[net.auto] steering problem?

ark (10/28/82)

My TR7 has a strange steering problem: the car remembers what
it has done recently and tries to continue doing it.  Normally,
the car pulls to the left slightly.  If I make a hard right turn,
though, the car remembers that it has done this and pulls to the
right slightly, or tracks straight.  This persists until the next
time I make a sharp left turn, after which the car again pulls left.

Here are the answers to the questions that I have anticipated:
The car has done this ever since I bought it.  The steering alignment
has been checked by at least four different shops and found to be
correct with respect to caster, camber, toe-in, etc.  The only
adjustment in the front end is toe-in -- caster and camber are
permanently built into the frame.  The car has never been hit.
I bought it new.  I can make it think it has recently turned right
by cranking the steering wheel a turn or so to the right with the
car stationary and then straightening it out gradually with the car
rolling.  The tires are the Uniroyal radials that came with it.
If I remember right, the size is 185/70R14.  There is nothing binding
in the steering mechanism.  Gentle turns do not seem to affect things.

If I feed the car a new set of tires, is this likely to help?
Does anyone have any advice?

markm (10/29/82)

I had a similar problem. In my case it was what is called 'radial pull'. One
of the tires had a fiber (or what ever) or two broken. The tire still
worked, but it's inerds were all screwed up. However, in my case, there was
a pronounced wheel shudder as the car kept going in the previous direction
(this being cuased by the tire's actually bouncing). If the rest of you car
is OK (or as OK as any British car can be), you might want to try swapping
the spare with the front tires and seeing if that helps.

				MSMiller
				GR Concord, MA

keith (11/05/82)

#R:rabbit:-84700:hp-pcd:2400005:000:510
hp-pcd!keith    Nov  4 12:52:00 1982


   I bought a set of Uniroyal radials in an Army PX (may or may not
   be significant) in 1974 and had a terrible time with them.  They
   developed the "tire pull" problem and I could not seem to keep  
   them balanced for more than a couple months.  One of the tires
   eventually became egg-shaped and wore in a very odd pattern.

   I replaced the set with Sears radials and have not recommended
   Uniroyals since.

                                            Keith M. Taylor
					    Corvallis, Oregon