MSG C5

I swapped out my wheels/tires last year and thought it would be a good idea to have an alignment performed with my 10 year maintenance.

Prior to the alignment, I did not notice any pull and the steering wheel was locked in straight. After the alignment, I noticed that the steering wheel C5 logo was locked in about the 11:30 postion (meaning in order to keep the car driving straight, the steering wheel had to be tilted slightly to the driver's left or 11:30 from a clock perspective.

The shop put the car back on the alignment lift and showed me the computer screen where it desplayed an arrow in red that shows the dead center alignment. However when on the dead center alignment, the steering wheel is off to the left.

Isn't it a two-step process whereas they align the wheels/suspension and then adjust the steering wheel if necessary?

BTW - the work was performed by a dealership. I won a $100 service coupon at a local Corvette Club C7 event and decided to use it for an oil/fluids change/alignment.

I guess I got what I paid for!

Corvette_Ed

Aren't they supposed to adjust to account for the slope on the average road? That might be the difference.

MSG C5

I had it aligned after I swapped out my original OEM wheels and lowered on stock bolts back in 2006 and the steering wheel was perfectly straight. It was also perfectly straight when I brought the car in prior to the alignment.

Dave-A

Keep taking it back until it is correct. Does not matter what the computer screen shows, it should be perfect on the road or they did not do it correctly.

MSG C5

I'm just trying to figure out what the correct process is. I've been in cabs before where the steering wheel is way off center. So, isn't it a two-step process where the steering wheel alignment is separate from the actual wheel base alignment? There has to be a point where the wheel base is aligned which then allows for your to position the steering wheel correctly. I think they're missing a step. I was in the car when they showed the alignment screen with the arrow in the red/center and the steering wheel was off. I'm thinking, OK, the alignment is complete, now adjust the steering wheel.

El original

Not right...take it back.

Blackkaz04

Hopefully someone will chime in that actually knows if the wheel can be adjusted....I know I would always adjust my jeep steering wheel after every alignment.

mrr23

You can call it a two step process yes. You first adjust the rear camber and toe. Then you adjust the camber and caster up front. Once those two angles are correct, you then set toe. When correcting toe you set the steering wheel level and hold it in place with a steering wheel holder. Set individual left and right toe to specs. Recheck steering wheel levelness. Test drive them return to customer.

If you let the steering wheel go, does it still drive straight or does it drift to the right? Post up the after specs of the alignment so I can review it.

Signed
The alignment guy.

mrr23

I see you are in the sunshine state
Get a refund, take a cruise and let me take care of it. Here are a few recommendations from right here on the forums.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/southeast/2995286-please-recommend-an-alignment-shop-in-orlando.html

Mr.Bill

If your wheel if not centered the tech didn't know what he was doing, I would take it back, That would bother the hell out of me, Also you might find that your car will drift to the right just a little if done right, That is a safety thing so if you fall asleep at the wheel the car has a less chance going left into on-coming traffic.

wamara

MSG,
I believe you are thinking along the correct lines. Last time I had mine aligned, the tech did his thing with the wheels, then when he was done adjusting them, he asked me to verify if the steering wheel was correctly positioned or if he needed to move/adjust it before he wrapped things up, so yea, they are sort of independent steps. Hope this makes sense, and good luck.

mrr23

That is not a safety thing. That is an excuse the tech gives when he can't compensate for road crown. With all angles equal, it will drift to the right due to the crown of the roads. Roads are slanted to the right to evacuate rain water off the highways.

Oh not to mention all that drifting to the right will cause premature wear to the front tires.

You want the right front caster to be about 0.30* higher to offset that.

mrm13

Since you seem to know exactly what you are doing, I hope you don't mind I ask you. I put wide fenders on my C5 and now I am putting 30mm spacers on each side. Do I need to compensate for the wider track of the car compared to the factory settings? I am not doing the alignment and know nothing about it. But what do I need to tell my guy who is doing it?
Any help is appreciated and sorry for the highjack.

mrr23

14 years of running an alignment/suspension shop is my qualifications. You can still use factory specs. Pushing tires outwards tends to make the camber go more negative.

Tell the person doing the alignment to be as close to specs as possible. Make camber equal on both sides and set caster about 0.30* higher on the right. Set toe to specs.

smiley callender

I think I would bring it to mrr23 he seems to know what he is talking about vette99

racebum

a car that drives straight means absolutely nothing

find someone who knows how to do an alignment properly, it's very easy on a c5 honestly.

you should get a print out similar to this when it's done

this is with me sitting in the car

edit.,.. for some reason this picture never attached

3sACROWD

As other stated, it wasn't done right. The steering wheel should be level. I'm surprised you're not getting codes for the steering wheel position sensor being out of place.

Corvette_Ed

This is what I was talking about in my earlier post; adjusting the alignment to account for the standard road slope. Thanks for this info; now I know what to say the next time someone asks.

wcsinx

This

Whoever did your alignment is a moron. Even if the track is set correctly, it doesn't mean your steering wheel is aligned. They most likely performed toe adjustments without centering and securing the steering wheel first.

mrr23

Or their machine is out of calibration. A sensor could have slipped out of place on the wheel. Or the guy has a vision problem?