Would like your opinion - New Wheels, Tires, Alignment, car still pulls right
06-30-2009, 05:28 PM
#26
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2007 ML350
Went back to the indy shop and got the spec sheet.We drove the car, he said I was being too sensitive with the brakes, some excuse about it being rack and pinion, bulls~. No other R&P steering has ever done this.
He also said that it spec'd okay on the alignment machine, nothing else can be wrong... I mentioned possible bad bushings on one side, etc. The car did drift to the right on our flat road test, but when driving back down hill in the rain, he said it felt better (he drove it both times). =\
Anyway, here is the sheet. Anything wrong with these #s?
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...eat=directlink
I also wouldn't mind an overview as to what acceptable values are. To me, the left rear vs. right rear toe difference is unacceptable. Is it THAT hard to get them within <10% of each other?? [no really, I don't know, please teach me!]
Last edited by phoenix_iii; 06-30-2009 at 05:30 PM.
06-30-2009, 05:43 PM
#27
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2007 C230SS; 2014 ML350 BT
Yes, the glaring obvious problem with that alignment, is the driver's and passenger's side caster are almost even. They need to set the passenger's side to 1° more positive than the driver's side. That is why it pulls.
Also, I agree the rear toe should have been tightened up better than that. The problem, is most shops only care if they get a green indicator for each value. Rarely do they read the numbers, or even know what they mean and how they relate to one another. Technically your rear toe is in spec, but it is far from optimal.
Also, I agree the rear toe should have been tightened up better than that. The problem, is most shops only care if they get a green indicator for each value. Rarely do they read the numbers, or even know what they mean and how they relate to one another. Technically your rear toe is in spec, but it is far from optimal.
06-30-2009, 06:13 PM
#28
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I did mention adding a touch to the passenger side caster (1 degree), but he said that is only done if say you're a 300lb driver, they would add it to the left side, etc.
I have read more than once to add a degree to the right side... why is that? I would think that you would want everything 'perfectly specd' and not have an 'imbalance' anywhere.
Should I ask to just put in the 1 degree to make me happy? I really think there is more going on, see my other thread the no one likes.
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...s-welcome.html
I have read more than once to add a degree to the right side... why is that? I would think that you would want everything 'perfectly specd' and not have an 'imbalance' anywhere.
Should I ask to just put in the 1 degree to make me happy? I really think there is more going on, see my other thread the no one likes.
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...s-welcome.html
06-30-2009, 06:38 PM
#29
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I've recently thought my car was drifting to the right, and it is. It's very noticeable on the freeway, but that may just be the crown.
I really want to find a perfectly flat road and see what happens.
From what I was told at my indy shop when I did Service A, the guy was totally honest happy old guy, and his prices were very fair, so I actually believe what he's telling me and I'd like to share that information:
Note: I have no prior knowledge of caster angles, alignment, camber, etc
All he told me in a nutshell is that out of the factory Mercedes are in a neutral camber position, so it naturally drifts to the right due to the crown in the road.
These expensive cars have something called high caster angles, which allow the car to turn at a much tighter radius. And alignment is basically fine tuning the car to go straight.
So if you've noticed a sharp or more drastic pull to the right, he said the only real thing you can do is change the screw from the neutral one to a positive one on the right side. Then get a fine tune alignment, and that's about all you can do. (I don't think you really need to do a negative camber on the left to make it track even more to the left, unless your car is really out of wack)
So changing the camber screws:
+1 positive - Moves wheel forward 1degree
neutral - neutral
-1 negative - moves wheel backward 1degree
And those are the only three options?
It might just be a placebo effect.
Other things like Tire balancing, irregular tire wear (yours are new, so it shouldn't be this), and tire pressure may have an effect as well.
Hope all of this helps somewhat.
I really want to find a perfectly flat road and see what happens.
From what I was told at my indy shop when I did Service A, the guy was totally honest happy old guy, and his prices were very fair, so I actually believe what he's telling me and I'd like to share that information:
Note: I have no prior knowledge of caster angles, alignment, camber, etc
All he told me in a nutshell is that out of the factory Mercedes are in a neutral camber position, so it naturally drifts to the right due to the crown in the road.
These expensive cars have something called high caster angles, which allow the car to turn at a much tighter radius. And alignment is basically fine tuning the car to go straight.
So if you've noticed a sharp or more drastic pull to the right, he said the only real thing you can do is change the screw from the neutral one to a positive one on the right side. Then get a fine tune alignment, and that's about all you can do. (I don't think you really need to do a negative camber on the left to make it track even more to the left, unless your car is really out of wack)
So changing the camber screws:
+1 positive - Moves wheel forward 1degree
neutral - neutral
-1 negative - moves wheel backward 1degree
And those are the only three options?
It might just be a placebo effect.
Other things like Tire balancing, irregular tire wear (yours are new, so it shouldn't be this), and tire pressure may have an effect as well.
Hope all of this helps somewhat.
06-30-2009, 07:00 PM
#30
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I'm also wondering if anyone is having the braking issue I described here...
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...s-welcome.html
May be related? I mean, I've never had a car do that... and it pulls to the right, and the wheel ***** to the right as described in that thread. ?
https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...s-welcome.html
May be related? I mean, I've never had a car do that... and it pulls to the right, and the wheel ***** to the right as described in that thread. ?
07-02-2009, 06:11 PM
#31
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So he states that the pull went away when swapping wheels, and that he didn't want to touch the alignment.
Picking up the car tonight. Shall I simply just go somewhere else (MB?) and get a 'precision' alignment done? What specs should I request? Lastly, this is for DD (Daily driver) for my girl, so I do not need a super aggressive alignment, just something with nice, neutral manners. [and please calculate or say 'add 1 degree of...' so that it tracks straight, or very close to].
Picking up the car tonight. Shall I simply just go somewhere else (MB?) and get a 'precision' alignment done? What specs should I request? Lastly, this is for DD (Daily driver) for my girl, so I do not need a super aggressive alignment, just something with nice, neutral manners. [and please calculate or say 'add 1 degree of...' so that it tracks straight, or very close to].
