Happens usually in mornings backing out or after car sits for a while. Feels like brakes in front are binding up and then feels fine. I can hear and feel resistance in steering wheel when it happens. Not sure what it is. Car is an 06 MCS automatic sitting low on ST Coilovers with Enkie rpf1s. No tire rubbing that I can find. wheel offsets look good. Pads and rotors in good shape. Brake and tranny fluids replaced recently. Trouble shooting ideas and experiences welcome please! Thanks

 

"Resistance in the steering wheel"....
Does this mean it is easy to turn, then suddely hard, than easy again?!

If yes, the u-joint on the steering wheel shaft is likely dry, a bit of lube might act as a bandaid, but a new shaft is the longer term solution....

If the car is very recently lowered, many folks get vibration from the stock CV joints if they have some wear....lowering a car puts TONS of stress on them, changing the angles...

 

Thanks Zip,
I've heard that theory before. Very plausible that this is the issue. Any sure way to tell if it's CVs without removing from car? It's going in to shop to replace a few leaky gaskets. Probably a good time for them to check the CVs.

 

If it does it when the car is rolling stright, I might raise the car up a half inch...see the issues goes away...
Many mini's suffer from sticking REAR calipers...
When you say binding...WHERE OR HOW do you feel it...stight, turning...etc..he's anything? Is it after parking outside? As opposed to a garage...some folks have parkedcnext to a sprinkler head... And gotten a bit of surface rust making the pads stick to the rotors till the car moves...
Heck trying to think outside the box here...
More information info is always better...

 

Zip,
No steering resistance. Just feel the binding of wheels (or drive shafts) when problem occurs. Park outside but no sprinklers or anything environmental causing issue. Too much work to raise car. Leaving as is. If the CVs crap out so be it. Just would be nice to fix while still under warranty. If they (war co) knows it's dropped they prob won't cover it. Think will see if my wrench can diagnose it as it sits then go from there.

 

One thought....
Look at the rear parking brake cable....might be rusted... Giving you the feel of drag from the front?!
Good luck!

 

Zip,
The ebrake theory came to mind. Not it so far as I can tell. Went through two sets of very pricey rear discs on my Porsche 993 not too long ago due to the ebrake hanging and causing a vibration at speed and warping the disc. Tried not using the ebrake when parking to see if that had a positive effect the next morning but no dice! Still felt the hanging. 99% certain it's the front having this issue and not the rear wheels.

 

No other theories out there? Cmon...rennlisters (Porsche forum) is putting this place to shame....I need some leads to go on here. Mini mechanics I know haven't been very helpful in finding solutions. Do CV joints tend to make noise only at first few wheel rotations in morning when car has sat a bit and then it clears up once rolling a few times, or is this likely a brake issue?