Have just replaced front Michelin Primacy HPs with Kumho KU31 97W and rear Dunlops with Kumhos too.

After fitting, I noticed the car did not track in a straight line but "drifted" to the right on acceleration and to the left on deceleration. Previously with the Michelins, it never drifted and was completely true under acceleration and braking.

The drifting is most noticeable when on cruise control - with the power constantly adjusting to maintain the set speed, it will drift left or right depending if accelerating or decelerating. I can replicate this drift by manually adjusting the set speed up or down.

I originally thought the tyres needed some "bedding in" but after 2 weeks and 1,000 miles, it's no different.

I decided to have the vehicle wheel alignment checked - here are the results of the Hunter 4-wheel alignment check:



There has been no difference since the alignment was adjusted so I am returning to the garage to see what else can be done to resolve this issue. As you can see from above, the left-front camber was originally green but now red - they couldn't adjust any further to get it back within tolerance.

Does anyone else have any experience of changes to vehicle tracking after a tyre change? I'm wondering if the Kumho's just don't work well with my vehicle and I should switch back to the more expensive Michelins.

I opted for the Kumhos based upon various user reviews which were very positive - cost (£78 per corner), noise, rim protection all good. I agree that they are quieter but they have slighly less rim protection than the Michelins (have scraped one of my alloys since fitting) and I'm finding a drop in fuel economy of approx 3-4mpg. This reduced fuel economy in itself will cost me more in the long-term over the more expensive Michelins (£130 per corner) so I'm considering switching back just for this. However, the main issue is the drifting which is making driving far less pleasurable and more tiring.

Has anyone else has issues with tyre changes?
Should I get the rears swapped to the front to see if the drift is still present?
Would new tyres possibly be highlighting suspension wear which was previously "masked" by the old tyres?

My vehicle has covered 109,000 miles but is in pretty tip-top condition. The only issue from the previous MOT is an advisory regarding wear to the front suspension arm bushes (causing the dreaded creaking over speed-humps). Will probably need replacing in about 12 months.

Any advice would be most appreciated......

Cheers,

-Mikee-