Wheel alignment

>>15359851
Your fuel economy and tire life will be worse but that's about it. If your car drifts "pretty hard", then a wheel alignment will definitely cost you less than gas and tires in the long run. In the really long run, like 15 years you might have some extra wear on the suspension parts because the forces are slightly misaligned

Of course begin with looking at the tires. If that's the problem, switch them up or buy new ones.

>>15359851
are you driving an s10/s10blazer?

>>15359891
And if the problem comes back with new tires, then you need an alignment anyways

>>15359893
2001 Nissan Pathfinder

You're not supposed to let go doofus. No car drives straight if you don't hold the wheel. The tires will follow the crown or grooves of the road regardless.
Hold your wheel dead center on a flat road. If it drastically pulls you have an alignment issue. If it slowly drifts over there's a chance your tires are unevenly worn or your caster is fucked. Any questions just ask lol

This could also be caused by a brake problem, OP. Check if brakes front and back on the left side is hanging.

>>15359996
I hear a noise possibly coming from brakes when I make a left or right hand turn (it varies)

And sometimes the noise persists when I'm just going straight. It's random. Do u think I need new brake pads?

>>15360016
Hard to tell without seeing a picture of your brakes. But basically, if you have a large rust edge, or rust stretching in across the braking surface of the discs, you need new discs. Pads should be changed if they are approaching 2mm thickness, or if they are really uneven.

As for the noises, it could be dirt trapped between pads and discs. It could be some rust on the discs. It could be a million things, really. Generally, unless the sound is loud and alarming, it's probably OK.

Go for a ride, make sure you use the brakes a lot to warm them up, and then lift your left wheels off the ground. If both spin freely, you don't have any hang and it should be okay. You can check condition of pads and discs at the same time.

File: happy magical girls.gif (1MB, 211x203px)

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>mfw just got my alignment done, balanced tires and replaced a bad bearing since I acquired this car, a year ago
>also got a brake cleaning and adjustment

Its so smooth now, I just love it.

>>15359851
If you drive on the left and everything is set right you will drift left slightly because of the roads slope, opposite if you drive on the right

>>15359851
Just get the alignment or do it yourself.

A string alignment job will get it pretty close and isn't too hard to do if you can get all 4 wheels off the ground.

A professional alignment on a laser rig will be perfect and shouldn't cost more than $50.

Also keep this >>15363555 in mind. Test it on flat surface if you can.