Fiat Punto 1.2 Elx Petrol - Drifting To Left

neonitrix

any ideas what could be causing this - its not major but it is noticable when I am holding the wheel that the car is pulling to the left slightly.

It there anything minor I should check b4 spending money on a service?


tks

Neonitrix

bizmark

i think it's the tracking on your car thats out a bit

neonitrix

not too sound too blond here but what is tracking exactly?

it is where the steering should be set in a 0 position ie: balanced so the car will go in a straight line without drifting to left or right on its own?

and also is it considered a minor fix in a car? or should I get it looked at now and not wait till service which is approx 3000 miles away? about 6 weeks mabey 7


Neonitrix

bizmark

Well thats up to you but i sure as hell would'nt let my car (if i had one) wonder off on its own any time i let go of the steering wheel for a second or two.Wall's and other car's can be pritty hard

it is where the steering should be set in a 0 position ie: balanced so the car will go in a straight line without drifting to left or right on its own?

Pritty much.......Did you hit a curb hardish or something when parking ? that can knock the aligment out

neonitrix

thanks for your help

didnt hit anything while parking but I do have to deal with 12 speed bumps on a daily basis - Living in Portlaoise - I presume that this would do it aswell.

1 in particular which I find very hard on the suspension as you have to take on the speed bump while in the middle of a right turn so the right hand wheel clears the bump first and then the left seems a bit severe no matter how slow you drive.

is it likely to be expensive to get the tracking fixed ? - ballpark figure - if anyone has one would help.


tks

Neonitrix

Morpheus

I think you need to change your route!!

also this can happen if your tyres were changed but not balanced properly by the person who changed them. I think it may happen also if your steering wheel was slightly turned while they were balanceing the tyres, so if its slightly turned to the right while up on the jacks, they balance the tyres, result is that you now straighten the wheel and it will undoubtedly pull to the left.

Puntos are great, todays a sad day for me, theres a 90% chance ill be leaving mine at the dealers and driving home in a shiney new stilo.... im genuinely sad.... *sniff* i almost dont want to change her....

unkel

Sounds to me given your circumstances that it's the (front) shocks. Will cost a bit more than tracking but not an enormous amount

Either way, get it sorted at your garage, if you don't worn shocks are outright dangerous, tracking (only costing about €20 to €30) will prevent excessive tyre wear

BrianD3

This may sound obvious, but check your tyre pressures. If your passenger side front wheel is down on pressure, it could cause the car to pull to the left. The proper tyre pressure is probably 28 or 29 PSI, check your handbook to be sure.

Also, it is normal for a car to pull to the left a little on most roads because of the road camber. What you need to do is find a quiet stretch of road, drive right in the middle with the car straddling the white line and take your hands off the wheel (be careful!) If car drifts to the left in this case, then you probably do have a suspension/tracking problem.

BrianD3

fre

I'm no expert, but afaik:

There are a few things that cause this, mostly mentioned above, these ppl know their stuff

The camber of the wheel can pull a car left
e.g. the top of the wheel is angled more to the left then it should be
The camber of the road - roads are naturally sloped from the centre
Both should match to get max. surface contact.

Tyre pressure
e.g. higher pressure in the right will cause it to pull to the left but it's an easy fix.

Tracking - the relationship between the two tyres on an axle.
e.g. if the left wheel points more to the left than straight on it will cause the car to pull left.

Tyre balance - those little lead weights crimped on the rim
e.g. if the weight (of the overall wheel) slightly favours left, then it pulls left.

Tracking and wheel camber can be thrown off by hitting kerbs, potholes, speed bumps and the like so go slowly over these if you can.

Any of these (and most likely a combination) will affect where your car naturally drifts and if it's not corrected it will cause uneven wear on the tyres causing them to become a danger. Your tyres are the only part that has road contact so look after them.

fre.

VeVeX

Incorrect balancing would more likely cause a wobble in the steering wheel then ‘drifting’. This is more noticeable at higher speeds depending on how bad the problem is.

Wheel Alignment i.e. Tracking will cause a car to 'drift' because one wheel is effectively trying to go a different way to the other. This should be treated ASAP because it will cause excessive tyre wear and it is relatively unsafe.