Hey guys, just wondering if anyone else ran into the same problem as me...

Last summer I bought new wheels and tires and had them put on at a shop where my friend managed. First thing I noticed after driving was that my car tracked left and that the steering wheel was no longer centered and also slightly to the left. Well yesterday I brought my car in to a new shop that has an excellent reputation to correct the problem. They were able to align the steering wheel properly and said that no adjustments were needed to my alignment because according to their machine it was straight. I left the shop and took the car out on the highway. First thing I noticed is that the car felt better then before (they also road force balanced the tires) and the car felt "straight" again...but when I let go of the steering wheel the car slowly tracked left again. I tried different lanes on the highway and still same thing. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't pull you over suddenly, it's gradual...just trying to figure out if this is "normal." If 2 machines say it's straight what can be the problem? Or is there even a problem and I'm just being critical? Has anyone else had this happen?

 

Sounds like you may have a bad tire on your car.
Find someone that will allow you to swap all 4 tires with you for a short test drive.
It's not as common as it used to be but radial tire pull can be a bugger to diagnose.

 

You can try having the fronts remounted on the opposite sides so the rotation is correct and see if it pulls one way or the other. I'd think if it still steers left it's front end related, if right then tire related.

 

I chased this problem for a year and 4 wheel alignments from 2 different places. My code finally came up SWPS steering wheel position sensor. Cost of labor $200 and part $85. Left the shop and as soon as I got up to highway speed 70 mph I had my Corvette back. I took the old SWPS apart and to me the contacts lost their contact. It was black and blue in there. Hope this helps, 2004 with 135,000 miles

 

Good info guys, thanks.

 

Can you be sure that the highway you are on is not "crowned" or beveled at all?

 

what are the alignment numbers?

just because two shops say the alignment is with in specs or straight, does not mean it is straight.

 

I did take that into consideration of the road crown and so did the two alignment techs. They used a part of a highway that they test all cars.
Most roads crown to the right alittle, but the Vette is pulling to the left.
When I read that most Vettes were pulling to the left I figured the SWPS was using the left rear brake to help in a left turn. Confused ,I know I was . Is there someone who can explain the signals between the computer, SWPS and the box under the passenger seat. As I said before the Vette drives like new and just feels right.

 

Interesting...So you swapped it out and it was fine after?

 

In looking at your first post, are you saying the problem started when you got new wheels?


Has the car ever been in an accident?

 

Your question of new wheels is in reference to a steering wheel position sensor that is at the end of the steering column, it is a
variable resistor that sends a signal to other components to make
a reaction on another reaction. It has nothing to do with tires except
at the end of the crash.

 

Since everything looked kosher the shop didn't print out the alignment figures, so maybe I'll give them a call to get them.

No, the car is pretty true and straight.

 

Air Pressure in the tires can make a car pull left or right. You have to make sure the tire pressure is right before you think about anything being wrong.

 

Already checked and they are at the right pressure. I may just bring it back and have one of the tech's take it for a longer drive as it was raining with a lot of traffic when they tested it. It's not really predominant, but I like to have everything working as it should if you know what I mean.

 

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...k-r-and-i.html


This section and a search of SWPS in C5 should give you other paths
to check. I do not think it is your alignment, I just went through this
and it turned out being Electrical. Something to do with active handling,
your discription is exactly what my 2004 Vette was doing. When you take the Vette back to the alignment shop they either say it is set correctly or they set it to compensate for the road crown (like your first alignment) and the second alignment shop finds it is not correct and you start all over. I chased this for a year, it finally got so bad that it had to be the switch, which it was. The Vette tracks and steers
perfectly. I than went to West End Alignment in Gardena,Ca and setting were very close to correct. This should help explain: Active Handling activates when it senses a difference in the yaw rate of the car and where you are pointing the steering wheel. It uses the yaw rate sensor, the lateral g sensor and the steering sensor to do that analysis. If it determines the car is not reacting quickly enough it will apply one of the brakes to get the car to yaw more in the direction you are steering. The worn contacts inside the SWPS are giving an incorrect
signal. If you find something else please let know.

 

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/sear...rchid=23744461

More stuff to read. This is all I can find hope this helps.

 

Jelly Jam this is all great stuff! Much appreciated...I have a busy week, but hopefully going to look into this when I get a chance.

Cheers