Ok so I know that MINI says that are cars do not need an alignment but, I am having my wheels powdercoated and I put my stock wheels back on and now the alignment is off. So when I put my OZs back on I am going to have the place that is doing it do an alignment. It is Tires Plus here in Jakcsonville, Florida. As anyone had an alignment done a place other then the stealership?

 

There isn't much adjustment in the MINI so most places can do the alignment no problem. Just don't have them put all the weight in it like MINI says, cause that is not how you drive your car around normally.

 

Cool thanks Way! I just noticed some pull to the right when the stickers went back on. I think it is because they need to be rebalanced but, I am not sure they only need to last me a couple of days.

 

Not to be rude, but if the only thing you changed is the wheel/tire package, why would you suspect alignment problems? Tires/wheels don't change the alignment of the vehicle. Neither does balancing.

What is the actual symptom you are experiencing? Drift? Pull? Crabwalk? Steering wheel off center? All are unique.

If the change you made was limited to tire/wheels, you're probably looking at tire conicity or plysteer in one of your sets.

 

Yeah I agree with above, switching tires/wheels won't throw off your alignment. You say it pulls right now? Swap the front wheels side to side and see if it changes. If it pulls left, you need 2 new tires.

And balancing tires only cures vibrations.

 

I have an e30 and an R56 too.

Fortunately the OP has unknowingly done a great deal of the diagnosis of an alignment problem by already isolating the condition to the tires.

It sounds like I'm playing semantics, but here is why e30R56's statement is not 100% complete without further investigation by the OP or a good alignment tech.

He has isolated the problem to tires, but not WHICH SET. One may initially assume that he's been running without a pull on his primary aftermarket wheels and tires, and the stock set pulled, so therefore the stock tires are the bad set. HOWEVER, that may not be the case. If the OP got an alignment while on the aftermarket tires by a good tech who drove the car before and after (not just got the numbers in the "green" as so many do), the tech may have used the alignment to compensate for a tire issue so that the customer's car would drive straight. (But one would also expect a good tech to tell the customer he did such a thing). If that were the case, the aftermarket tires may be the problem, and the car's alignment was used to compensate, so when the stock tires go back on the car pulls.

Admittedly, the above-described situation is not that likely, but can't be ruled out without more info.

What size and brand are your aftermarket and stock tires? Low profile performance tire are more sensitive to alignment issues as a generality, and certain brands of tires are absolutely more or less likely to have manufacturing issues.

Q: How do you solve tire-induced pull issues? A: Put on a set of Michelins.

If swapping tires left to right changes the direction of the pull, that's tire conicity.
If swapping tires L to R doesn't change the direction of the pull, that's plysteer. (Assuming good alignment)

So the OP needs to be sure his alignment is OK somehow, whether it's taking it to a shop with a good tech, or just blindly trusting that the alignment currently on the car is good... Guess which one I prefer...

 

I have the same problem also. I changed my brakes earlier this month [pads+rotors] after i put my wheels back on it was pulling to the right also. I thought it was alignment too, but after I thought about it. It didn't seem right. I think I'm gonna try what e30r56 said and swap the wheels so I can see if it is the wheel/tires.

 

Ok so I took the stock 17 in Crown spokes with Pirelli RFs 205/45/r17s and put them back onto my MINI. It has been a couple of months since I drove on them. The minute I put them back on it started pulling to the right and bad. It was a struggle to keep it going straight. They have been rebalanced and it still was giving me problems. The tires are probably just done and need to go cause they are 3 to 4 years old. I have Oz Alleggerittas with BFgoodrich T/A KDW 2s 205/45/r17. Never had an issue with these. Since I have taken the stockers off and had 2 sets of wheels with 2 sets of different tires I have never had an alignment done. When it started pulling I just went ahead and had it done because I didn't want to leave the shop and find out it was still messed up and then have to find the time to go back and have it taken care of. It is a damned if ou do damned if don't kind of situation.

 

#1. Minis DO need alignments. Stiff suspension cars tend to knock alignments out.

#2 If you have directional tires, be sure they are all running in the correct direction. This can make the car drift and pull in one direction.

 

Re-read above comments - wheel balancing has NOTHING to do with a vehicle pulling
All cars should have alignment checked regularly.
So you've had an alignment done since this thread began? Did they give you a printout showing your before and after specs? Scan and post that and we can tell you what is going on with your car.

All car need alignments. And, huh?
Not really.
Directional tread patterns are useful for evacuating water. Anything else is marketing. The directional nature of the tread pattern is not what generates lateral forces. Tire manufacturers in the US build in a certain (small) amount of lateral force into their tires to compensate for road crown in most of our roads. As I mentioned before with plysteer (a manufacturing defect), this will not change direction as you swap the tire side to side, and would likely not cause what the OP descirbed and a severe pull.

 

The whole point of this thread was to find out if I could take it anywhere or should I got to the stealership.

 

Sorry, I read the second line to mean you had had "it" (an alignment) done since the point that you started this thread. Perhaps "it" refers to the wheel balancing?

Either way, I suggest an alignment.

Take it to a place that knows what they're doing. Lots of guys performing "alignments" are just turning wrenches until the little arrow on the computer screen tells them they are within the allowable window of tolerance, without really understanding how the adjustments they're making affect the vehicle or its driving dynamics. With these types of alignments it is totally possible to have a vehicle that is "in spec" but drives poorly. A good alignment involves a knowledgeable tech who drives the car and understands what it is doing on the road, measures and understands the vehicle condition on the alignment equipment, adjusts accordingly to produce a vehicle that will drive well, and then confirms with a post adjustment drive evaluation. Also note that it's not all about the equipment either - a good alignment guy and his experience and knowledge is worth more than the latest and greatest and most expensive peice of machinery.

In my experience your chances of finding a good alignment guy, in decreasing order:

*Independant shop
*Dealership
*Tire shop

Go into the shop, talk to the guys and get a feel for if they are willing to talk to you, maybe let you into the shop while your car is up on the rack, explain to you what your car's current condition is and how it is affecting the way it drives, and what they'll do about it. That's the type of shop you want to give your money to. IMO

 

Ya I took it to a tire shop but it was already there. So it has been aligned since I started this thread.

 

So you HAVE had an alignment done. You are doing a seriously good job of confusing me, lol. I'll admit it's not always that hard, though.

Did they give you a print out showing before and after specs? I'd be interested to see it if you still have it.

 

No I didn't even think to ask. You are doing a good job of confusing yourself. I asked if it would be ok to take it to this shop for an alignment and not the stealership. I had my aftermarket wheels powdercoated and put my stock wheels back on. When I put the stock wheels back on the alignment went to **** it started pulling and was down right being a pain in the *** to drive. I went back to the shop that took my tires off my aftermarket wheels and had them remount the tires on to my aftermarket wheels and had an alignment done because I was there and didn't feel like leaving and finding out it need one and having to find the time to go back up and do it. It was a damned if I do (cost and time, might have been a waste) or damned if I don't (might have needed it and I would have had to go back). Also they arent going to test it because by that point you might as well have it done.