is this logical?

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Wed 19 Sep 2001 17:22
is this logical? - bob
i posted a question on here a little while ago.

the situation is that i have a '97 fiesta (no abs) that seemed to pull to the left very slightly under breaking, but that it is more noticeable at speed.

anyhow since the original tread both front arms have been replaced, as the bushes had gone in one, and the other was looking a little bit tired.

following replacing the arms the tracking was adjusted, using a laser tracker.

anyhow despite these efforts the car still appeared to be pulling, all be it much less, but slightly to the left.

i was damned certain there was nothing wrong with braking force balance, but got it checked anyhow. result was that the brakes are perfectly matched.

next step was to take a local friendly mechanic (from Luther and Sons garage, Dorset - perhaps worth a mention on the good garages list) out in the car and see what he reckoned. anyhow with the two of us in the car, and with the mechanic driving, he bolted the brakes on from 60mph, and aside from a small squeak from the tyres almost locking up, the car behaved impecably.

the suggestion was that perhaps the shocks are worn (42k miles) and that they might be causing a problem when there's only one person in the car.

does this sound viable, or is it perhaps just a case that as the car is generally only driven with one person onboard (me the driver) that my fat arse (13 stone so roughly 9% of the cars mass) being set off the centre of gravity causes the problem? and this is coupled with me be exessively sensitive to any possible fault with the car?
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Wed 19 Sep 2001 18:43
Re: is this logical? - Ash Phillips
I have noticed a difference in steering on the same road with just me in to with me and the wife. Seems more centred with the pair of us. Logically it must have some effect to the balance of the car, however slight.
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Wed 19 Sep 2001 19:22
Try this Bob! - David Lacey
Bob,

Try driving around with two or three bags of cement on the passenger seat....

Might even out the 'loading'

Kind regards

David
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Wed 19 Sep 2001 21:03
Re: Try this Bob! - honest john
If Luther & Sons is worth recommending, then please recommend it to the webmaster. We don't have time to research the details of a vague 'maybe' recommendation.

HJ
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Wed 19 Sep 2001 23:52
Re: is this logical? - dave m
get the camber checked and the rear tracking on a 4 wheel alignment gadget you might find that the car has thumped a kurb in the past and knocked out the camber on one side this would cause your pulling to one side phenomena
dave
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Thu 20 Sep 2001 12:07
Re: is this logical? - Peter Mason
My father was a fireman in Woolwich Royal Arsenal during WWII. He told me of an Indian mechanic who was a genius at curing braking imbalance - it eventually transpired that he was squirting oil onto the binding brake, and if the vehicle then pulled the other way, he would treat the 'slippery' side with carbon tetrachloride until it ran straight!
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