howie Posted February 27, 2017 Report Share Posted February 27, 2017 my 2010 mx5 mk3 is driving towards the kerb.it happens mainly when there is a kerb on the road and it perfectly ok on the open roads and dual carriageways. i have had 4 wheel aligned by 2 separate garages ,the last one by a main mazda dealer. having read on your site that the mk3 chassis is one of the best so i am a little mystify the way my car drives can you help please ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted February 28, 2017 Report Share Posted February 28, 2017 Hello Howie I assume the car is stock as in suspension and alike?....... Does the pull have energy in it that you have to resist to drive straight or is it the case if you relax the steering wheel it progressively turns toward the left? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted February 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2017 thanks for prompt reply Tony.The pull definitely has energy in it.the car goes immediately for the kerb. -On any uneven road i am constantly correcting the steering.Sometimes when i have been round a bend the steering needs a bit more correction from me to centre its self. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 1, 2017 Report Share Posted March 1, 2017 Some questions.... Has the car always pulled and if not what happened between the time it was ok and now. Do you have any geometry reports that you can display here. Has the car had new tyres fitted and if not have they been moved around in case it's a pneumatic drift. Is it on OEM suspension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted March 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 hi tony i have had the car for about 3 months and it has always been the same the rear tyres are Avon ZZ5 205 45 88W which were on the car when i bought it ( they are still in there original positions on the car) the front tyres are Kumho Ecsta LE sport 205 45 ZR17 88Y these are only 6 weeks old before i purchased the car it had a weeping nearside rear shock absorber which was replaced . i don't know what make it was or whether it was replaced as a pair as far as i know nothing else has been done to the suspension the alignment has been adjusted twice the first setting were camber LF and RF -3/4 LR and RR - 1.5 Castor LF and RF -6.25 front toe in 1.5 mm rear toe in 2 mm the second time i had the alignment done was by a Mazda main dealer who set it to standard Mazda setting but they do not have the figures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 7, 2017 Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 Assuming the camber/ castor are around the same over the axle then we can consider it done. The next thing to do is move the front tyres side-to-side to eliminate a pneumatic pull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted March 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2017 i will arrange this ,thanks is a pneumatic pull caused by a faulty tyre ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 8, 2017 Report Share Posted March 8, 2017 No it's just a build issue.. Have a read here> http://www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=165 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted March 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2017 hi tony,front tyres have now been moved from side to side . the car is still driving to the nearside .one thing i have noticed is that when i turn right at a t junction sometimes the steering needs an extra nudge to make it drive straight i.e. it drives to the offside .all other cars i have owned seem to self centre on their own. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 19, 2017 Report Share Posted March 19, 2017 Ok back to the geometry then.... I just noticed you listed the castor at -6,25 is the ( - ) a typo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted March 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2017 no thats what the invoice says Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 20, 2017 Report Share Posted March 20, 2017 Something is wrong? - = negative castor whereas it should measure without the - meaning it's in a positive position. A negative castor to that degree would drive awful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted March 20, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2017 thanks Tony,i feel i should drive the car to your place but i am well over 2 hours away .so what i will do is get the castor measurement rechecked and then if i can't get it sorted out we will drive up to see you thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 20, 2017 Report Share Posted March 20, 2017 If the position is negative then it could explain a lot. Here is a description of the castor angle from the web site> http://www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk/tech-longcastor.php See how it reads and translates to your complaint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted March 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2017 hi tony ,i have booked the car in with WIM for next week i wonder if you have any views on how different the car would feel if i changed the wheels to 16 " thereby using narrower tyres and higher profile i don't have an aggressive driving style anymore .i just like it to accelerate well and drive normally.its our everyday car .thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 23, 2017 Report Share Posted March 23, 2017 Thanks for the booking.....Bigger wheels are more comfortable providing their light.... Oddly enough the tyre footprint doesn't get bigger it just gets wider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted March 29, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2017 hi Tony,WIM have looked at the car. they reported that the alignment was a mess ( their words) so i decided to have the car lowered and the full alignment,arrived at 11 30,back on the road by 2 00 excellent service the cars feels a whole lot better ,no tramlining,steering wheel is centring well and driving it is much more relaxed but i still have the same problem with the car driving towards the nearside if there is a slight camber in the road ( fine on a flat road) the guys at WIM said the car would probably benefit from 4 matching tyres . i have already swapped the front tyres from side to side which made no difference is this a characteristic of this mx 5 model or should i be looking for another fault?.and if so what is it likely to be ? i am now confident that the alignment is now spot on thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 30, 2017 Report Share Posted March 30, 2017 Thanks for the booking and for the lowering, fact is if you look at the cars height now it all makes sense whereas the gap before didn't.... The NC is tyre sensitive but the movement you have done should have proved this either stopping the pull or making it pull the other way. All those numbers within the geometry are not just figures they are also forces. The camber for example has a compressive force, the castor a gyroscopic force. Some manufactures inform us via the datum to stagger the forces in favour toward the OS this might be the case with your car. In the event you want us to stagger the geometry on your car the cost would be £0 plus i would also attend to be sure the issue is resolved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted March 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2017 hi tony,ok thanks for that . as i am well over 2 hours from you plus the M25 traffic,i will need to come in again when i am coming that way.so if it is possible to leave that offer open then i will contact you before i make the journey. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted March 30, 2017 Report Share Posted March 30, 2017 Yeah that's fine, plus it gives you time to get used to the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted April 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2017 hi tony i notice from a previous post that you mention staggering the geometry towards the offside . would this not make the car steer to OS on a flat road ? at the moment the car is fairly neutral if the road is flat . you said you would kindly attend my next visit and i am hoping that if you are available to come up this mon or tues 10th or 11th thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted April 7, 2017 Report Share Posted April 7, 2017 On a flat road it would have a ( tendency ) to steer right whereas at the moment it has a tendency to steer left amplified by the road crown. Staggering the angles boarders an actual pull so you can drive the car remotely. I can be there on the 14th but i need to book the car in so do you have a time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted April 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2017 hi tony ,sorry i am not too sure what you mean by your your sentence staggering the angles.are you saying that after staggering the angles the car will behave in a neutral fashion what ever the road camber. Good Friday we can make at say 1 pm to be on the safe side Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted April 7, 2017 Report Share Posted April 7, 2017 Each angle also holds a force so by staggering the force we can add or belay non-command handling.... The 11th is Tuesday next week do you want to go for 1pm then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted April 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2017 hi tony 1 pm tues is fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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