Thread update after this weekend Hi guys, I have increased the steering lock on my e36 so much that the front tires keep hitting the inner fenders. Is it possible that this will end up in a crooked steering wheel? Because I have gotten it aligned several times but after I drive it a while it will always end up with the same crooked steering again. I also tried to check for bent front struts but I just unbolted the 3 top bolts from the strut and then changed the orientation of it and then I bolted it back again and noticed no change? Is this a proper way to check if the front struts are bent or do I really need to swap sides on them to notice a difference? EDIT: 26 okt. I swapped front struts no change. Will visit different alignment garage and set the total rear toe to 020 this time instead of 010 as well.
Has the steering wheel been off? Definitely same amount of turns lock to lock? Do your tyres match on the front? Where are you getting it done? Hitting the inner arches shouldn't affect the alignment.
Yes the steering wheel is off to the left side, however the car is pulling to the right a tiny bit. It is very annoying, next weekend I will try to swap both the front struts because I have had some small accidents but nothing I should be worried about or at least so I thought. Next time I will have to try a different garage to get it aligned at as well because I just do not trust them anymore.
Honestly it shouldn't matter I had the crooked steering wheel before that, but the struts swap and an alignment at a different place should sort things out hopefully.
It is down to the place that did the alignment to not only set the front toe but also align the steering wheel, not many places bother with it which is frustrating as its obviously the first thing you notice when you jump in. If you've not banged it since you had it aligned i'd take it back.
It has been a while and they did align the steering wheel but I guess after driving it for a while some of the tires might have worn crooked and that must have caused the steering wheel to be off. Honestly I can not remember for sure if it was before or after I had it aligned but I did scuff a lightpost once after flying off a roundabout, and recall seeing no damage which I thought was odd, unless it hit the wheel somehow but I could not see any damage on the wheel either. Anyway I might know more this weekend. Otherwise I will just order the Driftworks lock kit before aligning again because the alignment isn't free either so better make it count. Other options that might have caused this were the junkyard lower control arms which I might have gotten 1 e30 and the other an e36 but I will swap them over this weekend just to be sure anyway.
100% tyre wear won't cause steering wheel/tracking to be out, the other way around sure. You must have knocked it out hitting something pal.
Check the camber if it's pulling to the right make sure you don't have more neg on the left as it will push it that way , you should centre the rack set steering wheel straight and then set confined toe then , and make sure it's true front to back ,
I have problems with my e36 as well. I have camber/caster tops on kw coilovers in my m3. Front wheels scrub on lock in the front guards. I think its from too much caster? Have you checked the rear bushes in your LCA's? I clipped a gutter once being silly and busted that rear bush. Got some extra caster bushes fitted and with the caster tops pulled all the way back I get pretty bad scrubbing and the car is twitchy as in a straight line. Wants to walk all over the road. Thinking I need a new allignment and stand the struts back up straight again?
Not sure bro, those alignment places are dodgy as fuck. They will never tell you if something is wrong with your car they just align it as good as they can and tell you to fuck off.
If it's got a welded diff make sure you have even tread, same sized, matching brand tyres on the rear
I am starting to think the new Topran tie rod ends that I got are bending to easily, causing the alignment to be off.
Well as it turns out, if you drift a lot of roundabouts then one tire wears more then the other and the steering wheel starts to get crooked. So because my tires are not directional I swapped sides and it is fine now? I actually swapped tires before but I guess those were also worn unevenly...
