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Old 12-13-2010, 04:06 PM   #6
RidingOnRailz
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Re: Front end alignment?

Important question and distintion here(and pleae do not correct my spelling - I've given up on that since turning 40!):

When you are driving down a city street like you normally would, 30-40mph, and just barely touch the wheel, does it "center" itself slightly to the left as you indicated, or does the car pull in that direction?

The two are completely different animals, and are indicative of different problems. If the wheel returns to just left of center, from a turn, then either your steering wheel is on wrong or the front toe has drifted out of spec. Front Toe causes a crooked steering wheel, not pull.

Rear out of toe can cause a pull, as can side-to-side-differences in Caster, or front or rear camber. Pull/drift is when you let go of the wheel and the car veers in a direction other than straight ahead(thrustline). For a different thread, but just thought I'd mention it, but a dragging brake can also pull the car to one side, as well as a wrong-size tire on one side or a shock or strut that is well past retirement(!). All of this assumes you already made the aforementioned tire pressure checks.

A "leaning" steering wheel - to either side, indicates front toe-in/out issues. The alignment business is very complex. In fact, the only difference between aligning the landing gear of a 747 and aligning your four wheels is the size of the vehicle and the tools required. The principles are a constant.
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