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Car - Tracking Question

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Bubbs
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Joined: 28 May 2009
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PostPosted: 07:54 - 04 Oct 2012    Post subject: Car - Tracking Question Reply with quote
I paid for a new set of front tyres and my car tracking to be sorted t'other day by a trusted tyre specialist and I notice that in order for the car to drive in a straight line the steering wheel is turned to the right ever so slightly. The car also pulls ever so slightly to the left if I drive without holding onto the steering wheel.

Does anyone know what I have to do to remedy this? It's no major issue, it just annoys me.

Has this trusted tyre specialist done a good enough job?
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Fisty
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PostPosted: 08:06 - 04 Oct 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
If you unhappy take it back, it has been tracked without centering the steering wheel first. It wont do any harm, just annoying.
Mines like it but I tracked it myself and Im too lazy to redo it.
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yen_powell
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PostPosted: 08:18 - 04 Oct 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
If your tracking is spot on and the road has a camber to the left (as most do) I would expect the car to very gently prefer to pull left with no input. Try the same thing on a straight road where the cross fall is to the right and see if it drives straight or to the right.
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Bubbs
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PostPosted: 09:32 - 04 Oct 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
yen_powell wrote:
If your tracking is spot on and the road has a camber to the left (as most do) I would expect the car to very gently prefer to pull left with no input. Try the same thing on a straight road where the cross fall is to the right and see if it drives straight or to the right.


Yes this does happen both ways. Ok cool so the tracking has been done right.. I thought it had to be honest. How do I centre the steering wheel?
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D O G
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Joined: 18 Dec 2006
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PostPosted: 12:27 - 04 Oct 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have this problem, KwickFit did it on Sunday, I'll be taking it back this weekend when I get the chance.
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arry
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PostPosted: 12:34 - 04 Oct 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Bubbs wrote:

Yes this does happen both ways. Ok cool so the tracking has been done right.. I thought it had to be honest. How do I centre the steering wheel?


by re-tracking it. They wind a little off one side track rod end and put a little more on the opposite side.
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StevRS
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Joined: 25 Jun 2009
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PostPosted: 15:10 - 04 Oct 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Pulling slightly to one side when under load in a FWD car is normal as usually the driveshafts are different lengths. In a RWD car pulling to the side under load means something's wrong.
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Walloper
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PostPosted: 15:36 - 04 Oct 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
arry wrote:
Bubbs wrote:

Yes this does happen both ways. Ok cool so the tracking has been done right.. I thought it had to be honest. How do I centre the steering wheel?


by re-tracking it. They wind a little off one side track rod end and put a little more on the opposite side.



By centering the rack to the pinion.
'Tracking' is not simply 'centralising'. It involves a but more science than that.
But what you can do, as suggested, is 'centralize' the rack by twiddling the track-rod-ends (TRE). This involves removing the taper from the track control arms on each side (which may need a special tool). Loosen the lock nuts on each of the TRE and adjust the position of 'centre' by turning each TRE in or out.
So... if you turn the right out one turn you must turn the left in one turn etc. If you turn both out (or both in) it will adjust the 'tracking' and not the position of 'centre'.

Tyre pressure is critical for proper 'self-centering' of a vehicle.
Originally a steering system self-centred by putting the vertical centre line of the wheel slightly behind the axle. So the wheel, in effect, is dragged behind the axle and follows the axle so to speak.
Modern vehicles use King Pin Inclination to do this and the point of contact with the road is just behind the axle.

If tyre pressures are not equal it will affect the action of self-centering as one wheel will be effectively smaller than the other which throws the angle of dangle out.

Steering centres are limited on what they can do for steering. If it don't show up on the machine then the bod don't know there is anything wrong. A lot of the guys who work in these places are NOT mechanics. Being able to operate a wheel balancer and an alignment gauge doesn't make one a mechanic.
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Matt-
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Joined: 19 Jul 2012
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PostPosted: 15:41 - 04 Oct 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Take it back, when ever fitting new tyres they should track it up correctly.

Of course you must allow a little movement when your driving but it should hardly be noticeable, if they have tracked it and haven't road tested your car that would explain the issue.

Matty
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Walloper
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PostPosted: 15:48 - 04 Oct 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Matty King wrote:
Take it back, when ever fitting new tyres they should track it up correctly.

Of course you must allow a little movement when your driving but it should hardly be noticeable, if they have tracked it and haven't road tested your car that would explain the issue.

Matty


Pish.

They will only do wot you pay them to do.

Tracking is NOT the tyre fitters job. He should advise of evidence of misalignment (by the wear pattern/s) and he may be able to adjust but it is 'on top of tyre and balance'.

The tracking should have sorted the out of line-ness and they should have ensured the rack was central to the pinion 'as part of the alignment service'. If that is wot you mean.
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Old Thread Alert!

The last post was made 13 years, 120 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful?
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