Car pulls to the right at low speed

[Matt]

2000 Subaru Outback

At low speed (0-50km/h) my car wants to pull to the right, at higher speeds it seems fine?

It has been aligned several times, tires rotated etc without luck, i cannot find anything loose or in need of repair/replacement.

Its had all new steering rack mounts/bushes, sway bar mounts/links (front and back), rear control arm bushes (not front).

Any suggestions?

Topic

[Donnie]

Check your Tire Pressures!

I actually was having this isue in my new car – checked the pressure, and my front drivers tire was a few psi lower then the others. Filling it solved the slight pull to one side. (By slight, I mean very slight.)

[Douglas Haynes]

Have you looked for a dragging brake?

[wafrederick]

Do this fix,switch the front tires side to side and real simple to do this.Check the toe also and you can do this with a tape measure,if within an 1/8th of inch the toe is good.

[Douglas Haynes]

[quote=”wafrederick” post=143883]Do this fix,switch the front tires side to side and real simple to do this.Check the toe also and you can do this with a tape measure,if within an 1/8th of inch the toe is good.[/quote]

the OP mentioned rotating the tires and no improvement in the origional post.

[Matt]

Tyre pressure – i have checked them all (rear supposed to be 2 psi less then front from memory – i tried that, and all at the same pressure, and all at 36 psi), i might try running the front left with a little less pressure, and check them cold next time.

Brakes i have replaced the pads (came with some cheap nasty ones, worst i have ever had) and serviced the sliders at the same time, i have also checked for any “hot” sides while driving and it all seems ok – any other ways to check for sticky brakes?

Could it be the steering rack has some sort of internal pressure leak allowing it to turn to one side slightly? The car has very light steering, i did check/tighten the preload and at the same time replace all fluid, no improvement.

[wafrederick]

[quote=”notoriousDUG” post=143884][quote=”wafrederick” post=143883]Do this fix,switch the front tires side to side and real simple to do this.Check the toe also and you can do this with a tape measure,if within an 1/8th of inch the toe is good.[/quote]

the OP mentioned rotating the tires and no improvement in the origional post.[/quote]
Switching tires side to side fixes this sometimes

[Andrew Phillips]

Pulls like you are describing that happen only at low speed are almost always a tie rod or bushing issue. As velocity increases, the gyroscopic and drag forces on the wheel increase pulling it back into proper alignment. At low speed this effect is minimal so the pull is more pronounced. If you can’t find anything loose or wobbly, it may be time to take it to a shop that specializes in suspension work (not an alignment shop, perhaps a 4×4 or offroad shop), for an inspection and diagnosis. I would tend to dismiss tires, as rotating the tires should have caused the issue to move with the offending tire.

[Mike]

This condition can still be a bit of an issue on some vehicles, even when everything is 100% mechanically OK.

Roads are “crowned”, higher in the center than at the curb, to ensure effective drainage during wet conditions. Some vehicles are more sensitive to this than others, and can feel like they want to pull right, towards the low side of the road.

[Douglas Haynes]

[quote=”wafrederick” post=143898][quote=”notoriousDUG” post=143884][quote=”wafrederick” post=143883]Do this fix,switch the front tires side to side and real simple to do this.Check the toe also and you can do this with a tape measure,if within an 1/8th of inch the toe is good.[/quote]

the OP mentioned rotating the tires and no improvement in the origional post.[/quote]
Switching tires side to side fixes this sometimes[/quote]

…

You mean like rotating them?

[Douglas Haynes]

Not to beat the proverbial dead horse if you have already but did you check all 4 brakes and/or the emergency brake? Dragging rear brakes will cause a pull as well.

[Matt]

Australia – left side of the road / right hand drive – it pulls to the right (higher side/inside of the road)

Im starting to think this is an intermittent issue? Sometimes as im crawling along in traffic at low speeds it turns the wheel a whole 45º when rolling (walking pace speeds), other times it seems fine or a lot less? Could strut hats/bearings bind up and cause this issue?

Ill inspect the brakes for drag, i haven’t checked the parking brake ill look at that too

[Author]

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