Car pulling to the right
My 2005 Kia Cerato is pulling badly to the right. I took it for a wheel alignment yesterday and its come back no better. I rang the tyre shop and they say its nothing to do with them, its because my tyres are low on tread. I dont believe this can anyone confirm if this is possible or what else the problem might be.Thanks
13 Answers
migration_judge_roy answered 11 years ago
Yes, sticking caliper and dragging brake.
migration_judge_roy answered 11 years ago
You have to see the top of lincoln's head (3/32") when you jam a penny into the tread. There are "wear bars" that will appear. For safety's sake GET SOME NEW TIRES. they will be able to tell if a caliper is sticking then too-
Thanks Bob. The tyres are still legal...just.. but will need replacing in the next few months si dont think this is the problem.
There is also some vibration on the steering wheel at all speeds
migration_judge_roy answered 11 years ago
out of balance wheel. You must have a dynamic test done, worse yet could be a bad bearing. Lift up that wheel, and see if it push-pull any amount, also giggle-E-giggle to see if there's ANY play-
migration_judge_roy answered 11 years ago
bad wheel bearings are not the end of the universe.
migration_judge_roy answered 11 years ago
How many miles do you have on this buggy? over 100,000--how are the axle boots, leaking grease yet?
migration_judge_roy answered 11 years ago
while you are on your knees pushin and pullin the wheel with the body off the ground you could peer at those axles. a seizing joint would produce these symptoms as well.
Cheers Bob will have a look at that. Vehicle has 100,000km on the clock but no leaking grease yet. Had a full service and check done 3 weeks ago and no problems.
gitonwitit answered 11 years ago
Take the front tires and switch them side to side. It's called a Radial Pull. Most of the time this will take the pull out, but there is a small chance it will go the other way, and it may pull the same way. If you switch them and it still pulls the same way, take the tire off whichever side it's pulling to, dismount it from the rim, flip it over, remount it, and balance it. I would get into the technical aspects of this, but I don't have enough time or gumption to explain it all. With all that said, yes it could be a sticking caliper, but it's probably not. If the caliper is sticking bad enough for you to be getting a pull from it, you should be noticing the smell of hot brakes, and at worst case losing pedal, because of boiling brake fluid. Trust me on this one, and try what i suggested before anything else. I own an alignment shop, and see this problem on a daily basis. The shop you took it to should've taken the car for a test drive before, and after the alignment to see if your problem was corrected. It's possible that you have a Caster angle issue, but i doubt it.
Matt122281 answered 11 years ago
This guy above me prob what I would say
Thanks everyone for your advice its all very much appreciated. Special thanks to gitonwitit for your detailed explanation I will try your tip tonight and hopefully solve the problem. Cheers