Hit curb, car pulling to left

[ishaqmir]

Hi everyone

Didnt see a curb sticking out because of the damn snow piled up over it and hit it straight on with left wheel. Tyre ripped from side wall. Got it replaced with new budget tyre.

Car is pulling to the left slightly if i let go of the steering wheel. If i hold the steering wheel straight, the car drives straight. Its only when i let go of the steering.

Went to mechanic, he put it on the ramp and said there was no damage and that i should get tracking fixed.

Went to kwik fit this morning and they said tracking was well out, by 12 or more. He said it was off the scale and tried to fix it but couldnt guarantee it would stop the pulling.

Took it for test drive and its still pulling, by the same amount regardless of speed (30-70mph). I have noticed on a very few roads it doesnt pull at all.
Am i just being paranoid about the pulling? Maybe it was always there?

Mechanic said front discs and pads need changing, and rear pads. Will get this done today. Can this contribute to problem?

Thanks


Ishaq

[markm]

tracking for one, if thats been done and it still pulls swap over the tyres if they are different tread patterns they will act differently on the road,

Swapping them from left to right will show if its the tyres

[rjw]

roads are built to camber to the left, so as rain water flows to the side not down the middle, therefore there will always be a slight pull to the left, just depends how bad it is?

[John LE]

Are you sure it wasn't doing it before you hit the kerb and you've only noticed now?

First thing to do would be to get the tracking checked as if you check it and it's ok, it shouldn't cost you anything.

You may have bent the steering arm or worse the wish bone but a garage doing the tracking should notice that. The new tyre may be an issue but i've found that having two different tyres with different tread patterns on the front normally causes a bit of a wobble

Finally yes you could have a sticky brake caliper on the side that it's pulling to so get them checked out

[ishaqmir]

Are you sure it wasn't doing it before you hit the kerb and you've only noticed now?

First thing to do would be to get the tracking checked as if you check it and it's ok, it shouldn't cost you anything.

You may have bent the steering arm or worse the wish bone but a garage doing the tracking should notice that. The new tyre may be an issue but i've found that having two different tyres with different tread patterns on the front normally causes a bit of a wobble

Finally yes you could have a sticky brake caliper on the side that it's pulling to so get them checked out

The pull to the left is only slight, doesnt cause any fatgiue to wrists, but its enough that you cant let go of the steering for more than about 3 seconds on a straight road. The magnitude of the pulling is roughly the same regardless if im doing 30mph or 70.

Yes kwik fit checked the front tracking and said it was 'miles out' lol. So paid them to fix that but still got the pulling.

Just waiting for mechanic to fit front discs/pads and rear pads. He said he'd swap the rear wheels for the front, will see if that makes any difference.

Mechanic did a visual inspection on the ramp and said nothing was bent. But kwik fit told me that it cant be done with human eye, need an advanced system to check. Is this true?

Thanks

[John LE]

An advanced system,

Their tracking device should pick up and serious damage

Definatly sounds like the brakes need a tidy up though

[Tomb]

U got 19"s on might be "tram linein"?

[m8internet]

Any time you renew front tyres the front wheel alignment should be checked
Prior to doing so, make sure the tyre pressures are right
Equally, don't use the same outlet that supplied the tyres
They've already replaced your tyres so won't be too interested in performing this correctly

[ishaqmir]

Got the front discs and pads changed and rear pads, but still, when i let go of the steering, it turns slightly left on most roads. Still need to check all tyre pressures.

I wasnt impressed with kwik fit at all for the tracking. Am thinking of booking with www.alignmycar.co.uk as there is a centre just around corner from house. How much do they charge and is it worth doing the 4 wheel alignment?

Kwik fit didnt give me any printout of results. Dont even know if they fully corrected front wheels.

Thanks

[Rebellion8878]

Most cars I have driven pull slightly to the left due to the camber of the road.