Strong pull to the right

[Hobo Ben]

I bought an MKV Golf two months ago and it already had a very strong pull to the right. The pull is always there, no matter if I’m accelerating, coasting or braking. I thought this was caused by the old, worn tires, so I bought 4 new ones two weeks ago and the pull is still present and very strong. It’s so strong that it feels dangerous driving above 120 km/h. I just take my hand off the steering wheel for a moment and the car would steer itself into the guard rail in one second. It’s also very exhausting to hold the wheel with strong grip, so it’s not your typical slow lane change pull.

So I went to a (reputable) alignment shop today to do a 4-wheel alignment. Both front and the rear left wheel was out of the specified toe value. The guy tried to set the rear wheel first, but the eccentric bolts are stuck and corroded and it’s not possible to adjust without replacing the whole control arm. Then he set the front toe and told me that I should replace the rear control arms if I have long term plans with this car. Of course, the pull is the same on my way home.

Other thing that I know that I have a very slight brake drag on my front right wheel, but that’s very little, the left wheel is just a very little cooler after a long city drive. (I had a Passat with a very stuck caliper (a smoking one :) ) and that pull was nowhere near this one).

Tire pressures are checked, suspension components are checked (by a professional too), no noise from suspension or wheel bearing.

I’ve attached the report and I’m asking you if it’s possible that the out-of-spec rear toe value can cause that very strong pull to the right? I feel this is not enough for that dangerous pull, but of course I could be wrong. I don’t really have the money now to replace both rear control arms, but I hate to drive this car on highway like this.

[LC5F]

Yes - too much toe will make the steering a lot more responsive, difficult to keep in a straight line, the right hand brake binding isn't helping either.
Did you run the new tyres with the bad alignment for a while? they may have worn to suit the previous alignment.

[Hobo Ben]

Yes - too much toe will make the steering a lot more responsive, difficult to keep in a straight line, the right hand brake binding isn't helping either.
Did you run the new tyres with the bad alignment for a while? they may have worn to suit the previous alignment.

Thank you the reply!
I used these tires just for 350 kilometers, so I hope they're not worn yet.

[Hobo Ben]

Update: I've replaced the rear control arms and eccentric bolts; all alignment values are within specs now. The pull to the right is the same, so probably it wasn't caused by the out of spec and asymmetric rear toe value. At least the handling of the car is a bit better…

Regarding the front brake drag: I’ve lifted the front wheels and compared how they roll while they’re in the air. As I suspected, there’s more friction at the right wheel, but the difference is very tiny, I can’t believe this can cause such a strong pull, especially with my experiences with the stuck calipered Passat.

The previous owner changed the right sway bar link (by himself) this spring according to his service log. Is there any way that he screwed up something, installed it in a wrong way and that cause a pull? I don’t think so, but now I’m desperate, because I can’t think any other cause.