Steering wheel not centered when going straight.

[doritoking]

I've been noticing that the steering wheel is tilted slightly to the right when going straight. After about 2900 miles, all 4 tires are about equal wear at roughly 4/32". Given the tire wear doesn't seem uneven, is it safe to assume the alignment is in spec, it's just the steering wheel wasn't centered during the alignment?

I actually had the exact same issue in Focus RS when I got it new and it was re-centered under warranty, but I'm trying to avoid bringing in the Mach 1 (due to covid) if the alignment is ok.

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[dhborden]

Mine was/is fine but this is one of the things to follow up on, just like the dealer leaving in the shipping blocks or not bringing the tire pressures down to 32 psi. Make the dealer get it right while there's no question about warranty or you having driven too many miles and encountering something that caused the alignment to go out.

 

[sakman84]

You are right to consider both factors, it could be either

If the tires are wearing even, I'd assume its in spec and it is the steering wheel itself that is off.

I doubt there would be any COVID risk at all bringing it in for service. It is good practice to periodically lightly wash your wheel and touch points with mild soap and water anyways.

I do any time the car comes out of service as some mechanics put there greasy hands on the wheel ect, it bugs me and you can see the dirt and grime come off into the washing cloth.

 

[dirtwarrior]

a front end alignment will fix it

 

[doritoking]

The covid thing is more my local dealership isn't allowing anyone to stay and wait, so having to arrange a ride to/from the dealership would pretty much be the cost of just paying an independent shop for an alignment

 

[sakman84]

The covid thing is more my local dealership isn't allowing anyone to stay and wait, so having to arrange a ride to/from the dealership would pretty much be the cost of just paying an independent shop for an alignment

ugh what a pain, sorry to hear that. Talk about beyond inconvenient!

 

[dhborden]

The covid thing is more my local dealership isn't allowing anyone to stay and wait, so having to arrange a ride to/from the dealership would pretty much be the cost of just paying an independent shop for an alignment

My Ford dealer in Virginia and in Mass. don't have such restrictions. I'm not sure why they're clinging to it when they could just require masks if they want a margin of safety for employees and customers who want to wait.

 

[doritoking]

I drove around slowly in a few different parking lots and garages today. When i let go of the wheel it always centers onto the same spot slightly tilted to the right, but the car goes straight.

If they just eyeball the steering wheel when aligning in the factory I could see how it becomes this way? Strange that it’s been tilted the same way for both consecutive ford cars I purchased.

I ordered a tire depth gauge to check more accurately for any uneven wear. I was just eyeballing with a penny but all 4 tires seemed to have roughly matching depth in all the tread grooves

 

[melwff]

Did you check the tire pressure, both sides are the same when completely cold?

 

[doritoking]

Did you check the tire pressure, both sides are the same when completely cold?

Yea i check my tire pressure before driving every day and they’re at 33 psi cold all around. When i took delivery the front right was 42psi while all the others where in the mid-high 30’s

 

[doritoking]

The tread depth gauges arrived and it’s an even 4/32” middle and inside of the fronts, and 5/32 middle and inside of the rears. If there was uneven wear from alignment i’d think it would be pretty severe after 2900 miles on these cup 2’s.

I’m beginning to suspect it might be road crown. I noticed today driving up a parking garage the wheel was tilted to the right, but driving back down the wheel was tilted to the left at an equivalent angle. The roads around me must be excessively crowned towards the left. It’s difficult to test because where I live flat roads do not exist.

 

[Atlas1]

The tread depth gauges arrived and it’s an even 4/32” middle and inside of the fronts, and 5/32 middle and inside of the rears. If there was uneven wear from alignment i’d think it would be pretty severe after 2900 miles on these cup 2’s.

I’m beginning to suspect it might be road crown. I noticed today driving up a parking garage the wheel was tilted to the right, but driving back down the wheel was tilted to the left at an equivalent angle. The roads around me must be excessively crowned towards the left. It’s difficult to test because where I live flat roads do not exist.

Hopefully it is just the road. I know here it would be almost impossible to check if my car was pulling one way or the other because the road surfaces are horrendous.

 

[melwff]

To my knowledge camber being off will cause uneven wear but toein being off will cause feathering across the thread and the wheel being off center.
Find a 4 lane road and drive in the left lane to confirm whether or not you have an issue.

 

[doritoking]

To my knowledge camber being off will cause uneven wear but toein being off will cause feathering across the thread and the wheel being off center.
Find a 4 lane road and drive in the left lane to confirm whether or not you have an issue.

hard to tell visually if there’s any feathering since the cup’s don’t really have much of a tread pattern, but running my fingers across the grooves it doesn’t seem like there’s any sharp or soft edges.

i don’t have any flat or straight roads anywhere near me but usually if i’m on a straight stretch of the road and let go of the wheel the car goes straight with the steering wheel slight tilted right until the next rut or groove in the road shoots it to the side.

there is one road that’s noticeably crowned to the right because I can see the car is leaning to the right looking at the hood while driving. On that road the steering wheel is pretty much dead on straight but i have to hold the wheel to prevent the car from following the crown.

is the factory alignment assuming most roads will be crowned to the right significantly?

 

[JFK9]

I've been noticing that the steering wheel is tilted slightly to the right when going straight. After about 2900 miles, all 4 tires are about equal wear at roughly 4/32". Given the tire wear doesn't seem uneven, is it safe to assume the alignment is in spec, it's just the steering wheel wasn't centered during the alignment?

I actually had the exact same issue in Focus RS when I got it new and it was re-centered under warranty, but I'm trying to avoid bringing in the Mach 1 (due to covid) if the alignment is ok.

My Focus RS had the same issue. Glad to know it wasn't only me.

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