Car steering wheel turns right and pulls the car right when braking at low speeds only. Could it be bad inner/outer tie rod? I know it sounds like a brakes issue (maybe one caliper piston bites harder, maybe rotor is warped slightly, maybe it needs to be bleeded again), but is it possible for the tie rod to cause the pull?



It ONLY happens at low speeds, so highway speeds I can brake all day long and it won’t pull until I come to a complete stop and 50-75% of the time the steering wheel will turn right pulling the car a little around 5mph as I’m braking completely.



Reason I want to avoid discussing brakes is because I used to have this clanking noise too, used to drive me nuts. I thought it was a loose end link but the noise comes and goes so it’s hard to say what it is. The worm tie rod could cause the clanking noise occasionally and maybe cause the drift to the right at low speeds if I let go off the steering wheel while braking to a stop?

see vid attached. Not the best example since it only happens like 50% at best to 75% at worst of the time but the “best” one I was able to catch on my way home from the gym. Thanks y’all!

 

Yes, a damaged or loose tie rod could throw your alignment out of spec. This could potentially cause a toe issue which might be more noticeable when braking at low speeds due to weight transfer. But the same is true for ball joints and bushings.
Cheers!
-Icer

 

how would you narrow it down (without starting to replace everything lol) if it’s a front right ball joint, tie rod (inner/outer/both) or maybe even like a control arm bushing?

also would you say here it is more likely the caliper is biting harder than the other or sticking? I’d accept that no problem but given that this happens only at low speeds (highway speeds I can brake no pulling whatsoever), is the caliper still the more likely culprit under this piece of info?

 

I would put my money on the brake caliper being the issue. I had this happen to me a while back on another car. I would check the brake pads on both side and compare the wear on them. They dont wear the same BUT if the right side caliper is sticking you'll have more wear on that side. Although a bad tie rod, ball joint, bushings etc can cause this too. Good luck

 

you think it’s possible to fix the issue without replacing the caliper altogether? I put an OEM nissan brembo caliper thats also color matched, really don’t want to be replacing that.

 

Are you running Brembo all around? Where did you source them? Were they used or new? If you have the 4-piston Brembo calipers up front, double check you got the sprung anti-drag (pad separator) plate installed properly. When you installed the Brembos, did you make sure to remove the upper caliper bolt and tilt the caliper forward during the bleeding process? This is essential for removing all the air bubbles from the front calipers. The outer bleeder should be used 1st, followed by the inner.

LINK to Pad install guide with pictures I found.

Cheers!
-Icer

 

yes it’s the same brembos that come on the track edition of 350z just installed on my touring edition