My 08 Ms3 Pulls Left All The Time

VAINPIRE

Member
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MAZDASPEED3 BLACK MICA
I have 9000 miles on my Mazdaspeed3 and for about the last 3 months, if I let go of the wheel it drifts slowly left,accelerating and decelerating...dealer has aligned it twice...its perfect...does it with both stock the tires (wich I hate and am replacing in spring) and my snows...rotated etc etc etc many times...the guy that mounts my tirs does it in compatition at track meets and he has no idea...tire pressure right on...they are perplexed at my dealer...I have went for rides with their Mazdaspeed mechanic and he cant figure it out but admits its doing it...btw...Mazda allows for drift left or right if it takes more than 7 seconds to move into another lane!!! but mine does it in about three...most noticable at speeds above 40...I can feel it as i drive subtly pulling the wheel left...since this started I also find the car a bit "hinkey" or touchy at highway speeds...I dont feel safe driving very fast in it now...I ran my cuzin in his STI the other day and was nervous ...I dropped out at 110mph ...it just feels weird ...not like it did for the first 9 months,bought it new btw...HELP
 
mine does this too, i think its pretty common. It might have something to do with the FWD
 
This sounds like a really strange one, esp if everything is in spec, that doesn't make any sense... But FWIW, the car should not pull either way, it's not normal, and it's not due to FWD, period.

Maybe try another alignment shop or dealer? Your dealer's rack might be out of calibration, or they aren't doing a full 4-wheel alignment or who knows what. Very odd problem...
 
Yeah my 09 was doing this on the way back home from buying it, i changed out the springs to the Eibach Pro kit and had it aligned and it still does it..its annoying as hell..none of my other cars with stock or modified suspensions acted in this manner..Im thinking its caused by the drivers side rear wheel which seems to have more inward toe then the passenger side. Plus the negative factory camber doesn't help either.
 
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Mine pulls to the left and it's also extremely touchy at high speed. Steering inputs react quickly. I find it hard to just "cruise" on the freeway, because I typically spend more time just trying to keep it centered rather than bouncing back and forth in the lane (its not that bad..but I notice it).
 
I got mine aligned about 3K miles ago and my car's steering wheel stayed true for about half that time. It has slowly started to track left if the steering wheel is centered.
 
welcome to the family, i had to have my front left strut replaced about 2 weeks ago, and the first thing the tech said was "o well if its just pulling to the left then thats normal, theres nothing we can do about that". Mazda is aware but they dont care enough to do anything about it. i dont think it was anything to do with alignment, but its possible.
 
Man, this is the first I've heard of this issue, but I have a very hard time believing that there's "nothing they can do" about the car pulling left. That seems rediculous.

When they align it, ask to see the printouts. There's a spec range given and you can see how your wheels are set within that range. Check toe, total toe, and cross caster specifically.

Just had a thought: cross caster is what affects drift/pull, but caster isn't "technically" adjustable. That could be why they're saying they can't do anything for you. However, you can tweak caster by moving the strut top mount fore or aft. Loosen the three nuts under the hood that hold the strut to the body. Pushing the mount forward decreases negative caster; pushing it rearward increases negative caster. The car will pull to whichever side has greater negative caster. If it pulls to the left, make your left-side caster less negative, or preferably, make your right-side caster more negative. Should resolve the pull.
 
Silver, you might want to check out your alignment numbers too. Negative caster will slow down steering response somewhat, so will toe-in. If your front wheels are close to the minimum spec for caster or have positive toe it will make your steering twitchy.

Keep in mind too if you're on your winter tires: tires have a huge huge HUGE effect on steering feel, compliance, and sensitivity, so the whole thing might be caused by a set of tires that the car doesn't agree with.
 
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could this be due to tramlining possibly?? or would it go both ways in the road, depending on the road i guess..? im curious as to what you find out though, if anything at all. good luck
 
i can be on smooth highway cruising 60-70, let off the steering wheel when its straight, and it will pull to the left
 
Daaaamn...I thought it was just my car...I guess all MS3s have a problem with pulling to the left.

I have this problem too...its more pronounced when I'm on the highway.

I had my car re-aligned and it still does it...

interesting...
 
I agree with bacarl.

Please post your actual alignment numbers, as it makes NO sense whatsoever that your car is behaving strangely if everything is truly to spec...
 
I recently started pulling to the left on medium acceleration on the highway. It never did that before. It's slightly better on winter tires. I took it in and did realignment and improved a little bit. Tech had trouble setting camber on the left tire and suspected damaged shock. I wouldn't be surprised if it's bent.

The ride is absolutely horrible, even on winter tires. Suffice to say, the shocks are getting replaced after snow season and replacing those flimsy rubber LCA bushings. I'll update if I come across this thread again.
 
I recently started pulling to the left on medium acceleration on the highway. It never did that before. It's slightly better on winter tires. I took it in and did realignment and improved a little bit. Tech had trouble setting camber on the left tire and suspected damaged shock. I wouldn't be surprised if it's bent.

The ride is absolutely horrible, even on winter tires. Suffice to say, the shocks are getting replaced after snow season and replacing those flimsy rubber LCA bushings. I'll update if I come across this thread again.

Yikes, how many miles?
 
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