ROTFLMAO

Hi Guys;

Is it easy to align the steering wheel yourself? The car goes straight just that the wheel is a bit off-center. Is it bad for the car that the steering wheel is this way? Any DIY's? Thanks.

Togobox

Not recommended , you might straight up your steering wheel but it would also moved the toe which will cause tire wear

SCCS2K

[QUOTE=ROTFLMAO,Jul 19 2008, 12:08 PM] Hi Guys;

Is it easy to align the steering wheel yourself?

SIIK2NR

WTF?!... wrong.

Your steering wheel can be adjusted without affecting your alignment.

Tim

SIIK2NR

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showt...=0&#entry612650

SCCS2K

I'm aware it CAN be adjusted. But if his wheel is off-center, it's most likely an alignment he needs, not a steering wheel adjustment. It's just the more common situation.

SIIK2NR

^^

NFRs2000NYC

I agree with SCC. On a car like an s2000 (any sports car) an off center steering wheel means your alignment is off.

I just got mine done. 3.5 degrees of negative camber in the rear FTW!

CoralDoc

You may agree with SCC, but you are both wrong. An off-center steering wheel MAY indicate a bad alignment, but it does not MEAN the alignment is bad. Toe, caster and camber can all be spot-on and the steering wheel can still be off-center. It certainly does mean that the alignment technician did not correctly adjust the steering rod ends to ensure a centered steering wheel.

There are two steps to making sure the steering wheel is correctly centered. First, make sure the steering wheel is close to the center position on the rack. You can accomplish this by jacking up the front of the car and turning the steering wheel all the way to the left and then count the number of turns (and partial turns) to get all the way to the right. Turn the steering wheel back to the left one half that number of turns. The road wheels should be close to straight ahead. If they are not, the steering wheel should be removed and replaced on the steering shaft in a position as close to center as possible. It is very unusual that the steering wheel would need to be moved on the steering column and some people do so to incorrectly solve an issue that should be correctled with adjustments to the steering rack rod ends.

Next, set the car up on an alignment rack. The only setting that affects the center position of the steering wheel is toe. Once you confirm that the correct front toe is set, if the steering wheel is still not centered it's because the individual steering rod ends were not adjusted properly. Toe may be set perfectly, but the tech need only adjust the left and right steering rod ends in opposite directions to maintain the alignment and center the steering wheel. Sometimes this takes a little trial and error to get right, and many shops don't want to take the time to do so.

FormulaRedline

Sorry to bring this back form the dead, but I think it has the best chance of answering my question:

I just got my car aligned last night, but the steering wheel is not quite as centered as I would like. I'd rather not go through the hassle of trying to get the car back to the alignment shop and sit around while they remeasure everything to make a small tweak.

Can I just turn the steering rack rod ends an equal amount in opposite directions to change the wheel position without messing up the rest of the alignment?