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Thread: flat tire and body twisting

  1. #1
    Idling - Listen to it purr...
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    flat tire and body twisting

    I had a flat running around 70 mph due to a metal screw.
    Anyway the Miata starts feeling real loose so I pull over and check it out then proceed to put the donut spare on.
    After getting another tire I have noticed upon acceleration that the body seems to be twisting. Also i run 70 - 80 mph as most of my commute is on interstate.
    Never noticed it before and I wander if an alignment would fix this.
    Any idea's or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

  2. #2
    Admin / Pit Boss / Miataholic Phatmiata's Avatar
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    when was the last time you had an alignment, and did they balance your new tire ?

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    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! DarylSibcy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Smitty View Post
    I had a flat running around 70 mph due to a metal screw.
    Anyway the Miata starts feeling real loose so I pull over and check it out then proceed to put the donut spare on.
    After getting another tire I have noticed upon acceleration that the body seems to be twisting. Also i run 70 - 80 mph as most of my commute is on interstate.
    Never noticed it before and I wander if an alignment would fix this.
    Any idea's or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
    Twisting?? As in pulling to one side when you let go of the steering wheel?

    Randy makes a good point about a wheel alignment and balancing the tyre. I suppose it could depend on whether the other tyres are balanced too??

    For reference, I tend to get an alignment almost every year at some stage, the roads where I live are trash and throw the suspension out easily.
    You want a good car. I want a good miata.

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    Idling - Listen to it purr...
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    They did balance the new tire. I have only had the Miata 2 months and not sure when the last alignment was done.
    I didn't notice this pulling until after the flat.
    It's like the car raises up and left under acceleration and back down and right when i let off the gas...I checked the suspension and it seems to compress and rebound fine so I don't think it's worn out yet.
    Gonna try to get an alignment done this week and see if that helps.
    She's a 1999 with 117k miles and a blast to drive.
    Thanks for the response.

  5. #5
    2,000 rpm - light wheelspin, no bog here! DarylSibcy's Avatar
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    The suspension shouldn’t have anything to do with it if all they’ve done is change a tyre...

    An alignment sounds top priority, especially if you have no record of when it was last done. Sounds like me and my timing belt when I bought mine.

    It could be the old tyres have uneven wear on them which has only been pointed out by the new tyre. I’m only speculating though - no facts
    You want a good car. I want a good miata.

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    Was the new tire put on the rear? Make sure it is exactly the same size as the tire on the other side. One time when I bought 4 new tires the tire shop put the wrong size tire on the right-rear and that made the car pull to side like you described.

  7. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Martin For This Useful Post:

    DarylSibcy (09-12-2018),HarryB (09-12-2018)

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