Sticky caliper?

[pcn1]

If I let my car crawl along at tick over (its an auto) and stab the brake pedal, the steering wheel give a twist to the left.
During normal driving and normal braking, the car brakes in a straight line and I can't feel anything through the steering wheel.

Is this ok ? I ask because my car tends to drift to the left, and i wonder if rotor drag was coming into play ? (tracking, tyres etc have been checked out extensively)

Cheers

[GreenV8S]

Do you mean the behaviour depends on how quickly you apply the brakes rather than how much braking you apply? If so, the effects would be transient and may be being masked at speed by the gyroscopic effects of the wheel. That suggests to me there may be some restriction in the supply to one of the calipers. That could be an obstruction, or internal damage yo a hose, or something else. Some of these would be apparent while bleeding the brakes too.

[pcn1]

The car is 25 years old, with almost 90 K on the clock.
Nothing in the history suggests any caliper refurbishment has ever been undertaken.
I'm just exploring all possibility's of why the car is pulling gently to the left.
MOT show no advisory's on any of the steering components.

[PurpleTurtle]

Is your wheel or brake disk hot after a decent run? Easiest way to tell.

A sticking caliper generates a lot of heat.

Don't actually touch it as it can give a nasty burn, but if you chuck a cup of water at it after driving for a few miles you should get a reaction that tells you if it is sticking.

[cuprabob]

Just be aware that most cars gently drift to the left due to the camber on the road, which tens to slope downwards towards the verge to aid drainage.

[randomeddy]

cuprabob said:

Just be aware that most cars gently drift to the left due to the camber on the road, which tens to slope downwards towards the verge to aid drainage.

Also aren't cars set up this way to prevent drifting into oncoming traffic in case of a driver nodding off at the wheel or is it just an old wives tale?

[GreenV8S]

randomeddy said:

Also aren't cars set up this way to prevent drifting into oncoming traffic in case of a driver nodding off at the wheel or is it just an old wives tale?

Never heard that tale and it seems unlikely to me.