tie rods

Ok..so i got my new rims and tires. Rides awesome. I am still saving up for the struts and springs. But i noticed when i go down the freeway i can turn the steering wheel about 3 inches left and right and the car still stays in a staight line. Is this a problem with the tie rods? or what could it be? My old user name was lwrdcav. This is my new name.

some freeplay is normal, i don't know what would count as excessive, but i would guess i also have about 3 inches freeplay. IMHO the best way to inspect the tierods is get under the car and check for slack while someone turns the wheel side to side.