Wheel Help Please!

carmadaaron · Post by **carmadaaron** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 6:22 pm

hello people,
i got my new wheels on last night. 8x18" Kahn RS-C with 215/35/18. the car now wanders off to the left all the time so i have to steer slightly right to get the car in a straight line.

i went back to the garage and they said that its not their fault and it "might" be the tracking that needs to be adjusted. booked in for next thursday

they said that my wheels point out the way and will wear out my tyres much quicker if i dont fix it. VW i know will tell me to "go away!" so im not going there at all.

are they talking pants?

or is the Â£35 they going to charge me be worthwhile?

Thanks everyone.
Aaron

tornado_ally · Post by **tornado_ally** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 6:43 pm

I was going to get those but I was told they would slow down my car a lot and mess up my steering. Thats why I havent got them but apparently its true what they said. Those alloys are bizz

nice 1 mate

ViLus · Post by **ViLus** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 6:59 pm

The tires will wear very guick if you don't do the "tracking"...

My 205/40/17 tires wore out in about 3 weeks...
It wasn't nice...

Had to buy new set of tires + traction...

carmadaaron · Post by **carmadaaron** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 8:05 pm

are theyre any other problems that can cause the steering to pull to one side? i dont want to fork out Â£35 for tracking and then they tell me its not that!

SiDaBa · Post by **SiDaBa** » Fri Jul 16, 2004 9:59 pm

hmm me thinks it might be tracking, me needs this done too, i have exactly the same problem as you and mine are vw wheels with the correct size tyres as well

Joy · Post by **Joy** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 5:57 am

Yes you need to adjust your tracking. A stock Polo has a very neutral setup.

With small tires you won't have a problem. But now with the big tires the wheels wander of the straight line on every hole you encounter.

I asked my profile-tyrecenter to adjust my setup to 1,5 degree toe-out.

It has been a big improvement which I would recommend also to people with stock-wheels. The car is much more stable in a straight line, the steering wheel is heavier and spins back to neutral faster.

carmadaaron · Post by **carmadaaron** » Sat Jul 17, 2004 12:14 pm

toe out? my 18s stick out (toe out) just now and what do i need then?

Stephen123 · Post by **Stephen123** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 12:54 am

A little bit of advice dont believe a word anybody says to you at Crow Road from the girls at reception right up to the general manager ( Arnold's son ) .

carmadaaron · Post by **carmadaaron** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 12:04 pm

Drivers said its a tracking problem. kwick fit wont touch my car.

and VW dealer said "all VWs go to the left, its a safety thing, so if u fall asleep, u dont end up the wrong side of the road" sounds ok to me.

well ill just leave it then. cus its not severe pulling, just a wee bit when i let go of the wheel.

carmadaaron · Post by **carmadaaron** » Sun Jul 18, 2004 12:08 pm

ive been told wrong tracking wont cause the car to pull to 1 side (Kwick fit told me)

M7 · Post by M7 » Mon Jul 19, 2004 12:31 am

wheel allignment?

KarlM · Post by **KarlM** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 2:11 pm

This sounds like Tramlining - used to happen loads on my old mk4. Its when car follows the grooves in the road - very scary in the wet as you'll find you have hardly any grip at all.

Normally its caused by wide(r) wheels with a smaller profile but can be caused if your wheels weren't balanced when the tyres were fitted.

Â£35 is not much to get it tested when ignoring it could cost you a lot more

carmadaaron · Post by **carmadaaron** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 7:30 pm

i think ill just leave it. its prob the wheel and tyre combo thats making it do that.

david burton · Post by **david burton** » Mon Jul 19, 2004 10:19 pm

you should be able to get laser tracking done for 20 quid if you look around.

get it done - improper tracking will cause wear NOT to mention awful handling! I lowered my polo and proper tracking caused me to get about twice as much grip from up front - not kidding!

Tracking CAN cause this to pull to the left - Kwik fit are talking sh1t.

my car was tracked by ATS and it pulls ever so slightly to the left if i let go. I'm keeping an eye on the tyre wear too but have driven polos that never pull to the left, so wasn't too impressed with ATS to be honest.

carmadaaron · Post by **carmadaaron** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 8:12 pm

todays driving in wet seems to be better somehow??!

its not as bad as before. maybe my tyres have done like 50 miles or so and grips better?

would the tracking change if i put new wheels on?

cus it should be right when i had my 14s

Cheers
Aaron