Car suddenly pulling to right and left

[Jand3rson]

Yesterday I noticed something strange when driving my car, it's suddenly started to pull to the right or the left at random, and it's pretty severe at times. I can let go of the wheel, and if I let it go for more than a few seconds, the car will actually start to veer sharply to one side or the other, and I'll have to pull it back. It comes and goes, but it also changes direction at random, pulling to one side and then the other. I also have to keep noticeable pressure on the steering wheel to keep it straight from the direction it wants to pull from. Like I said before, it doesn't do it all the time, it seems to come and go, and just started yesterday.

All of my front end suspension components are new last summer, minus the shocks and springs, but I replaced the control arms, tie rods, tie rod ends, front upper strut mounts, and installed M3 offset cabs. I had it aligned at a really good shop very shortly afterward, and everything felt fine until yesterday. The car wasn't driven at all over the winter, but I've been driving it quite a bit in the last couple of weeks. What could be causing this? I was thinking maybe it was the slightly higher offset wheels, but it wasn't doing this before. I have noticed that at full lock, like when backing out of parking spaces or whatever, the tire rubs something, but it just sounds like the inner fender liner.

[e30this]

sounds like your rack is going bad, whens the last time you did a flush??

[92 mtechnic cabrio]

Yesterday I noticed something strange when driving my car, it's suddenly started to pull to the right or the left at random, and it's pretty severe at times. I can let go of the wheel, and if I let it go for more than a few seconds, the car will actually start to veer sharply to one side or the other, and I'll have to pull it back. It comes and goes, but it also changes direction at random, pulling to one side and then the other. I also have to keep noticeable pressure on the steering wheel to keep it straight from the direction it wants to pull from. Like I said before, it doesn't do it all the time, it seems to come and go, and just started yesterday.

All of my front end suspension components are new last summer, minus the shocks and springs, but I replaced the control arms, tie rods, tie rod ends, front upper strut mounts, and installed M3 offset cabs. I had it aligned at a really good shop very shortly afterward, and everything felt fine until yesterday. The car wasn't driven at all over the winter, but I've been driving it quite a bit in the last couple of weeks. What could be causing this? I was thinking maybe it was the slightly higher offset wheels, but it wasn't doing this before. I have noticed that at full lock, like when backing out of parking spaces or whatever, the tire rubs something, but it just sounds like the inner fender liner.

Holy crap,

I just ran into this EXACT same problem!

But I noticed it's more biased to the left, and only after making a left turn with more than two turns of the steering wheel will it start pulling to the left. A simple right turn will cancel it out and the car will drive straight again.
However, making a multi-turn-of-the-wheel right turn won't cause the car to pull to the left.

Steering rack sounds like the probable cause for me, mine is still original and I've scraped half of it off. It leaks so bad.

[Jand3rson]

I'm pretty sure mine isn't leaking, I just had it up on a lift at a local German shop, and there weren't any leaks that we saw, and no fluid in the boots. Should I maybe check my power steering fluid? If I'm low to the point of being almost out, could that have adverse effects on the steering?

[VacMan]

I assume you checked your tire pressures?

[Jand3rson]

I assume you checked your tire pressures?

Not yet, but I'll do that. Good call. They don't look low, but that doesn't mean they aren't.

The roads here are also really badly rutted from the winter (damn studded tires), but I don't think that has anything to do iwht it, since it just started doing it.

[fretburnr]

If your power steering fluid is mega low, there could be definite pulling/kickback effects.

What kind of tires are on those Remembers? Any summer tire I've ever used, when below say 50F temps, tramline like crazy on road ruts etc.

[ditchdigger]

The roads here are also really badly rutted from the winter (damn studded tires)

That is what I was going to suggest. Tramlining can be made worse when running wheels with a lower offset than factory or spacers with your wheels.

Check your tire pressures, find a nice patch of fresh asphalt and see what happens. If nothing else you get to go for a drive.

I have also had tires with internal non visible tread seperation that acted like that.

[Jand3rson]

If your power steering fluid is mega low, there could be definite pulling/kickback effects.

What kind of tires are on those Remembers? Any summer tire I've ever used, when below say 50F temps, tramline like crazy on road ruts etc.

Bridgestone Potenza S03 PP's. VERY sticky tires, they grab every little imperfection in the road.

[Erik j]

My car just started doing it also!!! weird, I think there is a e30 monkey running around messin' with our cars. My rack I know is leaking though, I put it in the air and it was dripping from the boots. I think I will hold out a little longer due to my car being an iX

[fretburnr]

Bridgestone Potenza S03 PP's. VERY sticky tires, they grab every little imperfection in the road.

yup. combined with the low temps (what is it,45-50 there?) that's a recipe for nasty tramlining. Your PS might also be low, amplifying the problem.

When you got it aligned, did you request minimal toe / performance alignment?

[Jand3rson]

Checked the power steering fluid, it's full. Tire pressure is good, also.

[VacMan]

You didn't bend a tierod or anything did you? I know you said you had it up on a lift, so I figure you'd notice if it was tweaked.

When we bent a tierod on the bronzit I sold it meandered all over the road until I put a new one on. The alignment was pretty screwed up though; you could see the difference in the aim of the wheels pretty easily if you stood in front of the car.

Good luck figuring this out. It sounds like more than simple tramlining.

Tim

[Jand3rson]

You didn't bend a tierod or anything did you? I know you said you had it up on a lift, so I figure you'd notice if it was tweaked.

When we bent a tierod on the bronzit I sold it meandered all over the road until I put a new one on. The alignment was pretty screwed up though; you could see the difference in the aim of the wheels pretty easily if you stood in front of the car.

Good luck figuring this out. It sounds like more than simple tramlining.

Tim

I don't know how I could have, I've just been driving around town, doing the occasional sprited run on the backroads. There's some nasty potholes around from the snow and ice, but I avoid 99% of them, and the ones I do hit, I'm never going very fast, and none of them are bad enough to bend a tie rod.

[92 mtechnic cabrio]

yeah I highly doubt my problem is from anything from the front suspension.

Brand new tie-rod assemblies (less than two weeks), only 6000 miles on the coilovers (or 2 months), control arms are not bent, CABs are fresh...

Tire pressures match up.

To me, it seems like I should replace the steering rack because it is the only thing I have not replaced.

Couldn't be tramlining, I travel the same roads everyday and the roads couldn't have gotten that much worse overnight.