Slipping when turning right?

[mattyboy101]

I'm sure i'm not imagining this, but my car seems to slide (when wet) when turning right but holds much firmer when turning left - equal speed through equal but opposite 90 degree corners.

I've checked the tyres, and the tread level is fine as is the pressure (in fact there is more tread on the left side).

Can anyone think of the reason why or is it just road conditions - maybe oil to the side of the road?

[Humpy]

If you've got a previous model CLK Merc - they do this

H

[steve_d]

Does it twitch sideways then stabilise or continue to slip?
If the former then you have worn suspension, subframe or body mount bushes.

Steve

Edited by steve_d on Saturday 20th January 06:41

[jimmystratos]

[redacted]

[Alex@POD]

Broken spring on one side?

[Sam_68]

Could be lots of things...

Corner weights?
Torque reaction from unequal length driveshafts?
Slight differences in damper performance (dodgy damper on one corner?)

I'd check thedampers and corner weights for a start

[motorwise]

what car is it?

[mattyboy101]

Sorry, it's a Focus (lowered 35mm on Eibach springs) - it's booked in next week for a service so will get it checked

[jimmystratos]

mattyboy101 said:

Sorry, it's a Focus (lowered 35mm on Eibach springs) - it's booked in next week for a service so will get it checked

Suspension geometry completely FUBAR then!

[mattyboy101]

What do you mean? They are Ford approved parts.

[Sam_68]

mattyboy101 said:

What do you mean? They are Ford approved parts.

... never the less, you should have had a full geo (and corner weighting, if the set-up has adjustable spring seats) when you had them fitted.

If you didn't, or it wasn't done properly, there is every chance that the geometry is causing all or part of your problem.

[mattyboy101]

I had laser alignment done when they were fitted 6/7 months ago - they have been fine up until now.

[Sam_68]

mattyboy101 said:

...they have been fine up until now.

So you are telling us that the handling problem has only just appeared? Sorry, I assumed from your initial post that the car had always had unequal cornering.

If it's a new problem, then you can probably rule out corner weight issues, because once set, corner weights shouldn't change (unless a spring is broken or a spring seat is not properly tightened and has rotated).

There is still a possibility that the geometry has been knocked out, or that one of the tyres has developed a problem, but a damping problem would probably be favourite if the symptoms have only just appeared.

Having said which, your original post said that there is more tread on the left hand tyre? Why? If the geometry is correct, tyres should wear fairly evenly side-to-side, so unless one tyre has been replaced as a result of a puncture, the tread levels should be pretty much equal.

[wheels-inmotion]

What is the the history? What happened between the time everything was ok and now.

Edited by wheels-inmotion on Sunday 4th February 21:07

[Mattt]

Nothing really happened, I had the car checked over, the rear end was all tight still - bushes etc were ok.

The car has been fine recently, so i'll keep an eye on the problem - hopefully it has gone away!