Mk7 fwd handling?

[Erubus]

Hi guys. Finally finished the free mk7 that I saved from the scrappy. I was driving it to the MOT station for it's test tomorrow. I drove over the muir and into the next glen (highland Scotland) and the road had patchy ice all along. Every time I got onto a slightly slippy bit, the steering wheel was getting wrenched out of my hands more or less.

Don't know if it's because one wheel was gripping and the other was on ice but it was really hairy. Is this normal handling? I have put new wishbones on (both sides) so have left a note to get the alignment done while it's in. Drives ok on good roads although it does pull a bit to the left.

[Altransit]

You need to alter your driving style, FWD and RWD handle very differently, and you'll get into trouble on slippery surfaces if you don't get it right.

FWDs can have what we call 'torque steer' which tries to steer in a straight line if you use too much power, and if one wheel grips and the other slips, it will try and rip the wheel out of your hands. It will also understeer when taking a bend in the road (a RWD will always oversteer).
The more power you use, the worse it will be, so you need to moderate your use of the loud pedal, and it will (almost) always take you where you've pointed the front wheels

[dumper]

If you haven’t done the tracking after changing wishbones it will be way out of tracking usually on a tracking gauge it nearly goes off the scale should be ok when you get it done.

[Erubus]

If you haven’t done the tracking after changing wishbones it will be way out of tracking usually on a tracking gauge it nearly goes off the scale should be ok when you get it done.

That's good to know. Hopefully the garage has time to do the alignment, they're pretty flat out just now. Steering is also lighter turning left than right so hopefully getting the tracking sorted will improve things.

I've driven the van a fair bit before it was mine. It used to belong to my work but failed it's last MOT so miserably that I got it for free. Spent the last couple of months welding..... And welding...... And welding! I've replaced the back brakes, some brake pipes and the wishbones. Still got the front brakes to do but rounded one of the torx bolts so will revisit that job. Only 65k miles on it so hopefully won't blow up any time soon.

I'm more used to driving 4WD, have had a long string of quattro Audis up to 400bhp plus Land Rovers up to 53 bhp! First few cars were vauxhall cavaliers though and they had chronic torque steer. The transit was really snatching though (I was only doing 30mph tops, single track roads covered in ice, steep hills, sharp bends etc. Not really loud pedal territory)

[dumper]

Till you get it tracking done doing don’t drive if far I did my escort at work one night and drove home 20 miles as another depot had borrowed the tracking gear and it scrubbed the tyres so you could feel the difference on the tread in no miles at all .

[Erubus]

Garage didn't do the tracking and the van failed it's MOT. Pretty pissed off as it failed on items it passed on in its last test. That one was done at a different garage though. My own fault really as I didn't go over everything, just the (long) fail list from the last MOT.

Only three items which won't take much effort to do but one of the front brake pipes failed for corrosion. Might just get the garage to do the pipe. I've got plenty pipe and a flaring tool. I should have fittings somewhere as well but being so close to the ABS module can be a pain as it's too easy to get sir in the module and I don't have forscan yet to purge the pump. I'm assuming it has to be done via the computer the same as with Audis.

[Altransit]

Mine failed on a front brake pipe as well as a few other bits. I also had advisories on the other pipes, so they'll need doing for next year.
I had the garage sort mine out as it's easier than running back and forth getting repairs done, and re-submitting for MOT

[Erubus]

Just to finish this thread off. Had the tracking done after the mot yesterday and the difference is night and day. It was miles out on the N/S and pretty far out on the O/S. No more snatching or pulling. It's amazing how far out it can get just changing wishbones!