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Old 07-10-2017, 01:44 PM   #1
SacKing23
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Default Help. Brand new 18 STI – pulls to the right under acceleration

Hello! I just picked up my 18 STI yesterday. And I love it. Except one thing… The car seems to pull towards the right under acceleration. Doesn’t really matter the speed or road type. And it only happens while accelerating. The car/wheel will stay completely straight under braking or when cruising off the gas. But anytime the accelerator is applied, the car pulls to the right.

Please advise. Thanks in advance!
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Old 07-10-2017, 01:48 PM   #2
bmxhotsauce
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SacKing23 View Post
Hello! I just picked up my 18 STI yesterday. And I love it. Except one thing… The car seems to pull towards the right under acceleration. Doesn’t really matter the speed or road type. And it only happens while accelerating. The car/wheel will stay completely straight under braking or when cruising off the gas. But anytime the accelerator is applied, the car pulls to the right.

Please advise. Thanks in advance!
you have a brand new car!! take it back to the dealership to fix it.
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Old 07-10-2017, 02:13 PM   #3
Charlie-III
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Originally Posted by bmxhotsauce View Post
you have a brand new car!! take it back to the dealership to fix it.
After checking tire pressures.
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Old 07-10-2017, 03:18 PM   #4
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Presuming this is still the same issue, ie; the factory hasn't changed anything:

Torque steer like this would occur due to the factory alignment settings. The Dealer will align to the Factory specs.

Once you verify your tire pressures are correct, you may want to find a reputable alignment shop in your area and have the alignment checked and reset.

Typical good alignment specs would be:
-1* camber
0* toe
maxout positive castor
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Old 07-10-2017, 03:47 PM   #5
rtv900
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mine pulls like hell when the tire pressure on a front wheel gets low, and it doesn't even need to be enough to trip the dash light.
But it pulls all the time, not just acceleration
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Old 07-10-2017, 04:30 PM   #6
SacKing23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Samurai Jack View Post
Presuming this is still the same issue, ie; the factory hasn't changed anything:

Torque steer like this would occur due to the factory alignment settings. The Dealer will align to the Factory specs.

Once you verify your tire pressures are correct, you may want to find a reputable alignment shop in your area and have the alignment checked and reset.

Typical good alignment specs would be:
-1* camber
0* toe
maxout positive castor
Quote:
Originally Posted by rtv900 View Post
mine pulls like hell when the tire pressure on a front wheel gets low, and it doesn't even need to be enough to trip the dash light.
But it pulls all the time, not just acceleration
Thanks for all the replies. Would the car not pull during coasting and breaking (vs only when accelerating), if it was a pressure or alignment issue?
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Old 07-10-2017, 05:12 PM   #7
MedicDG
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SacKing23 View Post
Hello! I just picked up my 18 STI yesterday. And I love it. Except one thing… The car seems to pull towards the right under acceleration. Doesn’t really matter the speed or road type. And it only happens while accelerating. The car/wheel will stay completely straight under braking or when cruising off the gas. But anytime the accelerator is applied, the car pulls to the right.



Please advise. Thanks in advance!


Yes check tire pressure for sure! I run 38psi cold in all wheels.

But it's not tire pressure sounds like a alignment problem. Consider a good alignment shop that can make sure your camber is equal side to side and zero toe in all wheels.
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Old 07-10-2017, 07:27 PM   #8
PERRIN_Thomas
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If the Tire pressure is good, then the belts in the a tire are bad and you need a new tire.
One way to test this is to rotate the tire to the back to see if it goes away,
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Old 07-10-2017, 10:00 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SacKing23 View Post
Thanks for all the replies. Would the car not pull during coasting and breaking (vs only when accelerating), if it was a pressure or alignment issue?
It generally would not pull during coasting but remember that, depending on where you live, most roads are crowned so it could pull either way depending on which side of the road you are on.

Presuming nothing was wrong with the brakes, then it should not pull under braking
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Old 08-09-2017, 08:38 AM   #10
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Mine did this when the tire pressure was off even after the dealer assured me they checked it. If thats not it then your tires are probably bad. Someone on youtube with an 18 STI had their tires replaced for this issue.
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Old 08-09-2017, 01:51 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by JJay03 View Post
Mine did this when the tire pressure was off even after the dealer assured me they checked it. If thats not it then your tires are probably bad. Someone on youtube with an 18 STI had their tires replaced for this issue.
Yep, there are a set of defective tires going around on the early models. You'll know if you move the tire and the problem moves with it. They can check the serial # and determine if it was made in week 13 I think?
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Old 08-09-2017, 02:08 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SacKing23 View Post
Thanks for all the replies. Would the car not pull during coasting and breaking (vs only when accelerating), if it was a pressure or alignment issue?
I doubt it.
I know mine pulls 100% of the time if there's a pressure issue.
I just had it for 10 days in a row from a leaky stem so every day the light would come on when I left work, but it would pull non stop.

If yours is just under acceleration it's probably something else.
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Old 08-09-2017, 02:24 PM   #13
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Mine pulled only under light acceleration with low pressure in one of the front tires. Is was not really that low though maybe 8-10lbs or so and did not trigger the tpms light.

Last edited by JJay03; 08-09-2017 at 02:33 PM.
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Old 08-10-2017, 11:32 AM   #14
BeantownWRX18
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You're not alone. My 18' STI was one of the early ones to hit New England and I have this same problem. Checked tire pressure and it's all good. Taking it back to dealer
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Old 08-10-2017, 10:03 PM   #15
sterling8080
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Might be week 13 production tires. If so, your dealer will replace them.

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Old 08-10-2017, 10:57 PM   #16
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Lift more weights with your left arm only - this will even it out.
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Old 08-10-2017, 11:24 PM   #17
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Lift more weights with your left arm only - this will even it out.
I'm dying!
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Old 11-13-2017, 06:33 PM   #18
Prowizard
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Angry pulling

Just picked up my 2018 sti and mine is pulling to the left only when accelerating not flooring it just cruising but on the throttle. as soon as i just coast down a hill though it is straight as an arrow. i went to the dealer they did an alignment but it is still happening. Frustrated
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Old 11-14-2017, 09:06 AM   #19
Samurai Jack
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Then take it back and tell them they didn't fix the problem.

That's what any reasonable person would with any shop.

Tell them to keep the car until they fix it properly and to give you a free loaner. After all, it's under a new car warranty.
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Old 11-17-2017, 06:56 AM   #20
IanManger
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Default Same issue

I picked up my 2018 STi in early October and had the same issue. This will be long, but I want to share my full experience in detail to hopefully save other people time and energy of making multiple trips to the dealership. My car pulls to the left when under even the slightest bit of acceleration. Driving on the interstate I also notice the steering wheel is off center. I am turning the wheel about 5-10 degrees to the right to keep the car driving straight. I am sure some of this is caused by the crowing of the road, but I am always having to pull the steering wheel to the right. I can never just relax my arms and cruise on the high way I have to always be "driving" the car.

Took the car to the dealership 4 times.

1st visit to dealership - they double checked the alignment and it was out slightly but not a lot. The issue was still present.

2nd visit to dealership - This time the service manager went on a test drive with me. He also verified that he felt the issue (now I know I was not being paranoid). They swapped the two front wheels. The issue was still there but reversed this time. This means that the issue should be in the tire. They ordered two brand new yokohamas.

3rd visit to dealership - Replaced the two tires with the new ones they ordered. The issue is still there pulling right still. They ordered another two Yokohamas to replace all four tires now.

4th visit to dealership - Replaced rear two tires with new. The car now has all new tires. The issue has moved back to the left and feels almost exactly the way it did in the beginning.

The dealership has told me they don't know what else could be causing the issue and they have done everything that they can under warranty to address the issue. I don't know if this is just the nature of the car or if these Yokohama tires are just complete crap. When I buy a 40k high performance car, I expect it to have precise steering. I am planning to buy some winter wheels and tires here soon and I will then see how the car drives after that. If this fixes the issue then I know that these tires are junk.

That is my experience and I hope this helps anyone who is also having this issue. I love everything else about the car and am still very happy with my purchase, I just wish I didn't have to make so many trips to the dealership after buying a brand new car.
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Old 11-17-2017, 08:11 AM   #21
rtv900
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is anything different suspension wise on the 18's?
That must be it because my 16 tracks dead nuts.
They were using Dunlop I believe for the stock tires in 16. Sportmaxxx I think they are.
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Old 11-17-2017, 10:23 AM   #22
Cliff000
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IanManger View Post
I picked up my 2018 STi in early October and had the same issue. This will be long, but I want to share my full experience in detail to hopefully save other people time and energy of making multiple trips to the dealership. My car pulls to the left when under even the slightest bit of acceleration. Driving on the interstate I also notice the steering wheel is off center. I am turning the wheel about 5-10 degrees to the right to keep the car driving straight. I am sure some of this is caused by the crowing of the road, but I am always having to pull the steering wheel to the right. I can never just relax my arms and cruise on the high way I have to always be "driving" the car.

Took the car to the dealership 4 times.

1st visit to dealership - they double checked the alignment and it was out slightly but not a lot. The issue was still present.

2nd visit to dealership - This time the service manager went on a test drive with me. He also verified that he felt the issue (now I know I was not being paranoid). They swapped the two front wheels. The issue was still there but reversed this time. This means that the issue should be in the tire. They ordered two brand new yokohamas.

3rd visit to dealership - Replaced the two tires with the new ones they ordered. The issue is still there pulling right still. They ordered another two Yokohamas to replace all four tires now.

4th visit to dealership - Replaced rear two tires with new. The car now has all new tires. The issue has moved back to the left and feels almost exactly the way it did in the beginning.

The dealership has told me they don't know what else could be causing the issue and they have done everything that they can under warranty to address the issue. I don't know if this is just the nature of the car or if these Yokohama tires are just complete crap. When I buy a 40k high performance car, I expect it to have precise steering. I am planning to buy some winter wheels and tires here soon and I will then see how the car drives after that. If this fixes the issue then I know that these tires are junk.

That is my experience and I hope this helps anyone who is also having this issue. I love everything else about the car and am still very happy with my purchase, I just wish I didn't have to make so many trips to the dealership after buying a brand new car.
Thanks for sharing!

Here is my current situation.

I am currently dealing with the same issues. I have 1k miles on it. It was pulling to the left, off centered steering wheel, pulled while accelerating, and had to hold the wheel to correct the pull the entire time so i took it in. They had the car for 3 weeks. I picked it up on the 16th of nov. The alignment was off and they found a bent rear upper control arm from factory. After that, it still pulled. They did road force testing and found the left front tire to be bad. They replaced it and said it was all fixed. As soon as i left i could feel it on the RH side this time. It now pulls heavily right when accelerating but stays completely straight when braking or coasting. But I have noticed if I set the diff to manual rear the pull is less noticeable but still present. Tire pressure is set to the recommended psi as well. I made an appointment for the 21st to get it inspected at another dealership. I am thinking the ****y tires are to blame? I'll be sure to post back when ever they figure it out! I am also going to try winter tires as well!
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Old 11-17-2017, 01:45 PM   #23
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Originally Posted by IanManger View Post
2nd visit to dealership - ... They swapped the two front wheels. The issue was still there but reversed this time. This means that the issue should be in the tire. They ordered two brand new yokohamas.

3rd visit to dealership - Replaced the two tires with the new ones they ordered.
At this point I would suspect a problem with the wheel.

Quote:
Originally Posted by IanManger View Post
I just wish I didn't have to make so many trips to the dealership after buying a brand new car.
Think of it as the "Audi Experience" at a lower price ....
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Old 11-26-2017, 04:35 AM   #24
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I just purchased a 18 STi as well and am having the exact same issue where the car pulls pretty hard to the right under acceleration. So much so where the car feels unpredictable and unstable in turns if you let off the gas.

The odd thing is I test drove another car a couple weeks back at a different dealership and it did the exact same thing! Thinking it was related to that specific car only I didn't even test drive mine before purchasing it...

Has this been confirmed to be the tires??? Going to have to call the dealer Monday and see what they say...
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Old 11-29-2017, 03:10 PM   #25
some dude
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Would too much gear backlash in one of the wheels cause any pulling symptoms?
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