Is it normal for cars to pull to one side at highway speeds?
Shravan K asked:
My new Honda Civic drifts/pulls to the right as it approaches around 65 mph. Don’t know if there’s a problem with the balancing or if that’s normal behavior in cheaper cars.
As an update, it’s a 7 day old 2008 Honda Civic. It wasn’t in any accident.
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My new Honda Civic drifts/pulls to the right as it approaches around 65 mph. Don’t know if there’s a problem with the balancing or if that’s normal behavior in cheaper cars.
As an update, it’s a 7 day old 2008 Honda Civic. It wasn’t in any accident.
http://www.doggydisease.com/
March 15th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
have an alignment check done
March 16th, 2009 at 7:47 am
It might need a wheel alignment. But if the car is an older model then it is perfectly normal. Also you might want to check the air in your tires to make sure they all contain the same amount.
March 18th, 2009 at 10:21 am
check the air pressure in your tires
March 19th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
before alignment check check tire pressure in all tires
March 22nd, 2009 at 7:16 pm
that is not the normal behaviour of cheaper cars. it’s probably our alignment. you should get it checked as soon as possible.
March 25th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
It sounds like the car was in an accident, perhaps it fell off the truck. Honda would fix it up and sell it.
March 28th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Either Air Pressure or Front End Alignment
March 30th, 2009 at 1:10 am
It shouldn’t be happening. When you say “new” - do you mean “brand new, first owner new” or “used but new to you”? Because if the car was previously owned, it could have sustained a collision that bent the frame.
The first thing you should check, though, is your tire pressure. If the tire pressure is not correct, or if one tire is lower than the others, this will cause the car to pull.
You also might need a front-end alignment. If you hit a bad bump recently, it could throw the alignment out of whack, and that could cause the car to pull.
But start with the easiest - check your tire pressure. Write down on your calendar the date you checked the pressure, and make a note for next month and the month after that to do it again. Check your pressure every month - and don’t forget to CHECK THE SPARE. Also, when checking pressure, make sure you do it when the tires are cold. If you check it after you’ve been driving a while, you won’t get an accurate reading. Remember - check tire pressure when tires are cold and check oil level after engine has heated up.
March 31st, 2009 at 4:51 am
the samething every one else said
April 1st, 2009 at 7:00 pm
No, it should not pull on flat roads. Some roads have a lot of crown and some very minor pulling can occur. Changing lanes may make a difference in this case. Sounds to me like alignment or a defective tire. Defective tires can be a pain to diagnose. The only other factor is the weight balance of the occupants. Big people in little cars can upset handling. I would ask to drive another new Civic on the the same road to compare. BTW, quality tires are worth the price.
April 1st, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Its not normal for a car to pull, the vehicle might have a align problem, check the tire pressure on them also check is the vehicle has uneven wear due to ratios pull can cause a drift.
April 3rd, 2009 at 3:56 am
7 days old car?This question should be directed to the dealer whom you bought the car from.I would not touch it with a 10 foot pole,beside checking air in the tires.
April 3rd, 2009 at 8:30 pm
honda is having a lot of alignment problems with the civics right now, take it to the dealership, have them give the tires a road force balance and have them mount match the tires. and if that doesn’t fix the problem they should then align the vehilce. do this soon as well… you might end up having to replace the tires if you don’t take care of this now vs later, i just had to replace all four tires on a civic on monday for pretty much the same problem it had 15k on it… save your self the time and the money
April 6th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
The people who make the roads make them at about a 2-4% grade so that water will run off and not puddle on the road. Naturally the water is sent to the edge of the road, or the right side. This pulling that you’re experiencing is that grade that is built into the road. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.
April 9th, 2009 at 1:30 am
Pulling to the right could be like everyone else has said, either tire pressure related or road related. Checking the tire pressure is easy, knowing the acceptable amount of pull due to the road crown is not.
I drive a 1990 Honda Prelude across the USA a several times per year. It has a perfect alignment on it, I check tire pressure regularly, and I rotate the tires regularly as well. While some roads do cause me to have to hold the steering wheel with more force than normal, almost all the roads I’ve driven allow me to let go of the steering wheel completely and the car travels straight ahead for several minutes before I must intervene and make a slight adjustment to keep the car centered in it’s lane. In other words, I barely use any effort keeping my car straight on the road, anywhere.
Now your car… this car is brand new 2008! It should not pull at all. Get yourself a quality tire gauge and ensure the tires are inflated to the pressure recommended on the sticker in the driver’s door jamb. Adjust this pressure in the morning when the tires are cold. If the car still pulls, take it back to the dealer and demand they fix it. I’ve listed a link to a tech article on this subject. Read it and take care of this problem early or you will be spending excessive money on tires through the life of this car or find yourself wandering off the road somewhere!
Good luck!
April 12th, 2009 at 5:25 am
Take it back to Honda, there is a factory warranty on the vehicle, and have them look at it.