Car Pulls To The Right When Braking
Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 3:19 pm
Hi all,
Its been a long time since I inquired about a problem with my Megane...
Quick overview of the problem:
Under heavy braking (with ABS kicking in), the car sometimes pulls to the right, noticeably so.
This cannot be replicated every time, the higher the speed and stronger the braking, the more evident the pulling...
The front suspension system has been checked, a wheel alignment has been performed, the brake fluid has been replaced recently, new front & rear disks
have been installed, tyre pressures are ok and technically it all checks out ok.
The last thing I replaced were the rear brake discs. For some reason the ABS sensor ring was missing from one of the (original Renault) discs so the mechanic used the sensor ring from the old disc.
Everything seems to work fine, brakes feel and perform fine, but in the last few days I've had to brake suddenly and with great force a few times and thats when I noticed the pulling.
I went to a professional brake specialist who measured my brakes.
Front brakes check out fine, there is around 4% difference in braking pressure and the graphs are spot on.
On the rear, the difference between left and right is 12% which is rather high (close to the limit). The graphs show that under heavy braking the rear left brake brakes slightly harder than the right one.
Now... Since the rear left brake is 'stronger' than the right one, shouldn't the car pull towards the left? Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.
Also, any advice on what I should do are welcome. Webcode, what is the official Renault spec for left-right brake pressure differences?
Could the new discs and brake pads have caused a problem? Or perhaps the re-used sensor ring? I would think though that if the sensor ring was defective the car's ABS/ESP unit would detect the discrepancy and log a fault...
P.S. The mechanic also tested my handbrake and it needs adjusting, there is a 35% difference between left and right brake pressure when the handbrake is on.
Its been a long time since I inquired about a problem with my Megane...
Quick overview of the problem:
Under heavy braking (with ABS kicking in), the car sometimes pulls to the right, noticeably so.
This cannot be replicated every time, the higher the speed and stronger the braking, the more evident the pulling...
The front suspension system has been checked, a wheel alignment has been performed, the brake fluid has been replaced recently, new front & rear disks
have been installed, tyre pressures are ok and technically it all checks out ok.
The last thing I replaced were the rear brake discs. For some reason the ABS sensor ring was missing from one of the (original Renault) discs so the mechanic used the sensor ring from the old disc.
Everything seems to work fine, brakes feel and perform fine, but in the last few days I've had to brake suddenly and with great force a few times and thats when I noticed the pulling.
I went to a professional brake specialist who measured my brakes.
Front brakes check out fine, there is around 4% difference in braking pressure and the graphs are spot on.
On the rear, the difference between left and right is 12% which is rather high (close to the limit). The graphs show that under heavy braking the rear left brake brakes slightly harder than the right one.
Now... Since the rear left brake is 'stronger' than the right one, shouldn't the car pull towards the left? Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.
Also, any advice on what I should do are welcome. Webcode, what is the official Renault spec for left-right brake pressure differences?
Could the new discs and brake pads have caused a problem? Or perhaps the re-used sensor ring? I would think though that if the sensor ring was defective the car's ABS/ESP unit would detect the discrepancy and log a fault...
P.S. The mechanic also tested my handbrake and it needs adjusting, there is a 35% difference between left and right brake pressure when the handbrake is on.