Questions and Answers

Nissan Micra Has A Steering Pull Q. Dear Mr. Cuilla, I have a curious problem I can't pin down and I would be grateful for any suggestions. I have a 1987 Nissan Micra L 4-speed manual transmission. The problem started when I put my spare wheel on, with new tyre. My car had a distinct, but not strong, pull to the left. Convinced that it was a dragging front brake I spent sometime on all the brakes with no improvement.

Then I swapped the two front wheels and now it pulls to the right. The thing I can't understand is that I've had the wheels in all different places so, I thought, eliminating any particular wheel as a cause, including the spare. So why should swapping the front wheels affect anything at all?

I have a clicking on sharp right turns at the front but I've had that for a long time now without it getting worse or seeming to affect anything. The tread depth on all the tyres is the same and the pressure equal. I can't see it, but could something be wrong with the new tyre on the spare which is, somehow, throwing the steering out no matter where I put it.

Yours, puzzled,
Kevin

A. With the pulling starting when you put the spare tire on, it is a pretty good bet that the tire has a defect, probaly a slipped belt inside. This is confirmed when you swap the tires left to right.

However, if you put that tire on the rear, it shouldn't cause a pull in the front. However, I have seen stranger things. Now if there is more than one bad tire, and one was on the front, you would still have a problem.