Car pulls ? Even after alignment!!!

[NeubJ]

It all started when I got new rims. I recently bought some 15's (now I wish I would of went with 16's or 17's but thats another story)
After the wheels were installed I noticed that anytime the road was not even- my car will pull really bad to the left or right-like someone just yanked my steering wheel to the left or right.

I had a shop check it out and said I need new struts and strut rod bushings-(and that could of been the problem they said) but everything else was fine. So after all that and a alignment the car still pulls hard and they said they didnt notice anything when test driving it after it was fixed.

Example
I am driving on semi smooth road and then I get to a part when the road is bumpy and uneven -I do not apply any brakes and the minute I hit the blemished road -- BAM!! my car pulls hard to the left and I have to fight to keep it straight. It just gets frustrating having to fight with my car just to keep it going it a straight line anytime the road is kinda messed up-pulls left, pulls right, just goes all over the place!!!!

So I put my old 14inch wheels on and it still does the same thing!!!
What could be wrong??
I also had the cv replaced on the driver's side before I got the wheels- ( but I did notice that the steering on the left side seemed tighter but now pulling hard like it does now) It didnt do it then but a few weeks later I got the wheels and low and behold-


People please any feedback will be very helpful

[Mike's89AccordLX]

Ok what I want you to do is to drive slowly down an empty street and move the wheel back and forth really quick. If it drives fine that way then you probably have a ball joint that's bad. This happend to my brother's car and it didn't pull hard all the time (like it waited until you didn't expect it ) but when it did pull it was kinda hard to keep it on the road. Try that and tell me what happens.

[NeubJ]

When I drive and move the steering wheel back and forth what should I be looking for ?

[Mike's89AccordLX]

When you move it back and forth it shouldn't be pulling at all. It should be kinda like normal driving (except that your moving the steering wheel.)

[NeubJ]

Thanks for your help -I will try that.

[Mike's89AccordLX]

Yeah no problem. Try that and let us know what you find and then we can hopefully figure out what's wrong.

[Mike89Accordcom]

You might need a camber kit in the front. After my alignment my Accord still pulled to the right a little. So I put the camber in, and no more pullin to the right.

[AZmike]

Do you have something that shows your current alignment numbers: caster, camber, and toe front; toe, camber rear?

[NeubJ]

I tried the moving steering wheel back and forth real fast and no pulling-after I did that and let go it centered itself.

The alignment was done to OEM specs (thats what they said). I have the paper somewhere.

[Mike's89AccordLX]

If there's no pulling after you do the steering wheel test that I said. Then it's a ball joint for sure. Which way does it pull? Look at the tires and see if they're tilted a little bit. Maybe you can just see which one it is.

[NeubJ]

It favors pulling to the left but it will also pull to the right. I dont think its brakes grabbing because when I stop or slam on the brakes the steering wheel will center on flat roads but if its on uneven roads it will always pull.

[bobafett]

my car is kinda doing the smae thing i notice, after throwing on 17s! its kind of scary sometimes, but it seems like its more mild in my car, i never "really have to fight it" but it will pull side to side if the road isnt just right. never noticed anything like this before...

as soon as i have my coilovers on i will get an alignment!

[goldyaccord]

Originally posted by bobafett
my car is kinda doing the smae thing i notice, after throwing on 17s! its kind of scary sometimes, but it seems like its more mild in my car, i never "really have to fight it" but it will pull side to side if the road isnt just right. never noticed anything like this before...

as soon as i have my coilovers on i will get an alignment!

It's normal. the wheels will want to go with the grooves in the road.

but I'd still get an alignment to make sure the toe in is good and what not.

[AccordEpicenter]

Whats the offset of your wheels? If your offset is messed up itll cause the problems you mentioned. BTW my car will steer itself towards the lower side of the car on an uneven road, which is virtually every road i drive on... its that sensitive

[Mike's89AccordLX]

If the offset was wrong then it wouldn't just pull one way. It's a ball joint trust me.

[NeubJ]

The thing is it never did that till the new 15's--My old 14's custom wheels never did it-

Its like when I hit a uneven part in the road that is kinda bad it will yank to a 90 degree turn or more (some worse )
I know better tires will grip the road better but not to the point where you turn that bad and that hard.

So to get this straight -If I did the test and no pulling its the balljoints or if it pulls when doing the test then balljoints are fine? (because one reply says if no pulling then its the balljoints so it should pull when I did the test?)

I will try replacing them and see if that works-I hope it does and I will be one happy 3g owner for the moment-because Im getting tired of driving like this-I miss the way it used to drive =(

What are some other symptoms for bad ball joints?

Thanks for all the other input fellow 3g

[NeubJ]

What kind of coilovers are you going with and struts??