The car: '06 JCW w/LSD, camber plates, stock shocks, H-Sport springs, H-Sport rear sway bar.

Out of the blue the car started pulling to the left. I checked for all things obvious: tire pressure, camber plate settings, bent things, etc. Found nothing out of the ordinary.

The drift to the left is most obvious during acceleration on the freeway. I tested it on a street with my hands off the steering wheel and the drift is not as pronounced. This is also with DSC off. With it on, the drift is less noticeable still. The tires are Yokohamas AVS100 with 9,300 miles on them.

I am starting to think that this a combination of tires getting old and hard and our messed up local freeways.

Does anyone have other ideas, suggestions?

 

you gained some weight?

 

Hey Jinky,

I am sorry that I don't ahve anything to report on this to help you & T out. But, I wanted to let you know that since I took delivery I have aklways felt that it pulls to the left. Even with alignment, and pressures being checked. I wonder if this could possibly be an '06 issue. I too have an LSD, but not JCW. Hmmm...


Do you ever hear an odd sound coming from the front, when you negotiate tight turns when the car is cold? I.E. turning out of a garage when the car has "slept" all night.

Lemme know what you think?

 

No odd sound here. Do a search, I think there was an issue with the LSD somewhere along the line. My issue is that as far as I recall it wasn't doing this a couple of weeks ago.

P.S. Kenchan, I might have gained a couple of pounds, but I counter act it by always having a pizza and a Big Gulp in the passenger seat.

 

very nicely done... i can't think of any other reason why then... humm...


hope you find the answer. i think cv joint may be going?

 

Do an alignment. My 04 MCS was WAY out of wack and the dealer refused to acknowledge the problem.

That fixed it up right away and do it now before you tires get all worn out unevenly as well.

Shoe

 

^^ you're a motor damper expert. wat do you know about suspension?

jk

 

Who checked the alignment? If the dealer, I would take the car to an alignment shop - they know their business better than a dealer.

 

Yeah my car actually pulled to the left the day I left the dealer.

That's why I don't patron a certain dealership anymore.

 

it's really not the "dealer" per se, it's the tech that does the
alignment itself. you can take it to a tire store and get excellent
alignment from one guy, but the same shop could still screw it up
if some other guy did it.

same way with dealership alignment.

 

So what you saying is I need a "guy"?

 

yep, you need to find a guy that can consistently do your alignments.

PatrickMINI has Eric. I also have an older gentleman at my local
tires store that aligns exotics who does my G35C.

 

Does my "guy" have to be from Chi-town, or can I get my own "guy" locally?

 

you can go to west hollywood and get a variety of 'guys' to your
preference, i suppose? (im jk)

 

That is not the alignment I am looking for!!!

 

 

Uh, at a tire store, there is still the same risk of not knowing what to do as at the dealer.... Which was why I suggested going to an alignment shop; they know the alignment business.... A car's alignment can be "within factory spec" and still pull to the right or left. The dealer technician will shrug their shoulders and say there is nothing they can do because the car is within spec. Conversely, the alignment shop technician will likely know what to tweak to get rid of the pull. If they don't know, the owner of the alignment shop will definitely know what to do.

 

watever you meant, the issue is the tech. he/she needs to know
wat they're doing and needs to be consistent and have the experience.
that's all. you got an alignment shop, great. that's more to ya.

 

Not to parse your response kenchan, but at an alignment shop there is a higher probability of getting a tech that knows what they are doing alignment-wise. Tire shop and dealer service dept. are focused on other areas. If an alignment check was performed at the dealership and the car was in spec and still pulls to the side, then the challenge is likely beyond the skills of the dealership's techs.

 

Could a LSD really cause issues where the car will pull to one side? I ask because my car pulls to the right, even though I had an alignment done a few months back. On top of that I get a rubbing sound when making slow, tight turns. The rubbing sound I'm sure is the fluid issue with the LSD, but the pulling has me a little concerned.

I'm hoping to get the car into the dealership next week, but if the LSD could be the culprit, I'd like to point their attention to it.

 

Theoretically, the LSD could cause pulling to one side or another, but that will be a tough sell to convince MINI that the LSD is the culprit. Try the simpler checks first - like have an alignment shop try to cure the pulling.