QUESTION: Adjusting steering wheel on 02 WRX

This can be corrected with a proper wheel alignment. The centering of the wheel is adjusted via the tie rods. You could try it yourself, but it's best to let an alignment shop do it on the rack so all the settings can be checked and verified. Messing with the tie rods will also affect the toe settings. Also note that the steering rack bushings on the WRX are a bit on the soft side, and as a result the wheel may not always be centered especially right after a turn (this is referred to as "memory steer"). Also depending on whether you have stock or aftermarket wheels/tires there may be some sensitivity to crowned roads.

Thanks. I'll mention it at the next service point.

I'd be surprised if the alignment of the wheels were off - I'm noticing no uneven tire wear...

It's possible that everything else is ok, just that the physical centering of the wheel is off. But it's important to have it adjusted correctly so the wheel gets centered and nothing else changes.

On Fri, 10 Feb 2006 18:22:08 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@x.files wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

I have owned 2 cars that had steering wheels not aligned with the wheels when pointed straight ahead. Both were bought used with unknown histories. I lived with one being tilted for the entire time I owned the car.

One garage offered to 'centre' the wheel by removing the bolts on the steering wheel and adjusting it, but the shop who did a proper wheel alignment after getting some suspension work done shook their heads when I told them what had already been tried.

The problem is not that the wheels were out of alignment. It is that the mechanic performing the alignment (after work on the front end of the car) put the tie rods back together without consulting the steering wheel, leaving it off-centre.

I would be surprised if a car came from the factory (especially Japanese) with the steering wheel mis-aligned. It might be a sign of damage or defect which was fixed before the car was delivered.

Other than cosmetics and some arguable ergonomic problems, having the wheel tilted has no consequences. Although maybe if there's an airbag, it might be a safety issue in the case of deployment.

I agree. It is merely a question of placating my OCD.

I did that to a Chevy I had when I was a kid. The steering wheel centered just fine, but the turn signal canceling cams no longer agreed with the wheel. I didn't notice that so much when the wheel was crooked, but with the wheel straightened it was frustrating. Weird, huh?

Mike