Have a cooper mini 2006. only has 2500 km. notice that front wheels will pull to left or right on some roads. it used to feel perfect driving but now it is noticable. seems more to the right? could this be a power steering issue? could it be a toe alignment issue? been to mini shop and they adjusted alignment back to factory specs but now it is back to the way it was before and only a week later?

any help is appreciated.

 

How are your tires? The runflats, if improperly inflated, can make the car pull also. Another thing to consider is the condition of the roads you are driving. Most places have their roads slanted to the right so when it rains, the water drains off the side of the road. I noted, when I did a drive down American highways, that the quality of asphalt or concrete is not exactly the best stuff used. Most people complain about the runflat tires but the problem has more to do with the condition of the roads than the tires.

I would say before you put a lot of work into the wheel alignment, check your tire pressures first.

Good luck with it.

 

Will do. I guess at this point it could be many things. Tire pressure is good place to start. Mini shop said it was good though at the time I first noticed it. Cheers.

 

From my experience at various tire shops "tire pressure is good" can mean anything from "we haven't checked it, but the tires look OK" to "we put the pressure at our standard for all cars of 40 psi", to the use of a faulty tire gauge.

One would hope the MINI dealer would be more reliable.....but, get a good gauge and check the pressure every week or two, it only takes a minute or so.

 

ROFL. First of all, the MINI dealer monkey's that work on your car are the biggest bafoons on the planet. They have NO CLUE what they're doing. In all honesty I think I would be better suited to work on a MINI than some of them, and I don't know jack about taking apart a motor. 16 hours for a clutch job? Please, it's 4-5 hours at most for any skilled mechanic with the proper tools and a lift.

Back on topic...

minimanmini: Your problem sounds like tramlining. An issue which when one wheel follows a rut in the road rather than tracking straight along the direction it's pointed. This can cause the car to pull violently in one direction. Some tires are more prone to this than others. Tires not inflated to the proper PSI are more prone to this.

Your tires should be inflated to about 32-34 PSI COLD (Meaning when they haven't been driven on for at least a 5-6 hours) 40 is way too much air, especially cold. 40 PSI when heated up on the freeway for an hour or so could be 43-44 PSI. Most tires have a max rating of around 48-50 PSI. Overinflated tires can make tramlining worse.

More info on Tramlining Here

 

I have noticed the same tendency. My sense is that the Mini has a pretty tight On-Center point to its steering rack. That means that the slightest of road crown will cause the car to drift. My Mini rolls dead straight on truly flat roads. But, it will drift right when it's on the right side of a crown and left when it's to the left. This effect is especially pronounced when the car is under power and is much less evident when it is coasting.

Also, FWD cars never (in my experience) track as well as RWD cars.

A note on inflation: The pressure noted on the sides of all tires is the Cold Maximum. So, if it says "Max Pres. 45 PSI" you don't have to worry about how high the pressure will be when the tire is hot as long as you do not go above 45 PSI when they are cold. That said, the tires will ride like stones at 45 PSI.

 

I may be too late to help but in general the suggestions already made are accurate. After checking alignment and pressure if the car still wanders around first one way and then the other, it is most likely the road surface. At least on a car with low mileage.

Most short wheel base cars are sensitive to road surface conditions whereas the average barge out there never notices. For that matter many barge drivers are generally unaware of what the car is doing anyway. MINI drivers and other performance drivers try to pay attention to what the cars is trying to tell them. ( Yes - my car speaks to me )

Here in Missouri the state highway dept use a machine to groove the road in the direction of travel leaving weandering grooves in the cement. The stated purpose for this is to remove the expansion joint variation and make the road smoother. The result is that the MINI goes crazy darting around over the grooves. I have accepted this as a small price to pay for that connection between car and driver but still irritating. Enjoy the ride and motor on.

 

yep./ thats how i feel too. its just the way the design is. thanks for your help.

 

whoops. needed to add this.

 

I have the Pirelli Eufori@ runflats which (as I learned here) are known to be prone to tramlining.

Is there an optimal psi for these tires to use in order to reduce this effect?

 

The steering is now stiffer. I think this is power steering related. or the drive shaft. I am having mini check this out again at their shop or wherever they send it to. When i first got the car for the first two months i noticed no problems.. in fact i was impressed on how it felt to drive. now its a pain to drive. drifts left or right unpredictably. let you know what happens. tire pressure is bang on all four tires. When i turn sharp now i can hear shudder in the wheels.

 

I've got the Pirelli Eufori RFs too and they and my previous Goodyear RFs would pull the car in the direction of the "ruts in the road." I attribute it to just that and and no necessarily my alignment being out of whack. Make sure your tire pressure is equal and in spec.

 

yes i agree. my faith in the mini dealer and the techs is falling. so 32-34 PSI for the run flat tires. im taking it to wheel alignment shop and when i told mini that they suddenly seemed concerned to find out the results asap. i dont care how crowned or capped roads are the car never used to do this and now it is. will go left or right depending on the reflection of the sun lol. most noticeable when braking or coming to a stop. on a smooth road though the car is ok and maintains a straight line. mini was supposed to eliminate torque steering as well. let you know the results.

 

MINI techs (with exception) blow chunks!!!! I usually have a bigger problem when I leave than when I went in. Then I get the typical "that was like that when it got here"...as if they are going to trick me into thinking they know my own car better than I do. Dont go to Downtown MINI in Orlando! Period!

 

The Dunlops (9000 DST) are also prone to heavy tramelling. These are currently my summer tires (this is the last summer) and they are affected by every imperfection in the road. The upside with this performance tire is that you feel every bit of the road.