Different tyre types?

SiD the Turtle

SiD the Turtle

SiD the Turtle

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A week ago I bought a two year old Focus, but since buying it (this is something I should have noticed on the test drive but there you go) the car has a tendency to pull to the left. If I take my hands off the wheel at low speeds the wheel turns itself (slowly) and if I brake at high speeds the car turns to the left pretty quickly if I don't correct for it.

So it must be the tracking I thought, so I took it down to Kwik Fit as they could get it done this morning and cheaply but they guy doesn't charge me and says the tracking is fine, but the front right tyre is a directional tyre and you shouldn't mix tyre 'types'. This means I would need to fork out for a new front right tyre.

Does this make sense?

Does this tie up with the one letter in the tyre size I'm not sure off:

Front left: 205-55 R16 91W
Front right: 205-55 ZR16 91W
 
I don't know much about tyres, however my car was pulling to the right until
i rather skillfully diagnosed a slow puncture. I would check
it isn't anything trivial like this before you fork out for a new tyre :)
 
Or, you could have a sticking Caliper which is pulling the car toward the effectively braking wheel. Does the problem get worse, better or the same after long drives? I found mine improved the further I went due to brake fading on the stuck caliper as the disc and pad overheated.

Oh, test how warm each alloy/wheel is after use.
 
better to jack each side up in turn and check for a sticking caliper

what is the tread like on each tyre? could be old Vs. new and pressure as has been said
 
My money is on it still does it when you put 2 matching tyres on (only the speed rating is different, so they will provide different grip levels). You should fit some matching tyres tho.
 
Thanks for all of the advice guys.

I've put the car up on jacks and checked that it's not sticking callipers- no joy. The left disc isn't any warmer than the right after a long stop-start drive. Tyre pressures are fine on all four tyres. All tyres have worn in a similar way, no signs of under or over inflation, uneven wear etc.

The treads on the fronts are completely different though. Time to fork out and try a new tyre I suppose.
 
Different tyres can cause a car to pull. I had odd tyres on my Escort and it would pull to one side when accelarating. Once I got the fronts all matching up the car didn't pull. This was with new lower arms and joints on both sides and the car had the tracking done.
 
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