steering pulling

[sallyjane788]

Hi Guys

I've just bought a Mercedes 230TE, mainly for its space and the kids. When I go along on motorways, though, it seems like its pulling to the left.

Is this normal? I thought it would drive really sweetly in a straight line.

Thanks in advance, guys.

Sally-Jane

 

[merctronic]

this is an on going problem that mercedes have had for years.dont think anyone has found the true answer to it..

 

[tom7035]

Sounds elementary I know, but make sure your tyre pressures are bang on spec., and that the tyres on the same axle are both of the same type/pattern.
A little expense on having a four-wheel alignment check done might also be worthwhile.

 

[television]

A little expense on having a four-wheel alignment check done might also be worthwhile.

I allways have this done as soon as I buy a car, you never know if the prievious owner drove up and down curbs and the like.

Malcolm

 

[Hotpants]

Hello from a new member i have got the same problem with my 1998 C180
i have had 4 new tyres fitted and the wheels balanced. It then went into Mercedes [Vardi] and has had four wheel Alignment thing done with numerous joint and bushes fitted and the car still pulls slightly to the left Mercedes said it is a safety precaution that all right hand Mercedes have are the spinning me a load of verbal bull or has anyone else had the same story from them

 

[Unleashed]

As said above, it's a safety thing - if you're travelling along and you fall asleep, it's a hell of a lot better to be woken up by the rumble strip (which is what it's there for!) or bouncing into a curb, than it is by hitting another car coming the opposite way.
Just something my dad told me years ago.

 

[Bolide]

Mercedes pulling to the left

I don't think it's a safety thing. Think about it - the safe thing is for a car to drive in a straight line!

All Mercedes seem to pull to the left on our roads because they tend to follow the camber of the road. Allegedly our roads have more camber than German ones - can't comment on that

If you drive your car on a perfectly flat piece of smooth tarmac, like an airfield, it should drive in a straight line. If it doesn't there are lots of possible reasons. In my experience it's not possible to dial out the effect completely when driving on our roads but replacing the tyres, getting a four-wheel alignmen, centreing the steering wheel and checking the rear track control arms are the things to do to start with

In general every older Mercedes I've ever driven pulls to the left. You'll stop noticing it in a couple of days. Unless the effect is gross - and the wheel is turned 30 degrees off straightahead, for example, I wouldn't worry about it. But regularly check the wear of the front tyres as a matter of course. If the wear pattern is assymetric across the tyre then something is not right

If you've got a 230TE then it's 13 years old, minimum. I'd have the rear track control arms (or whatever Mercedes calls them) checked. They cost about £15 each and when they wear (and they do wear) the car steers from the rear and you have to dial in lock to make the car drive straight


Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[web cam]

As said above, it's a safety thing - if you're travelling along and you fall asleep, it's a hell of a lot better to be woken up by the rumble strip (which is what it's there for!) or bouncing into a curb, than it is by hitting another car coming the opposite way.
Just something my dad told me years ago.

so what do they fit on the car to make this safety thing,and is only on certain cars that it is fitted too.

 

[television]

so what do they fit on the car to make this safety thing,and is only on certain cars that it is fitted too.

its fitted to some roads and not the car

Malcolm

 

[merc300e]

pulling to left

I've got no evidence for this ( just a theory) but: this can be caused/increased on higher mileage cars because the nearside (front) suspension suffers more wear due to the road surface being more potholed near the edge of a road than at the crown of the road.

 

[angus falconer]

Allegedly our roads have more camber than German ones - can't comment on that

This is true - UK roads have a much more pronounced crown in the centre and much more camber on either side that continental roads.

On thing to try is to drive down the right hand side of the road (say, on a one way system) and see it it then pulls a little to the right. Mine does.

 

[turnipsock]

On thing to try is to drive down the right hand side of the road.

like a motorway you mean?

I think the outside lane of a motorway would have the opposite camber, do the cars still pull to the left there?

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

I've noticed with my E320CDi and 300TE before it that the camber of the road does influence the direction the car wants to travel in. If the car is travelling on the flat this is not so apparent.

I feel that the latest type of tyre tread patterns play their part in this problem (although you won't get one of the manufacturers to admit to it). The new tread patterns are cut in a combination of the old radial and crossply designs,the radial grooves clear the water that gathers in front of the tyre and smaller crossply cuts thewater out sideways. The radial part of the tread tends to tramline and follow the camber and therefore creates most of the problem.

It may be advisable to try the tyres recommended by the manufacture when the car was new, when yours are ready to be changed, this may help

 

[996jimbo]

These were my previous thoughts on a similar post about pulling to the left:

The point is that if your car is set up to run straight ahead on a dead flat road then when you tilt the road left or right it will (a) creep down the hill (move sideways) and (b) want to turn down the hill. It will therefore need pressure to resist the pull and actual (slight) correction right to counter the creep. The degree and effort will be a function of the tyre sizes, pressures, degree of camber and suspension geometry.

If you want the car to run straight ahead on a left-down camber then it would need to be set up to run slightly right on a flat road.

No roads are actually flat as they are designed to shed water. Generally the camber will only be right down on a right hand bend - the effect of the camber will be masked by the fact you're turning anyway so generally, without travelling across to the continent, you will never experiencing pulling to the right. Unless there's something wrong with your steering set up.

All my previous cars (including 7 Alfa's) have done this to a greater or lesser extent, though I'm not denying that a faulty set up can't make it worse. I just don't believe that it can be eliminated completely.

The exception to what I posted is the point turnipstock makes about motorways which are sometimes designed to shed to the central reservation (though this is generally avoided becase of issues over access for maintenance). I'm not sure but I believe that the camber in such a case would be related to a gradient and/or bend so again the effect of the camber may be masked.

I could be completely wrong but I can see a logic as to why all my cars have always pulled left, to a greater or lesser extent.

 

[QUOMAN]

If I May Add My Tenpeneth Anybody On This Site Who Has A Power Steering Problem And Calls Me Will Receive Trade Prices 020 8853 3343 (power Steering Services)

 

[996jimbo]

Drove in to Bournemouth yesterday along the A338. There is a dual carriageway stretch with the drains on the right in the central reservation. Put my hands on my head and sure enough the car drifted to the right.

 

[angus falconer]

Drove in to Bournemouth yesterday along the A338. There is a dual carriageway stretch with the drains on the right in the central reservation. Put my hands on my head and sure enough the car drifted to the right.

There you go.

Now to find a garage that can fix steering that pulls to the left AND the right.

 

[clive williams]

Hi Guys

I've just bought a Mercedes 230TE, mainly for its space and the kids. When I go along on motorways, though, it seems like its pulling to the left.

Is this normal? I thought it would drive really sweetly in a straight line.

Thanks in advance, guys.

Sally-Jane

Hi Sally-Jane,

I agree with everything thats been said on this thread, mine is camber sensitive too and will pull to the right sur Le Continong. Unless it's violent then I would not be too concerned.

One last (sexist) thought though - could the car be male? Is it trying to get you off the motorway?

Clive

500E
E320CDIT210

 

[Bumper]

As said above, it's a safety thing - if you're travelling along and you fall asleep, it's a hell of a lot better to be woken up by the rumble strip (which is what it's there for!) or bouncing into a curb, than it is by hitting another car coming the opposite way.
Just something my dad told me years ago.

If it’s a safety thing does this mean LHD cars will pull to the right in this country?
And what would you need to change on the car to make it safe in this country ?

 

[dogsbody]

ove the old chestnuts ... early Ford Mondeos pulled to the left like pigs because to change the clutch you had to drop the front suspension, and most garages failed to align it properly and so rather than sort it - it became a safety feature!