More..on Centering the Steering Wheel (archive)

Most US roads and hiways have a minimum of 6/10's (7.2 inches, 180 MM) of a foot of crown to shed water quickly. But, SOME roads are relatively flat. Alignments are performed on a level surface. For this reason, when alignments are done, the customer has a decision to make about their vehicles desired driving characteristics.

I want my alignment specs to be symetrical side to side (better handling) along with a final adjustment being a slight (1/4 inch?) adjustment of the steering wheel to the right. The car would run straight on a fairly flat road, but would drift to the right on most roads and hiways. This is (in the US anyway) safer in the sense that if you for whatever reason (SLEEP, ALCOHOL, HEART ATTACKS)let go of control of the wheel, head-on collisions may be avoided..you drift off the road to the right, and just kill yourself instead..! I prefer to "hold" my car on the crown with slight left pressure, at which time the steering wheel is straight (since I purposely "mis-adjusted it to the right slightly).

Other people may want the car to hold a straight path on a crowned road, and have a straight steering wheel with no input front the driver. This can be done with asymetrical adjustments to the camber/caster, but the car will drift left on a flat road, and offer unusual handling characteristics.

Randy H.

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