Steertrak answers your questions on wheel alignment, steering and handling.
Q: My Toyota pickup continually pulls to the left hand side. What can I do to cure this?
A: The tyres on these kind of vehicles are always very grippy. As the tyres start to wear unevenly the vehicle may start to pull to one side. Check that the tracking is close to parallel, but also check the camber variation side to side. This should not vary by more than 0.3 of a degree. If the tyres have already worn unevenly it can make a huge difference just swapping the tyres corner to corner.
Q:The Steering wheel on my truck is a quarter of a turn out but by local garage said the tracking is within spec. What is the cause of this problem?
A: This problem is nearly always caused by the steering box timing being out. Often when the first drag link is replaced the technician fails to set the correct steering box timing. This causes the vehicle to pull to one side, the tyres shoulder off and the steering wheel to be out line. The drag link length needs to be adjusted to centralise the steering box. It may also be necessary to lift and rotate the steering column if this was moved by mistake.
Have you got a wheel alignment, steering or handling problem? Try emailing Steertrak at cvw@hamerville.co.uk. Their team of experts will do their best to solve your problem and get back to you with an answer. Prizes up for grabs for your published questions!
