Steering wheel off center
09-02-2016, 10:10 PM
#1
Drifting
Thread Starter
Steering wheel off center
My wheel is slightly off center and it's driving me nuts. Contemplating what to do..... Bring it to my small town dealer and risk them screwing up the alignment, or simply pull the steering wheel off myself and clock it over a notch or two on the splines. Would there be any ill effect from doing this?
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speedraider (07-19-2019)
09-02-2016, 10:45 PM
#3
My wheel is slightly off center and it's driving me nuts. Contemplating what to do..... Bring it to my small town dealer and risk them screwing up the alignment, or simply pull the steering wheel off myself and clock it over a notch or two on the splines. Would there be any ill effect from doing this?
sometimes when the car is tied down to tight on the delivery truck it can knock the front end out.have a 4 wheel alinement done and it should fix it.i have seen new cars at the dealer with steering wheels off a lot.
09-03-2016, 05:22 AM
#4
Melting Slicks
These days there are no splines to adjust a wheel. Your front toe got messed up. Definitely go get aligned. Does it pull to a side while driving (if you make the wheel straight)? If that doesn't work, swap the front tires/wheels to the other side. If the wheel is better or canted the other way it's a tire. I had a bad tire with radial pull that gave me a canted steering wheel even after 4 alignments.
Last edited by spearfish25; 09-03-2016 at 05:25 AM.
09-03-2016, 02:27 PM
#6
Le Mans Master
The steering wheel is splined, and retained by a single bolt, but it's also keyed, and isn't the right way to fix it. This would be a suspension alignment issue as people say above, and that's the right way to fix it.
If it was a '69 Impala you could crawl under it and and spring the tie rod ends. But I'd imagine the Z06 warrants a more sophisticated alignment approach...
If it was a '69 Impala you could crawl under it and and spring the tie rod ends. But I'd imagine the Z06 warrants a more sophisticated alignment approach...
Last edited by davepl; 09-03-2016 at 02:28 PM.
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69 Vette (09-04-2016)
07-17-2019, 02:46 AM
#10
Melting Slicks
An alignment should be on your annual to-do list. For those who drive their cars every day throughout the winter, March is a good target date to correct any winter pothole ventures. For those who own garage queens, March is also a good time to make them ready for a new driving season. If not your dealership, find an alignment shop you trust and stay with them.
07-17-2019, 11:08 AM
#11
The dealer alignment process includes an 'electronic zero'ing' of the wheel position, separate from the actual mechanical adjustment. My dealership had to 'tweak' the wheel-centering after an alignment which left the wheel slightly off center. The car wasn't 'pulling', but the steering wheel was slightly turned when driving straight. Who knew?
07-17-2019, 02:10 PM
#12
Le Mans Master
Get a wheel alignment ant tell them about the steering wheel problem.
07-17-2019, 03:09 PM
#13
Melting Slicks
OR....
Set the steering wheel straight, measure distance between tread blocks on front of tire, then the same at the rear of the front tires. Adjust tie rods to make the measurements even. Steering wheel is now straight (assuming you arent fighting camber pull or road crown or something else)
Set the steering wheel straight, measure distance between tread blocks on front of tire, then the same at the rear of the front tires. Adjust tie rods to make the measurements even. Steering wheel is now straight (assuming you arent fighting camber pull or road crown or something else)