pulling to the right
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 750
Likes: 86
From: St Petersburg
pulling to the right
Just had a re built rack & pinion installed. then got front end alignment, went out on the road and noticed it pulled to the right ( did that before also but bigger problem at the time was steering and vibrations )
took the car back to Kaughman Tires they re did the entire alignment and results the same
the car has new tires from 1 year ago. The car now steers tight with the new rack & no vibrations but pulls to the right slightly
What to do >? Older gent at Kaufman's owns a C-5 he said possible break calipers
took the car back to Kaughman Tires they re did the entire alignment and results the same
the car has new tires from 1 year ago. The car now steers tight with the new rack & no vibrations but pulls to the right slightly
What to do >? Older gent at Kaufman's owns a C-5 he said possible break calipers
Last edited by BillDurant; Jul 22, 2018 at 10:13 AM.
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 125
Likes: 25
From: NY
could be the way the tires wore with the "bad" alignment. To see if it's a hanging caliper, pull the wheels and compare the pad thickness on each side. If the pads on the right are noticeably more worn then I'd say it was a caliper issue.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 750
Likes: 86
From: St Petersburg
Navigator
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
From: coquille or
Just had a re built rack & pinion installed. then got front end alignment, went out on the road and noticed it pulled to the right ( did that before also but bigger problem at the time was steering and vibrations )
took the car back to Kaughman Tires they re did the entire alignment and results the same
the car has new tires from 1 year ago. The car now steers tight with the new rack & no vibrations but pulls to the right slightly
What to do >? Older gent at Kaufman's owns a C-5 he said possible break calipers
took the car back to Kaughman Tires they re did the entire alignment and results the same
the car has new tires from 1 year ago. The car now steers tight with the new rack & no vibrations but pulls to the right slightly
What to do >? Older gent at Kaufman's owns a C-5 he said possible break calipers
After having had two alignments with the same results, the next thing that I would do is switch the front tires from side to side. If I was the front end man, I would have switched the fronts after the first alignment. Brand new radials will sometimes (rarely) have misaligned belts and create a pull. If they are directional tires, I am not sure how that would pan out with the switch. Like I said, back in the day
A caliper can cause a pull, but I have also seen brake lines create a pull. With hydraulics, change both sides not just one, calipers or lines.
Tires can develop a wear pattern and the problem will persist.
Some rack and pinions have a centering valve adjustment.
Did your car pull before you had the new tires installed?
After the new tires were installed?
Or only after the rack was installed?
Last edited by AHE jr; Jul 22, 2018 at 11:34 AM. Reason: left out info
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,686
Likes: 814
From: Saskatoon Sask.
Having been a front end man back in the day, the first thing I checked after putting a car on the rack was the air pressure.
After having had two alignments with the same results, the next thing that I would do is switch the front tires from side to side. If I was the front end man, I would have switched the fronts after the first alignment. Brand new radials will sometimes (rarely) have misaligned belts and create a pull. If they are directional tires, I am not sure how that would pan out with the switch. Like I said, back in the day
A caliper can cause a pull, but I have also seen brake lines create a pull. With hydraulics, change both sides not just one, calipers or lines.
Tires can develop a wear pattern and the problem will persist.
Some rack and pinions have a centering valve adjustment.
Did your car pull before you had the new tires installed?
After the new tires were installed?
Or only after the rack was installed?
After having had two alignments with the same results, the next thing that I would do is switch the front tires from side to side. If I was the front end man, I would have switched the fronts after the first alignment. Brand new radials will sometimes (rarely) have misaligned belts and create a pull. If they are directional tires, I am not sure how that would pan out with the switch. Like I said, back in the day
A caliper can cause a pull, but I have also seen brake lines create a pull. With hydraulics, change both sides not just one, calipers or lines.
Tires can develop a wear pattern and the problem will persist.
Some rack and pinions have a centering valve adjustment.
Did your car pull before you had the new tires installed?
After the new tires were installed?
Or only after the rack was installed?
Tires, air pressure, calipers, wheel bearing, hydraulics or missed faulty/bent component are far more likely to be causing this problem than a wrong adjustment after two alignments.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,686
Likes: 814
From: Saskatoon Sask.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 17,982
Likes: 1,074
From: Lansing MI
We won't know definitively until the op posts the alignment specs, which is what I asked him to do in my earlier post. Once that occurs, a determination can be made. The very fact the op is asking about this condition after already having it aligned makes me think whomever did the alignment had his head up his ***. Do you think the alignment guy told him to ask the corvette forum why his car is pulling ?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,686
Likes: 814
From: Saskatoon Sask.
We won't know definitively until the op posts the alignment specs, which is what I asked him to do in my earlier post. Once that occurs, a determination can be made. The very fact the op is asking about this condition after already having it aligned makes me think whomever did the alignment had his head up his ***. Do you think the alignment guy told him to ask the corvette forum why his car is pulling ?
Yes, there is a possibility that the alignment tech "had his head up his ***". However, if that were so, it is just as likely that he would have screwed up the toe or the camber. Rational thought though, after two alignments, would lead one to search out other causes for the pull as the poster in post #6 put forth. Stating that it is "probably" the caster is nothing more than a WAG if you don't elaborate on your methods(which is what I asked) of determining that diagnosis. As far as what the alignment guy may or may not have asked the OP is irrelevant to this discussion.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 17,982
Likes: 1,074
From: Lansing MI
Yes, there is a possibility that the alignment tech "had his head up his ***". However, if that were so, it is just as likely that he would have screwed up the toe or the camber. Rational thought though, after two alignments, would lead one to search out other causes for the pull as the poster in post #6 put forth. Stating that it is "probably" the caster is nothing more than a WAG if you don't elaborate on your methods(which is what I asked) of determining that diagnosis. As far as what the alignment guy may or may not have asked the OP is irrelevant to this discussion.
As far a WAG goes, I would direct you to reread your own post # 7 where you literally list seven different things, all of which would have been at least visually inspected by even an incompetent alignment tech, if for no other reason than to upsell the customer.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,686
Likes: 814
From: Saskatoon Sask.
Castor is the setting that is most responsible for a car pulling. It is also the setting that is the least understood by the typical alignment tech.
As far a WAG goes, I would direct you to reread your own post # 7 where you literally list seven different things, all of which would have been at least visually inspected by even an incompetent alignment tech, if for no other reason than to upsell the customer.
As far a WAG goes, I would direct you to reread your own post # 7 where you literally list seven different things, all of which would have been at least visually inspected by even an incompetent alignment tech, if for no other reason than to upsell the customer.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 17,982
Likes: 1,074
From: Lansing MI
OK, I can see this is going nowhere. You obviously have no faith in anyone's abilities but your own, judging by the condescending tone of your references to the alignment tech. It's not nuclear physics, what is there to understand about the steering axis being positively offset a few degrees?
As far as understanding castor, I don't have a problem with it. I'm saying many other folks do. You might be one of those folks, or you wouldn't have made the statement in the bolded print quoted above.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,686
Likes: 814
From: Saskatoon Sask.
Why would I have faith in someone's ability that allowed the car to leave while its still pulling ? That's stupid.
As far as understanding castor, I don't have a problem with it. I'm saying many other folks do. You might be one of those folks, or you wouldn't have made the statement in the bolded print quoted above.
As far as understanding castor, I don't have a problem with it. I'm saying many other folks do. You might be one of those folks, or you wouldn't have made the statement in the bolded print quoted above.
Explain where my statement is wrong! Methinks the truth comes out that it is you who have no idea what they are talking about!
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 17,982
Likes: 1,074
From: Lansing MI
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,752
Likes: 277
From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
The wheel alignment when left and right front have same camber and caster, the car will pull slightly to follow the road contour.
The alignment guy should know how to adjust the caster slightly more on the right side to help counteract the pull.
This means adjusting shim, is time consuming so most "lazy" alignment mechanics just do a simple Toe and go alignment.
Do not let them ask for more money, you pay for a 4 wheel alignment and expect the camber caster and toe in be checked and any errors be adjusted. A mechanic with experience will easily be able to estimate the shim change required, not needing a constant change check re change check.
I do my own alignments now, tired of lazy so called professional' s doing a toe and go or setting to what they think suits a c4..
My c4 drives straight with hands of the wheel, its not acceptable to have a so called professional do an alignment without recording all specs
and ensuring the car drives correctly during test drive. Making any changes needed, pressures of workload mean they don't really care if they return the vehicle and its not right without identifying what the cause is.
They have to check everything is sound before starting the alignment ....
The alignment guy should know how to adjust the caster slightly more on the right side to help counteract the pull.
This means adjusting shim, is time consuming so most "lazy" alignment mechanics just do a simple Toe and go alignment.
Do not let them ask for more money, you pay for a 4 wheel alignment and expect the camber caster and toe in be checked and any errors be adjusted. A mechanic with experience will easily be able to estimate the shim change required, not needing a constant change check re change check.
I do my own alignments now, tired of lazy so called professional' s doing a toe and go or setting to what they think suits a c4..
My c4 drives straight with hands of the wheel, its not acceptable to have a so called professional do an alignment without recording all specs
and ensuring the car drives correctly during test drive. Making any changes needed, pressures of workload mean they don't really care if they return the vehicle and its not right without identifying what the cause is.
They have to check everything is sound before starting the alignment ....
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 17,982
Likes: 1,074
From: Lansing MI
The wheel alignment when left and right front have same camber and caster, the car will pull slightly to follow the road contour.
The alignment guy should know how to adjust the caster slightly more on the right side to help counteract the pull.
This means adjusting shim, is time consuming so most "lazy" alignment mechanics just do a simple Toe and go alignment.
Do not let them ask for more money, you pay for a 4 wheel alignment and expect the camber caster and toe in be checked and any errors be adjusted. A mechanic with experience will easily be able to estimate the shim change required, not needing a constant change check re change check.
I do my own alignments now, tired of lazy so called professional' s doing a toe and go or setting to what they think suits a c4..
My c4 drives straight with hands of the wheel, its not acceptable to have a so called professional do an alignment without recording all specs
and ensuring the car drives correctly during test drive. Making any changes needed, pressures of workload mean they don't really care if they return the vehicle and its not right without identifying what the cause is.
They have to check everything is sound before starting the alignment ....
The alignment guy should know how to adjust the caster slightly more on the right side to help counteract the pull.
This means adjusting shim, is time consuming so most "lazy" alignment mechanics just do a simple Toe and go alignment.
Do not let them ask for more money, you pay for a 4 wheel alignment and expect the camber caster and toe in be checked and any errors be adjusted. A mechanic with experience will easily be able to estimate the shim change required, not needing a constant change check re change check.
I do my own alignments now, tired of lazy so called professional' s doing a toe and go or setting to what they think suits a c4..
My c4 drives straight with hands of the wheel, its not acceptable to have a so called professional do an alignment without recording all specs
and ensuring the car drives correctly during test drive. Making any changes needed, pressures of workload mean they don't really care if they return the vehicle and its not right without identifying what the cause is.
They have to check everything is sound before starting the alignment ....
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,686
Likes: 814
From: Saskatoon Sask.
https://tech.corvettecentral.com/201...ignment-specs/
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 17,982
Likes: 1,074
From: Lansing MI
Really!! Confirming my thoughts! 1/10th's of a degree. Really Hoss? LOL See link below for C4 specs.(the C4 is 5-7 degrees positive)
https://tech.corvettecentral.com/201...ignment-specs/
https://tech.corvettecentral.com/201...ignment-specs/
