Tires - Steering Pull During Acceleration or Braking
83VW1Applies To
RABBIT GTI
Group
44
Subject
Right or Left Steering Pull during Acceleration or Braking
Part Identifier N/A
Key Points
Isolating and repairing vehicles with steering pull
C
Number
83-02
March 2, 1983
If car pulls to right or left when accelerating or braking, follow procedures described here..
Isolating the cause
Two sources of vehicle steering pull are:
^ lateral pull which develops at constant road speed (the most common type of vehicle pull)
^ torque steer (a rare condition that can occur only on front-wheel-drive vehicles during quick acceleration and which causes the vehicle to steer left or right). The torque steering behavior relates to the dual torque and steering requirement placed on the tires applied to the drive axle of front-wheel-drive vehicles.. Pull, when it is a tire problem, may require tire replacement. Torque steer can most often be solved without tire replacement by moving tires to alternate axle positions. Torque steer is often dominated by vehicle causes, and tires that meet all manufacturing tolerances may still generate some level of torque steer. The actions to take on pull or torque steer complaints are set forth in the accompanying Pull Flow Chart. This chart may also apply to other front-wheel-drive Volkswagens in problem cases
- visually inspect suspension components, brake adjustments, steering linkage for proper operation and damage
- check for correct tire inflation
- road test to check severity and direction of pull
^ for pull, a constant speed test on a straight and level roadway is preferred
^ for torque steer, moderately hard acceleration from a dead stop on a straight and level road to 40-50 mph will be sufficient
Note
In both cases, note the direction and severity of pull, i.e. the amount of steer correction required to maintain a straight heading or the tendency to pull if the steering wheel is released temporarily
- rotate front tire-wheel assemblies side-to-side. Re-evaluate
^ if pull is the same severity and direction, it is a vehicle problem
^ if the pull changes direction or is reduced, it is tire influenced
- if still a problem, return tires to their original positions and then switch the right front to the right rear and evaluate
^ if pull is eliminated, the probable complaint tire is on the right rear
^ if this is a pull complaint, the tire should probably be replaced, as the next normal tread-wear rotation will cause the problem to go back on the front axle
^ if this is a torque steer problem, the complaint tire can remain on the rear axle - the next normal tread-wear rotation should not cause a reoccurance of the problem
- if problem still exists, return right side tires to their original positions and switch the left side tires. Re-evaluate
- if complaint still remains, the possibility is that either the car is very sensitive or that a tire(s) will have to be selected from stock and reevaluated to minimize the pull
Note
Pirelli P-6 tires
There is no significant performance difference in running these tires in "opposite" directions (due to the slight non-symmetrical design of the tread pattern). During vehicle production, the tires are mounted with the D.O.T. identification on the inside of the wheels.
PULL FLOW CHART