Steering Steering drift (merged)

KJay · 7th August 2007, 19:11

Has anyone experienced steering drift at about 70 mph? I purchased my car with 3200 miles on it and soon experienced steering problems. At or just above 70 mph it would drift across the motorway lane and back. The dealer agreed the problem and changed the EPS unit. It was fine for a while but is now showing the same symptoms albeit intermittently. The steering also feels heavy at this speed and will wander down the camber if I let go of the wheel. There is no wear on the front tyres to indicate that the track is misaligned. It is quite twitchy on the rear when driving on the motorway under windy conditions.

It has today been in for a service and to check the steering but the dealer tells me that they have been unable to find any problems with the steering or the rear suspension.

Fillmore · 7th August 2007, 19:23

I had the same problem, but mine is solved by changing the tyre presure. In my case a bit lower.

Grtz,

Fillmore

Greedy · 7th August 2007, 20:49

Have a similair problem on my Accord. It has the 17" option with a 225 tyre. Wider tyres have a habit of picking up the grain of the tarmac, ie when one side has a better grip level than the other then this affects roling resistance which can effectively 'pull' the car accross the road. It is more pronounced on wider tyres which is the trend for newer cars.
That's also why it can be affected by tyre pressure which also affect roling resistance, slight differences accross axel can pull the car too.

Solution - keep your pressures even and keep 2 hands in the wheel

Pottsy · 7th August 2007, 20:56

KJay, the first thing I would do (and I've had this on 2 cars) is to take it to have a full geometry check by someone with the right kit and the proper know-how. An independant tyre dealer with a nice 4 wheel laser rig will do OK, or better still go to a specialist like AMD in Bicester (don't know whether they will scratch their heads with a Honda though).

I have also found that tyre brand can make a difference, what brand/size do you have?

KillingJoker · 13th August 2007, 22:43

Hi Kjay,

I've had a drifting problem at 'any' speed ever since I first owned the car. The dealer insists that it drives perfectly and it is just very camber sensitive on UK roads in particular. I've never really been happy with this explanation (I've asked them to look at this on several occasions) but have just learned to live with it as a 'feature' of the car (as per a lot of it's other 'extra' features not listed in the brochure - lol).

Cheers,
KJ

South · 21st August 2007, 08:54

I have my Type-S for over two weeks now and I'm fairly satisfied.
There are some minor issues I do have to get used to, but nothing which makes me dislike the car.

However, there's one 'major' problem: If I take my hands of the wheel, it steers gently to the right. If I have my hands on the wheel I do not notice it, so it's not that bad, but still.... it's not okay.

I went to my local Honda dealership and he (I hope this is the correct English) alligned the wheels.
I got it back and it was even worse !!!
So again back to the dealership and he put everything back as it was and said there was nothing else he could do.
It had something to do with Honda's power steering which makes the car go to the right.

Now, I'm not that technical, but I think that's a load of BS !
A car shouldn't do that, right ????

So what could cause this ?

illegalhunter · 21st August 2007, 08:58

Most car will pull when you take your hands off the wheel. Dont

FWH · 21st August 2007, 08:58

I have had this problem on other cars and it has always been corrected by aligning the wheels. My Civic is fine however.

Try and independent tyre dealer, some have this equipment.

illegalhunter · 21st August 2007, 09:00

My Cooper S pulls to the left aswell , but its a piece of junk

South · 21st August 2007, 09:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by FWH

I have had this problem on other cars and it has always been corrected by aligning the wheels. My Civic is fine however.

Try and independent tyre dealer, some have this equipment.

The dealership outsourced it a tyre dealer, cause they appearantly didn't have the equipment.

But again, it did not help.. it became worse even !

CopyCatz · 21st August 2007, 09:56

Try to find another Honda dealer that does have the equipment. I haven't had very good experiences with independent tyre dealers when it comes to taking care of a car.

FWH · 21st August 2007, 11:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by CopyCatz

Try to find another Honda dealer that does have the equipment. I haven't had very good experiences with independent tyre dealers when it comes to taking care of a car.

Yes, I agree.
A Honda dealer with the equipment would be the first choice.

I had my Merc sorted out by a offiicial Mercedes dealer.
It is wonderful to drive after that!

Topcat · 21st August 2007, 15:10

Could uneven air pressure in the tyres affect it also? I pressume you or the tyre people have checked the air in the tyres.

FWH · 21st August 2007, 15:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Topcat

Could uneven air pressure in the tyres affect it also?

It could, worth a check (as it won´t cost anything).
But really noticable problems are usually wheel geometery issues.

czechplastik · 21st August 2007, 17:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by illegalhunter

My Cooper S pulls to the left aswell , but its a piece of junk

True

Dutch_Civic · 21st August 2007, 18:29

I tested mine yesterday at 50 mph and is goes perfectly straight. I can shift up and then brake for a traffic light without having to touch the wheel. Even with teh 18" wheels, i have no problems whatsoever. The steering feels very safe, even under heavy braking.

South · 22nd August 2007, 08:38

So my dealer's comment about it having something to do with the power steering is untrue ?

ciderman4 · 22nd August 2007, 10:04

Not trying to be funny but any car should normally pull slightly to the left or the right depending upon which side of the road that you drive. This is to do with the camber of the road.
Obviously, if it's pulling dramatically then you need to get the tracking done and check wheel alignment and tyre pressures.

7th August 2007, 19:11	#1 (permalink)
KJay Valve Cap Join Date: 7th August 2007 Location: Midlands Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	Steering drift (merged) Has anyone experienced steering drift at about 70 mph? I purchased my car with 3200 miles on it and soon experienced steering problems. At or just above 70 mph it would drift across the motorway lane and back. The dealer agreed the problem and changed the EPS unit. It was fine for a while but is now showing the same symptoms albeit intermittently. The steering also feels heavy at this speed and will wander down the camber if I let go of the wheel. There is no wear on the front tyres to indicate that the track is misaligned. It is quite twitchy on the rear when driving on the motorway under windy conditions. It has today been in for a service and to check the steering but the dealer tells me that they have been unable to find any problems with the steering or the rear suspension.

7th August 2007, 20:49	#3 (permalink)
Greedy Triangular Exhaust Join Date: 29th June 2007 Location: Swindon Posts: 212 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	Have a similair problem on my Accord. It has the 17" option with a 225 tyre. Wider tyres have a habit of picking up the grain of the tarmac, ie when one side has a better grip level than the other then this affects roling resistance which can effectively 'pull' the car accross the road. It is more pronounced on wider tyres which is the trend for newer cars. That's also why it can be affected by tyre pressure which also affect roling resistance, slight differences accross axel can pull the car too. Solution - keep your pressures even and keep 2 hands in the wheel Last edited by Greedy; 7th August 2007 at 20:50. Reason: beer

21st August 2007, 08:54	#6 (permalink)
South Valve Cap Join Date: 12th July 2007 Location: maastricht, netherlands Posts: 46 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	Keeps steering to the right... I have my Type-S for over two weeks now and I'm fairly satisfied. There are some minor issues I do have to get used to, but nothing which makes me dislike the car. However, there's one 'major' problem: If I take my hands of the wheel, it steers gently to the right. If I have my hands on the wheel I do not notice it, so it's not that bad, but still.... it's not okay. I went to my local Honda dealership and he (I hope this is the correct English) alligned the wheels. I got it back and it was even worse !!! So again back to the dealership and he put everything back as it was and said there was nothing else he could do. It had something to do with Honda's power steering which makes the car go to the right. Now, I'm not that technical, but I think that's a load of BS ! A car shouldn't do that, right ???? So what could cause this ?

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This thread is about: Steering drift (merged), it's in Bugs, faults and irritations at the Honda Civic forum Civinfo; Has anyone experienced steering drift at about 70 mph? I purchased my car with 3200 miles on it and soon experienced steering problems. At or ...

7th August 2007, 19:23	#2 (permalink)
Fillmore Valve Cap Join Date: 22nd September 2006 Location: Purmerend Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	I had the same problem, but mine is solved by changing the tyre presure. In my case a bit lower. Grtz, Fillmore

7th August 2007, 20:56	#4 (permalink)
Pottsy Administrator Civinfo master Join Date: 10th April 2006 Location: Leics Posts: 5,092 Thanks: 18 Thanked 112 Times in 64 Posts iTrader: (0)	KJay, the first thing I would do (and I've had this on 2 cars) is to take it to have a full geometry check by someone with the right kit and the proper know-how. An independant tyre dealer with a nice 4 wheel laser rig will do OK, or better still go to a specialist like AMD in Bicester (don't know whether they will scratch their heads with a Honda though). I have also found that tyre brand can make a difference, what brand/size do you have?

13th August 2007, 22:43	#5 (permalink)
KillingJoker Valve Cap Join Date: 1st September 2006 Location: Leicester, UK Posts: 44 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	Hi Kjay, I've had a drifting problem at 'any' speed ever since I first owned the car. The dealer insists that it drives perfectly and it is just very camber sensitive on UK roads in particular. I've never really been happy with this explanation (I've asked them to look at this on several occasions) but have just learned to live with it as a 'feature' of the car (as per a lot of it's other 'extra' features not listed in the brochure - lol). Cheers, KJ

21st August 2007, 08:58	#7 (permalink)
illegalhunter HACKIN & SLAYIN Civinfo guru Join Date: 10th May 2007 Location: In the woods armed to the teeth Posts: 2,581 Thanks: 4 Thanked 29 Times in 28 Posts iTrader: (0)	Most car will pull when you take your hands off the wheel. Dont

21st August 2007, 08:58	#8 (permalink)
FWH Super Moderator Civinfo master Join Date: 3rd June 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 5,377 Thanks: 9 Thanked 48 Times in 43 Posts iTrader: (0)	I have had this problem on other cars and it has always been corrected by aligning the wheels. My Civic is fine however. Try and independent tyre dealer, some have this equipment.

21st August 2007, 09:00	#9 (permalink)
illegalhunter HACKIN & SLAYIN Civinfo guru Join Date: 10th May 2007 Location: In the woods armed to the teeth Posts: 2,581 Thanks: 4 Thanked 29 Times in 28 Posts iTrader: (0)	My Cooper S pulls to the left aswell , but its a piece of junk

21st August 2007, 09:56	#11 (permalink)
CopyCatz Wheelnut Join Date: 2nd March 2007 Location: Tilburg, the Netherlands Posts: 53 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	Try to find another Honda dealer that does have the equipment. I haven't had very good experiences with independent tyre dealers when it comes to taking care of a car.

21st August 2007, 15:10	#13 (permalink)
Topcat Supporter Civinfo guru Join Date: 11th May 2006 Location: Middlesex Posts: 2,743 Thanks: 0 Thanked 9 Times in 9 Posts iTrader: (0)	Could uneven air pressure in the tyres affect it also? I pressume you or the tyre people have checked the air in the tyres.

21st August 2007, 18:29	#16 (permalink)
Dutch_Civic Wheelnut Join Date: 17th October 2006 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 61 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	I tested mine yesterday at 50 mph and is goes perfectly straight. I can shift up and then brake for a traffic light without having to touch the wheel. Even with teh 18" wheels, i have no problems whatsoever. The steering feels very safe, even under heavy braking.

22nd August 2007, 08:38	#17 (permalink)
South Valve Cap Join Date: 12th July 2007 Location: maastricht, netherlands Posts: 46 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	So my dealer's comment about it having something to do with the power steering is untrue ?

22nd August 2007, 10:04	#18 (permalink)
ciderman4 Wheelnut Join Date: 26th September 2006 Location: middx Posts: 89 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader: (0)	Not trying to be funny but any car should normally pull slightly to the left or the right depending upon which side of the road that you drive. This is to do with the camber of the road. Obviously, if it's pulling dramatically then you need to get the tracking done and check wheel alignment and tyre pressures.