Why lowering is not good, sometimes..

[Jay101]

You start to change stuff from factory and it all goes Pete tong. Even when you done it to the best of your ability.

So here's where I'm at. I've lowered my car and have done for ummm 5months plus. All has been fine.

Until....now

Steering wheel is not central and is forcing me to one side of the road when I let go. This seems like castor angle to me.. Now with me being on matiz setup and missing a couple of coils. If one side was to be say up to an inch lower would this cause the pulling to that side.

I've done wheel alignment and tried centralising via shortening and lengthening the rods. It has helped slightly. Also would my adjustable Panhard have an effect.?

Oh and another note replaced a lower arm in June and already has play on bush so lowering has its downs and huge stress on parts.

Any help would be great, a 40mile road trip daily is becoming very annoying!

 

[frank]

The pattern arms have a bad reputation jay, and you have to tighten their bolts while the suspension is down (not while jacked up)
If its only been pulling recently ? Then my money would be on the defective arm

 

[Jay101]

Hmm. The pattern part is offside and car pulls me nearside.

 

[r-reg-sr]

yeh mate these rd are shagout so everything wares sharpish

 

[frank]

Hmm. The pattern part is offside and car pulls me nearside.

Thats because the offside wheel is flexing forwards, and causing a leftward pull ?

 

[Jay101]

Thats because the offside wheel is flexing forwards, and causing a leftward pull ?

Cool. Will try that frank. Thanks

 

[frank]

Cool. Will try that frank. Thanks

You could get someone to watch for movement while you ease the clutch out with the handbrake on eh

 

[Jay101]

Ahh forgot to mention had the car on a 4post ramp. And it has side to side movement plates. The bush at fault is the middle one of the arm. Has slight play. Enough that I'm getting a faint knocking sound ..

 

[will930]

i had a pattern lower arm on mine and within a year the wheel was able to move an inch or so under acceleration and braking, would causer some dangerous movements, as the bush had completely collapsed

 

[Dougyledds]

Is this what im getting then? im getting clonking on my left side when going over bumps etc

 

[frank]

Is this what im getting then? im getting clonking on my left side when going over bumps etc

a worn bottom balljoint usually makes a clonking noise over bumps dougy.
and the title of the thread should read "lowering rocks, pattern parts suck" (apart from ebay headgaskets)

 

[skymera]

I've been down as much as I am for best part of a year, no pulling to the left or right.

So it pulls left when moving, does it pull right when you brake?

 

[Dougyledds]

a worn bottom balljoint usually makes a clonking noise over bumps dougy.
and the title of the thread should read "lowering rocks, pattern parts suck" (apart from ebay headgaskets)

Does it sounds like its more at the top? me and my mate checked and shuck the crap out of everything the other night and couldnt find anything

 

[Jay101]

No pulling under braking. I don't think my bush has that much play to take effect.
1st and cheapest thing is to completely reset my tracking.

 

[frank]

Does it sounds like its more at the top? me and my mate checked and shuck the crap out of everything the other night and couldnt find anything

balljoint play can be very elusive eh, the play tends to disappear when you jack the car up because the angle of it changes

 

[Jay101]

Jack up one side and grab wheel Doug and shake left and and right then up and down. Side movement is normally track rod, up and down is ball joint

 

[Dougyledds]

it clonks going over things not ever like on corners so i think its balljoint