emergency stop concern

[jimbob-mcgrew]

had to lamp on the brakes earlier. and the car pulled pretty hard to the left. it nearly jumped lanes !

this is not normal.

any ideas ?

[jimbob-mcgrew]

I don't think its to do with the brakes, could it be steering related ?

[jimbob-mcgrew]

fair play to my tyres actually, as they did there job well.
they were bloody dangerous when I first bought them and they locked up all the time. but they seem to be getting grippier and grippier as they wear down

[bazil]

You could get it tested for braking efficiency to make sure both sides have the same braking force,

If it were steering related ( ie tracking ) you'd notice it when driving normaly and under hard acceleration, not to mention uneven tyre wear too,

[jimbob-mcgrew]

mmm MAY be the tracking in that case, as it sometimes pulls a smidge under acceleration too

[bazil]

Any mot centre can test the brakes for you, could be one side working better than the other,

[Royston]

I would check whats above, and

Tyre pressures
All suspension joints, worn lower ball joints, track rod ends?

I was bedding in the front discs/ads on my way to the MOT station and under braking she would pull slightly left or right, probably picking up the camber on the road. There was a little play in a track rod end and I had just fitted two new lower wishbones/bushes/ball joints, and haven't had chance to check/set the tracking.

[meritlover]

check as above and also for a broken front spring, even if it is one broken coil at the top.

[jimbob-mcgrew]

ok, cheers guys, will investigate :thumb:

[Alex J]

mine used to do this were it was big blocked and light at the rear, it used to try and over take the front, all brakes were equal on a test aswell

[Rage]

could also be a binding brake as stated above get an mot station to stick it in the brake tester or strip and rebuild the brakes yourself making sure the sliders are not siezed and the pads are free to move in the caliper bracket and when you put them back together use a light smear of copper grease to help keep them clean and free

[mowgli]

it could have simply been the road surface.

but if you are worried that its your car, get a voluntary brake test done to see what they are doing, but i'd say your alignment is also out a bit