they been fitted correctly? Failing that, the next step would be a geometry check perhaps.
Were all four of the old tyres worn evenly?

michelin primacy 4+ Supplied and fitted by Costco, they look to have been fitted correctly, I did go back to have them rebalanced as I was getting some judder at 80+mph which is now fixed.

The old tyres looked even they had 2.5mm on the front and 5mm on the but I’m not a fan of continentals which is why I had all 4 changed.

I think I will look for a 4 wheel laser alignment tomorrow

[Tony1963]

Before you spend any money, it might just be following the camber of the road. Find a quiet road with a pronounced ‘crown’ to it, and drive on the other side of the road. Does it pull to the right?

[rlw]

Many cars will be setup to drift very slightly to the left, or right, to avoid accidents in the case of the driver being unable to steer. Some tyres accentuate this more than others and new tyres will absolutely highlight the effect.

Get the geometry checked at your main dealer would be my advice, having been in the same position more than once in the past.

[catso]

Tony1963 said:

Before you spend any money, it might just be following the camber of the road. Find a quiet road with a pronounced ‘crown’ to it, and drive on the other side of the road. Does it pull to the right?

Agreed, my S4 is very sensitive to road camber. At first I thought there was something wrong with the alignment being to the left but I noticed that it would also pull to the right if the camber was that way and track straight on a 'flat' surface.

Was slightly improved when I had new tyres and 4-wheel alignment but it's always there. Also, I believe some tyres are more prone to it?

[stogbandard]

I noticed this more when driving in France and it was due to the camber of the road which seems to fall away from the central reserve on autoroute, even on bends which is a bit odd as the carriageway on the outside of a bend still falls from the central reservation.

Roundabouts in France also have adverse cambers as well as awful entry and exit angles. I guess it’s to slow traffic but this doesn’t work when drivers stray across from the outside to the inside of the roundabout to make a smoother path.

[Domski86]

Had the exact same issue with a new to me Skoda Yeti when 4 mismatched and perished tyres were swapped for some matched all seasons. A quick £25 laser alignment at a local garage sorted it.

The front left camber was ever so slightly off and this was exacerbated by the increased tread compared with the old worn rubber. It would have probably worn down into true with time but why ruin a new set of tyres to save a few quid.