Hi guys I'm looking for a little help. As per the title my brakes pull to the right and the harder you brake the harder they pull. In an attempt to cure this I have changed the brake pads and checked the pistons were all free to move out and push back easily and bled the brakes all to no avail they still pull. I have put the car in the rolling road brake tester and the brakes pull evenly when tested individually ie both figures are within a few Kg of each other and when tested at the same time they pull up very evenly. This isn't a recent issue for as long as I can remember the car has been like this, so I'm wondering if it is possibly a suspension or alignment issue? Is this something that anyone has come across before? Thanks in advance.
Easily overlooked is the road surface and, in particular, what is often termed "road crown pull." This, of course, should be obvious with or without any braking application, but a minor drift can be magnified by braking. While improbable, if you have glazed brake pads or rotors, or even mismatched pads (not impossible), this can explain uneven braking on the road versus a test machine.
Swapping wheels is probably a good first bet toward diagnosis. However, you did not mention anything about the general condition of the front suspension or the steering linkage. Among other things mentioned by sfdon, are the wheel bearings properly adjusted? (Too loose or too tight could possibly affect steering, rolling resistance and braking.) Significant slop in the steering linkage, control arm bushes, strut (braking/radius) rods and related bushes or the lower joint can possibly permit the two front tires to take less than parallel tracks and this situation could be amplified by brake application. If one or both upper strut mounts is soft, distorted or cracked, this could, in practical terms affect the vehicle's camber settings too. (If memory serves correctly, there are two different length control rods and control arms. If the longer parts intended for the stretch sedans E3 are fitted on the E9, this can add camber. And, mixing and matching is a no-no, if symmetry is to be achieved.)
Hate to mention it, but alignment settings can all be affected by accident damage, kissing curbs and pot holes, and by improvidently jacking or supporting the vehicle. (Generally speaking, placing a jack under a sway bar or strut rod is ill advised, not just because of obvious safety concerns, but the fact that the mentioned components can be bent.) Lastly, ahem, many frame/alignment shops have the capability of actually bending struts so that they might conform to factory settings, presumably to correct accident damage. Some shops deliberately deviate from factory recommendations, in racing applications - with modified suspensions, wheels and tires. While this may be well intended, it is atypical. (I'm not saying that any of the above fits your facts, but maybe the possibilities are worth considering.)
