[Surprise]

My swift has done 1200 kms and one my friend who drove the vehicle suggested me to check the allignment of the wheel. On the empty road he took away his hands from the steering wheel and the car slowly moved towards the left direction from the right extreme.

Iam under the impression that wheel allignment needs to be checked once in 5000 kms.

Just want to share with you guys and get your feedback on this.

[Shan2nu]

Iam under the impression that wheel allignment needs to be checked once in 5000 kms.

Yes, wheel allignment and rotation should be done every 5000 kms.

Most times, it's the uneven tyre pressure that makes the car veer to one side. Ask him to get that checked.

If his car has had a shunt with a big pothole or a spead breaker, chances are, his allignment would have been affected.

Also, it's possible that the road that the car was travelling on maynot have been completely flat, even a slight sideward gradiant can cause this.

Shan2nu

[Rtech]

All roads are cambered a bit to enable water to run off in the rains. The car moving slightly to the left is normal.

What you need to do is hold the steering wheel while going straight. Now if the car still moves to the left or right even though the steering wheel is straight, you have an alignment problem. If the carr tracks straight, you don't have a problem.

[Rudra Sen]

Your friend is right. Check alignment again. If the alignment is ok and car still moves towards left..change the tyres. Put the right one to left. If it's a directional tread pattern, you need to remove the tyre from the rim, change the direction to get the pattern right.

Hope this helps.

[falcon]

A friend of mine had told me the following points when my M 800 had a similar problem years ago... My vehicle too was a new one.. 6000 Km complete.

Drifting on a flat road could be due to
a) Incorrect tyre pressures in any / all of the 4 tyres
b) Incorrect brake settings (or new brake liners that have not 'run in' yet)
c) Incorrect wheel balancing / Bent or damaged wheel rims.
d) Incorrect alignment.

My problem was that the rear wheel bearings were worn out and the rear right brake cylinder had jammed up and needed replacement.

[chetanhanda]

How fast were you travelling ? I feel if it pulls very quickly then it is an alignment/wheel balancing problem... If it moves pretty slowly at the given speed it could be the road or the difference in tyre pressure becoz these two make a minor but noticeable difference..
You can try it out on different road surfaces

[Surprise]

Originally Posted by chetanhanda

How fast were you travelling ? I feel if it pulls very quickly then it is an alignment/wheel balancing problem... If it moves pretty slowly at the given speed it could be the road or the difference in tyre pressure becoz these two make a minor but noticeable difference..
You can try it out on different road surfaces

We were traveling at a speed of 50-60 kmph & it takes to the left exterme in 3-4 seconds. This evening I will set my pressure to the recommended level and try out in different surfaces tomorrow.

[chetanhanda]

so what was the result after checking the pressure ?

[Xsailor]

@Surprise
Hi Bro. Are you keeping the recommended 33 psi on all fours or have you tweaked the pressure to derive any benfits?

I received the car from the showroom with abt 42psi on all fours(!!!). Currently abt 35psi (just tweaking around to get the feel of difference in rides etc.) - a little bumpy but feel the steering response is a trifle better - could be wrong there though.

Cheers

[srasania]

guys..I'm having a major problem with my 1999 Esteem LX(non-power steering)..
I hold the steering exactly in the center,and the car tracks towards the left..on leaving the steering,it slowly turns towards the left..
I have got the Alignment done from 3 places,and they haven't been able to rectify the problem..they have no clue what the problem is..
One of them (good servicing fuel pump) told me there might be some chassis problem which is causing this..
I always keep the tire pressure at 27 in all 4 wheels,and get it checked once every 10 days..also,I have tested the car on fully flat roads,so,no question about left pulling because of the banking of the road.
Team bhpians - please advise on the possibilities in my case.
thanks,
sr

[Xsailor]

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

Your friend is right. Check alignment again. If the alignment is ok and car still moves towards left..change the tyres. Put the right one to left. If it's a directional tread pattern, you need to remove the tyre from the rim, change the direction to get the pattern right.

Hope this helps.

@srasania

Try the above tip from Rudra Ji.

Cheers

[srasania]

nah..the garage did switch over the front tyres..and then re-alignment was done..but of no use.

suraj

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by srasania

nah..the garage did switch over the front tyres..and then re-alignment was done..but of no use.

suraj

your tires may have worn out thats why due to something called radial tire lateral force ur car mabbe pulling.so change ur tires i fits this.

or

broken or sagging springs
or
brake dragging in on ewheel

or
loose or bent fr/rear suspension parts

or

disturbed front or rear alignment



if ur car has erratic steering on braking then,


its


mismatche dor uneven tires
loose ball joints an d tie rod ends
faulty struts /mountings
rack an dpinion out o falignment
loos estabiliser bar


or brakes not wroking in unison

[Surprise]

Originally Posted by Xsailor

@Surprise
Hi Bro. Are you keeping the recommended 33 psi on all fours or have you tweaked the pressure to derive any benfits?

I received the car from the showroom with abt 42psi on all fours(!!!). Currently abt 35psi (just tweaking around to get the feel of difference in rides etc.) - a little bumpy but feel the steering response is a trifle better - could be wrong there though.

Cheers

For the past one month, I have been driving the car with no one to assist me (running commentary on the LHS clearance). Since my mind is completely occupied in managing the traffic, I completely forget about the alignment issue, which my friend suspected.


Yesterday it came to my mind & as a first step; I decided to check the pressure in all tires. It was 37 in all wheels. Iam sure this is not the recommended level, but I do not have an idea what the correct psi level is. Checked with the guys in the petrol bunk & they suggested having it 28 psi on all wheels. Got my friend on phone, he told me to look for manufacturer recommendation that will be available somewhere near drivers seat. Searched but in vain.

I remember as if I had read the correct level as 30 psi in forums. Hence asked them to make it as 30 psi at all tyres.

I could feel the difference in run after reducing the pressure to 30 psi. Not sure whether it's a perception.

Now got the correct psi level (33 psi) from xsailor post. May be this evening; I will fill to the recommended psi level.

Need to try again with my friend to find out whether the vehicle is dragging to the left on flat roads.

[Xsailor]

@Surprise
The decal is placed as shown


But I won't be Surprised ( ) if it were missing as my old M800DX 1998 vintage had none either. Suppose the decal guy at MUL ticked the box on the checklist first and went for a loo-call and upon his return started off with the next itm on the list. Belive me, even with most efficient ISO systems in place, stuff like this happens.

Await for your feedback on the ride quality at 33 psi.

Cheers