"Steer Ahead"

Jan 14, 2008 23 Replies

nlimited.newshosting.com:

_______________ I have considered crowning, Teg-, and the issue is here in lower CT the roads have almost no visible crown, unless you squat like a catcher at the edge of the sidewalk and look across the street in question. Now South Jersey, where I vacation often, is another tale. In Wildwood and Avalon, the vehicles opposite myself almost appear to be leaning away from me!

In that case, my Malibu more than adequately tracks straight and true, with almost no input needed to the steeringwheel. One early Wildwood morning(everyone still sleeping off their hangovers) I headed out and deliberately drive left of the double yellow. I'm telling you: I had that steering wheel cranked over to

3'oclock to keep the car from climbing the sidewalk on the lefthand side of the street I was on! If I let it go for even a split second, that car threatened to make a grand entrance into the Carousel Motel or whatever it was.

Point is - that car has crown compensation(or OVERcompensation) BUILT IN. No ordinary alignment adjustments will overcome that much compensation built-in.

If need be, I'll keep 2 extra lbs. pressure in the lefts, until I manage to get the bearings, etc. looked at.

-CC

ChrisCoaster wrote: From my perception, the weight of a driver

That's not always the case. For example, when I was trying to demonstrate to a mechanic that the right balljoint had gone bad, the steering wheel did /not/ turn when braking. Really embarrassed, I left, only to have the steering pull on braking on my way home. His weight in the passenger seat had prevented the loose balljoint from playing during the test.

It could be your tires. I went thru the same thing, multiple alignments and even had the steering box adjusted. Then I replaced the firestone tires with Michelin and the vehicle stopped drifting badly to the right and tracked dead center down the road.

@unlimited.newshosting.com:

Our infrastructure has moved past the days of "Two-Lane Blacktop" ie the majority of roads having a center crown. Ideally with modern roads, the car should be set with even readings on both sides, or near that, *and* drive straight on relatively flat surfaces, or there is another culprit at play. I'm not saying that a cross camber or cross caster adjustment within reason can't be made to correct a slight drift -- just that a significant pull has a cause and should have a remedy. It may be beyond an average tech w/ basic alignment machine to spot if it is an advanced wheel geometry or frame issue. It may even be a bent component that doesn't affect geometry, such as a sway bar, which could be loading the suspension unevenly. It could be two bad tires both on the left side, so that your rotation showed no improvement.

I saw the comment about adding 1 psi earlier, and couldn't help but giggle. If you are compensating for a pull, a 1 or 2 psi differential will likely have no noticeable effect.

Toyota MDT in MO

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required