Tracking

Wig

Just a bit of interesting info.

As you may remember had the tracking done a week or 2 ago with two new /almost new tyres on the front, same brand and model aswell.

The car was going pretty darned straight afterwards and I was a satisfied driver.

However one of the tyres did have a slow puncture, I only put it on for the tracking to be done, afterwards I changed it for my worn spare which has 2mm of tread, until I could get the puncture repaired. The worn tyre went on the driverside front

Immediately the car was pulling to the left and I had to hold some ten degrees or so of right hand down to keep the car straight.

I was a bit concerned that the action of jacking the car up might have upset the tracking or the suspension and this is what caused or partly caused such a change in the tracking. I could acknowledge that having a worn tyre on one side would have an effect but not such a big effect.

Anyway, I fixed the puncture and swapped the wheels over again...result....Perfectly straight driving again. I find that quite interesting that 6mm of tread difference can have such an effect. And that the less tread on the driver side causes a vere to the left.

One day I might change the passenger side with the spare and see if I get a vere to the right.

And maybe even experiment with the rears aswell.

EDIT: See post #8 for the answer why it happened

:beer:

Notmyrealname

Are you sure it wasn't the camber of the road pulling the car to the left? On most roads other than motorways I find myself having to steer slightly right in a variety of vehicles.

Wig

No because it immediatly started doing it on all roads everywhere, it was a permanent pull to the left, and I just swapped the wheels over tonight and it is now fixed again.

scheming_gypsy

The spare might not have been balanced properly.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

lateral force at play?

i had a puncture in my rear drivers, wich was almost on legal limit and due to go as a spare wheel but have now had to change it over today, all my other tyres are like new, bar that one on the drivers rear, i had a pull to the right (eventhough balancing and tracking spot on) with the tyre inflated as normal, defalted by alsmost half the car tugged like hell to the right, when all changed over pull gone and car drives straight. i put it down to lateral force and weight exchange only explanation i can think of.

laurence_p

i bought a cavalier froim ebay 3 yrs ago with no mot , it drove terrible as in the steering wheel wasnt straight and the car was pulling to one side . took it for an mot and it failed on 1 tyre being out of shape. changed the wheels and tyres for some alloys that i had and it drove like a completely different car. so it can be a case of having a slightly out of shape tyre.

colino

Other than just an exageration of the tracking with a different tyre, you might have experienced one of those freaky faults. Some BMWs for example had to be recalled when, after being jacked up, the strut top mounting became displaced.

Wig

I solved the reason, as I was driving with poor tracking for so long my tyres were wearing on the inside edges, after looking at this spare tyre just now it is worn but not illegal on the inside edge.

The worn edge must have been the cause for throwing the car to the left.