Hi guys, I really, desperately need your help here.
I'm driving a Toyota Corona, been running around in 195/50/15 tires manufactured in 2001, and bearing with all the issues that come with barren, old and hardened tires.
Today, I changed all 4 of my tires to 185/55/15 Michelin PS3 tires, manufactured in 2010. I had expected all the handling issues to be solved with the change in tires, but some problems still persisted.
1. On the old tires, when I go through uneven road surfaces (say, a stony road) at low speeds, I can hear some "guk guk" sounds, and somewhat feel my steering wheel shaking in my hand. A friend, who is a foreman, sat in my car and if I'm not mistaken, said that the ball joint needed to be changed. Today, after changing the tires, while the car was jacked up I tried to shake the front left wheel: the front left wheel could be shaken (I guess that is what is called free play?); the front right wheel was firm even when I tried to shake it. May I ask, is this the ball joint giving problems?
2. More seriously, on a long, straight road where I tested, when I am cruising at medium speed without pressing on the accelerator, I move straight with my steering also pointed straight. However, when I step on the gas pedal and accelerate, my car moves to the right even though my steering is still pointed straight! Based on my understanding, when torque steer occurs, the steering wheel is steered "automatically" sideways when the gas pedal is stepped on, right? In my case, my car moves right when I step on the accelerator, but my steering wheel is still pointed straight! As a result, I have to point my steering wheel to the left when accelerating, and while shifting gears my car tends to swerve to the left as I am taking my foot off the gas pedal. May I ask, whether this is also a problem presented by the front left ball joint, and if otherwise, what is the cause of this problem and how do I fix it?
Many thanks in advance! I'd really appreciate any help from you guys! Thank you!
I'm driving a Toyota Corona, been running around in 195/50/15 tires manufactured in 2001, and bearing with all the issues that come with barren, old and hardened tires.
Today, I changed all 4 of my tires to 185/55/15 Michelin PS3 tires, manufactured in 2010. I had expected all the handling issues to be solved with the change in tires, but some problems still persisted.
1. On the old tires, when I go through uneven road surfaces (say, a stony road) at low speeds, I can hear some "guk guk" sounds, and somewhat feel my steering wheel shaking in my hand. A friend, who is a foreman, sat in my car and if I'm not mistaken, said that the ball joint needed to be changed. Today, after changing the tires, while the car was jacked up I tried to shake the front left wheel: the front left wheel could be shaken (I guess that is what is called free play?); the front right wheel was firm even when I tried to shake it. May I ask, is this the ball joint giving problems?
2. More seriously, on a long, straight road where I tested, when I am cruising at medium speed without pressing on the accelerator, I move straight with my steering also pointed straight. However, when I step on the gas pedal and accelerate, my car moves to the right even though my steering is still pointed straight! Based on my understanding, when torque steer occurs, the steering wheel is steered "automatically" sideways when the gas pedal is stepped on, right? In my case, my car moves right when I step on the accelerator, but my steering wheel is still pointed straight! As a result, I have to point my steering wheel to the left when accelerating, and while shifting gears my car tends to swerve to the left as I am taking my foot off the gas pedal. May I ask, whether this is also a problem presented by the front left ball joint, and if otherwise, what is the cause of this problem and how do I fix it?
Many thanks in advance! I'd really appreciate any help from you guys! Thank you!