GU Patrol won't drive a straight line

Are you running the standard GU steelies, the 16 x 8 beauties? If so, heard there is a problem with the rim and many a person is rotating, balancing, aligning without success.

From your pic, it looks like alloys so that blows that answer out of the water. How much lift in the truck and brand?

Andrew,

I had problems with my 80 Series a while back in that I couldn't get any one to get the wheel alinement correct. Took it to a number of plces in Sydney including some well known Brand Stores, paid for the alinement but it wasn't ok. When I spoke to them about it they said it was the best they could do due to the age.

I then had new shocks and springs fitted (as the old ones were shagged) and whilst the ride improved the handling was worse espically under braking. I only had a 25 mm lift done.

I eventually took it to a place in Fyshwick, ACT and they said that due to the age of my car I needed to have a castor kit installed as they couldn't do any more adjustment. They also informed me that the camber should have been done when the new shocks and springs had been done (I wasn't advised of this at the time by the installer). They didn't charge me for the work that they had tried to do and suggested a place in Queanbeyan to take it.

I took it to them and they fitted both castor and camber kits and it made a world of difference to the handling - like a new car. Unfortunately being ing WA (as I am now) it won't be any good reccommending the Queanbeyan mob; however, I would reccomend getting the castor done (and maybe the camber if your car has been lifted).

I would get it looked by a suspension specilaist here in Perth; however, as I am only new here I dont know who would be the best. Maybe someone else could reccommend someone.

4 wheel alignment? Not just the front axle, but all axles.
Wheel camber?
Irregular tyre pressures?

If you have a mate with the same car (or rims/tyres) or can get a hold of some, I'd suggest put those on and take a test drive. If it still does it, then it's your axles/alignment. If the problem goes, then it's the tyres or rims. Can narrow it down for you if you can find some other wheels to try.

You will notice it more on major sealed roads as they are cambered off to the left as apposed to flat surface like a carpark.

Another thought .... Do you have an after market steering equaliser or dampner? That could be worn causing it to push more on one side than the other. Or maybe it just needs adjustment.

Borrow some tires and rims off someone else. Put them on your car, and drive it, see if it fixes it. That will narrow it down.

Common problem when you chnage from original tyres on a GU, usually fixed by adding a spacer behind the chassis end of the front contol arm to move the diff forward on one side slightly.

I wont tell you how nissan deal with it with factory tyres, as there are to many here who wouldnt believe it.

You say it is more noticable on highway.

At the risk of oversimplifying it, could it be the camber on the road and nothing to do with the vehicle.

Find a quiet stretch of highway somewhere. Check that it pulls to the left and then try driving on the wrong side of the road and see of it pulls to the right. That's what mine does.

Could save you a heap of cash.

Duncs

Yeah our work GU had that very same problem! After a lady hit the front end with a camry at 70km/h and bent she chasis 30mm outa whack! LOL
sorry, I'm not much more help, other than wheel balance and alighnment I can't think of anything but a bent arm or similar.

Andrew, have a look at getting a camber kit from some of the better know specialists that look after trucks etc, about $350 but well worth the money as it will steer and drive true.
cheers
Shawn

Hi Andrew,

Sounds like your problem is a little more extreme than most but GU's are notoriously difficult to get a good wheel alignment on. We've had problems getting a decent alignment done with our GU despite taking it to several reputable dealers. I waited for an hour one day whilst our local tyre dealer that we deal with tried to get it right. They were using the latest equipment and in the end had 3 blokes working on it and took it for numerous drives but still couldn't get it spot on. Only one place have been able to give us a decent alignment and that's Giant Nissan in Osborne Park. I'd recommend giving them a call at least. FYI, we are running Cooper's AT 265/75's, standard suspension (except for recently installed coilrite air bags) and OEM steel rims.

:o) Melissa

The road cam does make a huge difference to the GU Patrol. So much so that I sit in the middle of the road on long straight sections when in the country. If you move to the right side of the road the GU wants to turn right and the opposite is the case for the left. On the dead centre of the road the car steers straight.
Apparantly Oz roads have different cams to US and European and this shape exaggerates the pull to the left forces.
One remedy is to run the right front tyre at a lower tyre pressure.

gday andrew.
unfortuanutly the nissans have a big problem with caster.
problem being the casters are set even(or close to it)and our roads with the camber will cause them to pull left.
ive done 2435703945 alignments on 4wds and most are always close to even.
lots of times just a matter of rotating tyres ect.
but lots of times a caster kit is needed.
camber and caster are set from the kit theres no seperate adjustments.
people would say all the time sure this is just a way to get $350 outa me.
the problem with most aligners is they dont tell you before they take your money about the problems and that camber/caster is not adjustable so if your cars pulls now it will probly still pull after the alignment all i can do is set your toe in to stop the tyres scrubbing.
$350ish might seem like a bit of money but the car will drive beautifull and most of all you wont have the steering box working all the time trying to keep the car going straight.ask nissan how much for a new steering box

Hope this isnt too dumb an answer, but if it isnt pulling and camber looks ok and tires not shredding/wearing , could it just be that they are not resetting the steering wheel during alignments. I say that because my GQ starts going like yours and I get an alignment but its the same so I always walk back in and mention and they say - sorry forgot you dont have airbags - take it back and 5 minutes later its fixed.
cheers

Mine does the same with those same tyres ( size exactly the same) . BUt with the standard wheels and tyres no problem. I have a two inch lift, and no other suspension mods. I would say try the standard wheels/tyres first. I have heard the blame layed at the way these tyres tread lays causing the vehicle to veer left. The only thing I could suggest without buggering about with suspension mods is to try changing wheels around, or changing pressures.

Reading through this thread I would like to add that I also have had a similar problem. I put new Coopers on my Patrol for its first tyre change at 60,000Km. Driving on most roads around Perth and Freeways the car was pulling to the left. I had to hold the steering wheel down right to correct it. After two weeks, I rang the tyre retailer and he said some Nissans have this problem, and was willing to swap them for new Bridgestones (he called them Jelly-Bellies). I wrote to Coopers in America and Nissan Australia about this problem asking if anybody else had complained. They acknowledged receiving my mail but no other reply.
Since, I have spoken to numerous other people and some will say that there is a problem with fitting non - highway style tyres.
I still don't know what to do about it, other than putting 'Jelly Bellies' back on. I need new tyres soon and will keep looking for answers. Rob Robson told me that fitting these eccentric bushes would make the vehicle weaker. Anybody had proof of that?