braking pulling to right

[chrissyboy]

Hi all, nice to see the forum back..............

Anyways, my query: when hard braking car is pulling to the right. Which calliper do i need to work on? its due MOT nxt month and it needs sorting

[jimmyybob]

The right....the car is trying pivot around the wheel thats doing most work.

[Luxobarge]

I'm afraid I disagree - it's the left one that's not working, allowing that wheel to go "straight on" as it were - the working right one is pulling the car in that direction.

Cheers!

[pryantcc]

I'm with Luxobarge, sounds like the left-hand one isn't as effective as the right, so you should investigate the left!

[spiny]

I'm afraid I disagree - it's the left one that's not working, allowing that wheel to go "straight on" as it were - the working right one is pulling the car in that direction.

Cheers!

conversly, it could be the one on the right that has a collapsed flexi pipe, making it brake harder as it's binding

[Luxobarge]

I'm afraid I disagree - it's the left one that's not working, allowing that wheel to go "straight on" as it were - the working right one is pulling the car in that direction.

Cheers!

conversly, it could be the one on the right that has a collapsed flexi pipe, making it brake harder as it's binding

I could see how a collapsed pipe would make it stay on (bind) after a braking event, but I can't see how that would make it work harder than the perfectly working caliper on the other side. If the efficiency of the pads & caliper were the same on each side, then the braking effort in each wheel is in direct proportion to nothing other than the hydraulic pressure, and a collapsed hose can't deliver more pressure than a working one! If the efficiency of the pads/caliper are not the same on each side, then that's the fault, and the inefficient ones will be on the left in this case.

Actually, the answer to the question is that you should work on both sides, because if you sort/fix/re-furbish the faulty side (the left ) then you'll probably find that it will then be working more efficiently than the one you haven't touched, so the brakes will still be a bit out of balance. I'd do them both personally, but yes, you're going to find a more substantial problem with the left one.

Cheers!

[chrissyboy]

Lux, you speak a lot of common sense as usual, so I'll clean both. Thanks all!

[spiny]

un-amusingly enough, the brakes on my E30 have developed a fault today too, so I will be joining you in swearing at siezed retaining pins etc etc later on ...

[jimmyybob]

i was thinking of a faulty brake grabbing first not the one working last.

[sierra3dr]

When I had a stuck caliper,I felt the front wheels as the heat travelled from the hub.