E-Class (W211) 2003-2009

06 E350 4matic Rear Drifting Left in Snow

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Old Jan 21, 2014 | 11:08 PM
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topracer's Avatar
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2006 E350 4matic
Question 06 E350 4matic Rear Drifting Left in Snow

Is it normal that the rear end of E350 4matic may drift to the left (driver side) in snow?

We had about 4" of fresh snow on the ground this afternoon, so I took my 2006 E350 4matic out for a drive. The car has Yokohama YK520 245/40/18 all around. The car would keep going in snow, however I felt the rear end of the car would drift to the left (driver side) a little bit. I have to counter steer to the left to go straight, about 5-10 degrees to the left.

Could the power distribution, differential,... push the rear end to the left in snow?
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Old Jan 21, 2014 | 11:42 PM
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2010 GL450
Could be uneven tire wear or an alignment issue.
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Old Jan 21, 2014 | 11:43 PM
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From: Nova Scotia, Canada
2003 CLK430 Cabrio, 2009 BMW 535 iX Wagon
That sounds fishy. Mine goes perfectly straight, even in deep snow, and I do not see why the 06 should behave differently. Does the car pull in any direction on dry roads?
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Old Jan 22, 2014 | 08:13 PM
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2006 E350 4matic
My car has the alignment done recently (see attached) at MB with the camber bolts installed, and tires have been rotated recently. I have read online that wheel/car can pull to the side with less negative camber (more positive camber).

On the alignment report:

Front Left Camber: -0.56
Front Right Camber: -0.53

Rear Left Camber: -1.18
Rear Right Camber: -1.28

So, technically the front would pull to the right, and the rear would pull to the left. Would it explain why the rear of the car would drift left (driver side), and the front is pointing to right (passenger side)?

Should I take the car back to redo the alignment?
Attached Thumbnails 06 E350 4matic Rear Drifting Left in Snow-alignment.jpg  
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