When your vehicle pulls to one side, you may think you have an alignment problem. While poor alignment could cause this issue, radial pull (also known as tyre conicity) might also be to blame. What is a radial pull and how does it affect tyre safety? Here’s what you need to know.
What is Tyre Conicity?
The radial belts inside your tyre are aligned during the manufacturing process. If these belts are situated further to one side than they are another, it will not be possible to inflate your tyre evenly. The side with less belting will protrude more, causing your tyre to form a cone shape.
When a cone is rolled, it moves in a circle toward its point. As such, your new cone-shaped tyre will gravitate toward the point, causing you to notice a “pull” toward one side or the other.
Diagnosing Tyre Conicity
To determine whether your tyre has radial pull, you will first need to determine which side your car is pulling to. Next, take the front tyre from that side and swap it with the front passenger tyre. You may now notice that your car pulls toward the opposite side. If so, this is a fairly good indicator you are affected by radial pull. If you move the offending tyre to the rear and movement to the left or right virtually disappears, this practically guarantees you are affected by conicity.
Dealing with Conicity
There is no fix for tyre conicity. If you are affected, you must replace the damaged tyre; otherwise, you will continue to notice steering issues. Many manufacturers will replace “radial pull” tyres, but only if they have at least 75% of their wear remaining. Regular alignments and tyre rotations can help you diagnose this problem early so that your odds of obtaining a replacement is greater. To schedule an appointment, please contact us.
