Wandering C5 under braking. Could use some help.

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May 24, 2003 | 12:35 PM

bcresc

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Intermediate

Joined: May 2003

Posts: 32

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From: Enfield, CT

Wandering C5 under braking. Could use some help.

My ’99 Coupe tends to wander under braking when on uneven surfaces. It does not consistently pull to the left or right, but wanders depending on the road surface. I just had it aligned at my Chevy dealer and nothing unusual showed up. The car goes straight down the road, even under braking, when the road is smooth. By the way, the car has 20K miles and decent tires. Any help is appreciated. Thanks, Bob

May 24, 2003 | 05:08 PM

Richin Chicago

Safety Car

Joined: Sep 2001

Posts: 4,411

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From: Wilmington NC

Re: Wandering C5 under braking. Could use some help. (bcresc)

Quote:

Unless it is excessive this is what happens when you have low profile, wide tires on a relatively light car. I have one place North of me where I really have to watch it as the pavement is very grooved right in the middle of the braking area. It definitely pulls the car off of a straight line.

Runflats make this effect worse. (Very stiff sidewalls)

Bad brakes or bad alignment would cause this to occur all the time, even on smooth roads, which is not what you describe.

May 25, 2003 | 01:58 PM

gstama

Racer

Joined: Feb 2002

Posts: 325

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From: tor ont

Re: Wandering C5 under braking. Could use some help. (Richin Chicago)

You should make sure the castor is set even and at least 6.7 positive and higher is better it will make a huge difference, I find most alignment shops dont care so i always watch them do it or i go somewhere else. If you have realy big tires that will hurt stability a bit.

:blueangel: :grouphug: :auto: :party: :cool:
my daughter like's the forum too

[Modified by gstama, 12:59 PM 5/25/2003]

May 25, 2003 | 07:44 PM

Cirrus8

Drifting

Joined: May 2003

Posts: 1,755

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From: Sandy Utah

Re: Wandering C5 under braking. Could use some help. (bcresc)

I have an 01 coupe and it wanders when the surface is uneven but I am not concerned because it tracks true on smooth surfaces. As has been said in the responses above, it has to do with the wide tires, stiff side walls, and light weight of the car. I would not worry about it. :D :D

May 25, 2003 | 08:03 PM

warpster

Drifting

Joined: Nov 2001

Posts: 1,319

Likes: 1

From: Lincoln Nebraska

Re: Wandering C5 under braking. Could use some help. (Cirrus8)

I agree...when I first got my 2002 I thought the same as you, that something was wrong but as I was told at the time and as I beleive now...it is normal.

May 25, 2003 | 10:03 PM

SHOWTIME!

Safety Car

Joined: Apr 2003

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From: over ten thousand posts 7/10ths back

Re: Wandering C5 under braking. Could use some help. (bcresc)

wide tire catch the road's imperfections

May 26, 2003 | 12:05 AM

CDad98

1st Gear

Joined: Dec 2002

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From: Spring Tx

Re: Wandering C5 under braking. Could use some help. (bcresc)

Just fixed that problem (based on how your description sounds) this weekend on my 98. I bought the car with 20K miles and it was very subtle, but became gradually worse as the miles accumulated. I changed out the front brakes and discovered significant uneven wear between the driver and passenger side pads. Had the rotors turned, replaced the pads and is now smooth as a baby's butt under all braking conditions.

May 26, 2003 | 08:24 PM

eaa1964

Instructor

Joined: Oct 2002

Posts: 209

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From: Ortonville MI

Re: Wandering C5 under braking. Could use some help. (bcresc)

I too experience this problem on my 99 coupe with daily run flats. For travel to autocross, I switch to my alternate rims/Kumhos...this wandering goes away. I agree that the run flats do funky things on semi-truck warn roads.