Steering/alignment

[JohnnyC]

I am having some steering/alignment issues. My vette pulls to the right on normal driving conditions. I can be on a road, parking lot or highway... let go of the steering wheel and my car wanders to the right immediately. So instead of driving straight down the road, i constantly have to drive in arcs going to the left to correct this. Therefore, it is a battle to keep my car straight.

My steering wheel seems to "settle" at a spot that is not perfectly horizontal. The wheel tends to settle with a slight angle ~ 5 degrees to the right.

Also seems to me to have a dead spot in the middle. There is some play when driving straight, but the turning seems to be crisp.

These are newer Kumho tires from last year. I've had them re-"aligned" by my local mechanic who put them on and the toe was corrected, and the steering wheel is much better, but its still not 100%. I've been "told" the crown of the road a few times... but on the highway? parking lots?

My next stop is to a REAL tire and alignment place, but can anyone advise if i have deeper steering problems. I have +140K milage and most of those are hard NJ miles.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Have the car aligned, first, then road test and report back. Then we can explore any other problems you might have.

Know that with 140,000 miles on the car, an alignment shop may find problems such as worn ball joints, bushings or tie rod ends. All those problems could cause the car to pull right or left and could cause the steering wheel to not be centered.

When they have the car up in the air, have them check the tightness of the bolts which hold the two braces which run from the front X-member to the frame rails.

 

[boomdriver]

I am having some steering/alignment issues. My vette pulls to the right on normal driving conditions. I can be on a road, parking lot or highway... let go of the steering wheel and my car wanders to the right immediately. So instead of driving straight down the road, i constantly have to drive in arcs going to the left to correct this. Therefore, it is a battle to keep my car straight.

My steering wheel seems to "settle" at a spot that is not perfectly horizontal. The wheel tends to settle with a slight angle ~ 5 degrees to the right.

Also seems to me to have a dead spot in the middle. There is some play when driving straight, but the turning seems to be crisp.

These are newer Kumho tires from last year. I've had them re-"aligned" by my local mechanic who put them on and the toe was corrected, and the steering wheel is much better, but its still not 100%. I've been "told" the crown of the road a few times... but on the highway? parking lots?

My next stop is to a REAL tire and alignment place, but can anyone advise if i have deeper steering problems. I have +140K milage and most of those are hard NJ miles.

Also,
don;t waste your time with a standard 2 wheel alignment. To correct a Corvette and its complicated suspension that has many ways to adjust the rear as the front, get a "4 wheel, thrust angle" alignment. Its going to cost more...but it gets the car under control. I think I paid around $250 last time....it was very time consuming but complete.

This process aligns each wheel to the centerline of the car by using the factory specs. Other common methods just do the front wheels and often ignore (or skip) the castor/camber relationship. A loose or misdirected rear end makes guiding the front impossible.

There are lots of shops that have no clue as to how or what goes on with independent suspension systems....but they will ALL say they do, to get you in the door. Demand the 4 wheel alignment...if they cannot do that and give you a print out of before and after, say bye !

 

[WhalePirot]

Can we assume you checked for proper tire inflation?

I've heard good things about Kumho, but also read some bad. I do know I will never buy Dunlop tires for anything after repeated, decades-apart problems. Also had pulling problems from radials that were running 'backwards' from a once-installed position; the belts settling in somehow and causing more rolling resistance when run the other way. The newer radials should not exhibit that trait, supposedly.

I agree with Hib, given the car's mileage and agree that 4-wheel alignment is a must, after all worn parts are ID'd and replaced.

With the wheel deflection to the right and the age/miles, perhaps the rack was replaced and not done correctly.

 

[JohnnyC]

Thanks for the input. I will def look for places that have 4-wheel alignment. my local shop is good and fair, but might not be very skilled with alignment.

Finding a good shop IS hard.

Tire pressure is ok.

As far as the Kumho tires - this is the LAST time i will buy these tires. I am some what limited for All-season selection and chose these simply on price. if you are a 70 yr old grandafther, just look at your corvette in the garage and polish it, then these tires are for you. But in my opinion, they are borderline dangers for anyone that drives at all. I dont drive agressively by any means, but i have no confidence in the tires at all. Rain is dangerous, even slight jump off the time, tire slips.

 

[gmjunkie]

Thanks for the input. I will def look for places that have 4-wheel alignment. my local shop is good and fair, but might not be very skilled with alignment.

Finding a good shop IS hard.

Tire pressure is ok.

As far as the Kumho tires - this is the LAST time i will buy these tires. I am some what limited for All-season selection and chose these simply on price. if you are a 70 yr old grandafther, just look at your corvette in the garage and polish it, then these tires are for you. But in my opinion, they are borderline dangers for anyone that drives at all. I dont drive agressively by any means, but i have no confidence in the tires at all. Rain is dangerous, even slight jump off the time, tire slips.

What Kumho tires do you have?
I have my second set of Kumho ASX all seasons on my 03,I got 57,000 care free miles out of the first set with out even a single flat!!(Allot more than I can say for the GoodYear EMT's!)
My bet is a Good alignment man can work wonders!~!!

PS I'm a Grandpa,But I drive my Corvettes!~!!

 

[boomdriver]

Thanks for the input. I will def look for places that have 4-wheel alignment. my local shop is good and fair, but might not be very skilled with alignment.

Finding a good shop IS hard.

Tire pressure is ok.

As far as the Kumho tires - this is the LAST time i will buy these tires. I am some what limited for All-season selection and chose these simply on price. if you are a 70 yr old grandafther, just look at your corvette in the garage and polish it, then these tires are for you. But in my opinion, they are borderline dangers for anyone that drives at all. I dont drive agressively by any means, but i have no confidence in the tires at all. Rain is dangerous, even slight jump off the time, tire slips.

Ahhhh..don;t blame the tires..Yet !

if the rear end alignment is out, everything you do will make that car break traction and spin. When I had my rear toe rod issue, I was unable to drive over 35mph on wet streets because it tried to hydro-plane...or so I thought.

Whats actually happening is one end of the car is steering with the input from the steering wheel, while the other end is being guided by the out of spec rear wheel alignment...Thats why 4 wheel alignment is sooo very critical on a Corvette. IMO 2 wheel alignment is a total waste of time AND money.

99% of the cars on the road do not require 4 wheel alignment, so the majority of shops are not skilled in doing it. They might be trained, but they just don;t do 'vettes everyday and simply do not understand that the 5 point rear suspension is just as complicated as the steering....or more. The front end does'nt have drive axles trying to twist the wheel in different directions with every movement of the gas pedal....

 

[o2bnkc]

What Kumho tires do you have?
I have my second set of Kumho ASX all seasons on my 03,I got 57,000 care free miles out of the first set with out even a single flat!!(Allot more than I can say for the GoodYear EMT's!)
My bet is a Good alignment man can work wonders!~!!

PS I'm a Grandpa,But I drive my Corvettes!~!!