bob.dent Posted July 10, 2009 Report Share Posted July 10, 2009 I have an Omega 3.2 MV6 Estate and visited WIM a few months ago for geometry setup following my wishbone replacement. After running a few checks and making necessary geometry adjustments Tony asked if the car had a slight pull to the left. I said it did but nothing worrying, so Tony asked if I would like the sub-frame (castor?) adjusted to correct it. So had it adjusted but ever since I've noticed the car has a tendency to move to the right under braking which I assumed must be a brake balance problem. However, as I was due to have the rear discs and pads replaced I waited until this was done and asked the garage (very reputable) to check the problem and adjust if necessary. This was done yesterday and they tell me the brake balance is spot on but they also noticed a tendency for the car to move to the right but they couldn't find any reason for it. My question is, could this have been caused by the sub-frame adjustment? It's a bit unnerving when I have to brake hard so I'd like to get to the bottom of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 10, 2009 Report Share Posted July 10, 2009 There's no reason moving the sub-frame would cause a pull under braking, by moving the frame it corrected an error not generated one. Nevertheless if you want we can have a look at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob.dent Posted July 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 There's no reason moving the sub-frame would cause a pull under braking, by moving the frame it corrected an error not generated one. Nevertheless if you want we can have a look at it. OK thanks for that Tony, I'll come over when I get a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 11, 2009 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 There's no reason moving the sub-frame would cause a pull under braking, by moving the frame it corrected an error not generated one. Nevertheless if you want we can have a look at it. OK thanks for that Tony, I'll come over when I get a chance. If there's any doubt i will re-set the sub-frame and test drive but i'm positive the positioning is not the reason for the pull simply because the brake action is a compressive force geometrically so acting on the camber (vertical) and toe (lateral) whereas the sub-frame movement is longitudinal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob.dent Posted July 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 There's no reason moving the sub-frame would cause a pull under braking, by moving the frame it corrected an error not generated one. Nevertheless if you want we can have a look at it. OK thanks for that Tony, I'll come over when I get a chance. If there's any doubt i will re-set the sub-frame and test drive but i'm positive the positioning is not the reason for the pull simply because the brake action is a compressive force geometrically so acting on the camber (vertical) and toe (lateral) whereas the sub-frame movement is longitudinal. If the brakes are perfectly balanced, is there any other reason you might know of that would cause this? It feels kind of weird as when I apply the brakes quite firmly, the steering wheel doesn't move but the car moves to the right and I have to turn the wheel slightly to the left to straighten the car. Thanks for responding Tony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 Could you not get the brakes tested at another garage to confirm they're ok, maybe one side is biting more than the other? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Ideally they need to go in a brake rolling road..... same as an MOT test station. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob.dent Posted July 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Ideally they need to go in a brake rolling road..... same as an MOT test station. That's exactly what my garage used for the brake test as they are an MOT test station. The brake readings were all spot on. It's been suggested on the Omegaowners forum that it could be rear steer from the rear subframe bushes being a bit worn. Could this be a cause? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 15, 2009 Report Share Posted July 15, 2009 Ideally they need to go in a brake rolling road..... same as an MOT test station. That's exactly what my garage used for the brake test as they are an MOT test station. The brake readings were all spot on. It's been suggested on the Omegaowners forum that it could be rear steer from the rear subframe bushes being a bit worn. Could this be a cause? We need to thoroughly check our work before you undertake anymore expense.... I'm adamant moving the sub-frame is nothing more than corrective but nevertheless we need to be sure before you spend money elsewhere. My niggling area of doubt is that fact you claim the problem wasn't there before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob.dent Posted July 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Ideally they need to go in a brake rolling road..... same as an MOT test station. That's exactly what my garage used for the brake test as they are an MOT test station. The brake readings were all spot on. It's been suggested on the Omegaowners forum that it could be rear steer from the rear subframe bushes being a bit worn. Could this be a cause? We need to thoroughly check our work before you undertake anymore expense.... I'm adamant moving the sub-frame is nothing more than corrective but nevertheless we need to be sure before you spend money elsewhere. My niggling area of doubt is that fact you claim the problem wasn't there before. OK, thanks Tony, I'll make a point of coming over as soon as I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob.dent Posted July 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Many thanks Tony for checking it out yesterday - much appreciated. Unfortunately the problem is still there so I guess it's back to the garage for further checks. As you suggested, might be worth changing the front discs and pads. I'll let you know as and when I get it sorted out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 30, 2009 Report Share Posted July 30, 2009 Many thanks Tony for checking it out yesterday - much appreciated. Unfortunately the problem is still there so I guess it's back to the garage for further checks. As you suggested, might be worth changing the front discs and pads. I'll let you know as and when I get it sorted out. Your welcome.... At least we've proved what the problems not.... Moving the discs/pads is cost free so looking outside of the box this would be my next move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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