Steering wheel, not aligned

A front-end alignment will correct it. Point out the problem when you take the car to the alignment specialist so that it gets special attention.

I've heard that called a 5-wheel alignment.

Hahahhahaha. I suppose if the service writer were angling for a way to get more money out of the job that he would sell you on that silly notion.

Get an alignment or if no tire wear exhibited --- then adjust each outer tie rod the same amount (# of threads) until alinged --- or simply pull steering wheel and turn a spline or 2 til aligned.

(a) Many if not most steering wheels are not splined to the steering stem that permit repositioning the steering wheel.

(b) On steering racks that have a progressive ratio between the rack and pinion (or worn and sector gear as in parallelogram steering), it is highly UNdesirable to operate away from true center.

(c) Finally, the number of threads showing at the tire rods is a very unreliable way of setting toe or centering the steering wheel. Good grief.

I seemed to have an alignment problem on my '97 Camry, as it seemed to tend to pull to the right. The tires were the typical no-name brand that were one it when I bought the car. The tires wore evenly, but their tread was near end of safe life and Costco had a good sale on Michelins. The car tracks as straight as an arrow.

I never would have thought that tires that otherwise looked evenly worn and rode smoothly would affect tracking that much.

And wow, is that V6 sweet! Smooth and effortless, and it gets 29 mpg on sustained highway trips even at 70 or above.

Brian

B.F. wrote: