WRX04WRB

iTrader: (10)

I went to firestone for alignment and here is the result. WRX 2004

_______________Left | Right | Specific Range
Camber________ -0.5 | -0.5 | -1.2 0.3
Caster__________ 3.0 | 3.3 | 2.8 4.3
Toe___________ -0.01 | 0.02 | -0.13 0.13
SAI ___________ 14.4 | 10.6 | 13.8 15.3
Included Angle __13.8 | 10.0 | 12.7 15.7

I have them put on alignment machine 4 times but I the alignment still feel very weird.
it drive straight but feel slightly unstable and also to make car go straight I have to turn my steering wheel left slightly. When get the steering to correct angle then car does not pull to the side even when braking hard...

They said that I must have bent something to get right side suspension to be so off...

Does any one have any suggestion? what can I do to find out what's wrong with the car. Or is there any place in bay area that I can go to have this check out.
alignment shop close to speed elements say over the phone that control arm might be bend also.

Thanks

johndabrit

iTrader: (31)

your steering wheel may be off center. Mine is by a few cm. but the alignment otherwise is perfect. You need a really good shop is all. They can answer the questions for you. The shop i like is in NAPA so i dont know if you would wanna make the trip but they did my lowered M3 which had impossible camber. Hy-Fy- muffler is the place. Red neck owned but the results are great.

WRX04WRB

iTrader: (10)

Thanks for reply johndabrit,

can the steering wheel be corrected? does alignment shop do this?
And my SAI is way off the chart on right wheel. also caster from left is right is pretty big different. would those cause problem?

I started autox recently and will be doing track so want to make sure car is in good condition.

johndabrit

iTrader: (31)

the steering wheel being off center is easy to correct. Just make sure that you dont leave the premises without testing it.. drive it on flat ground and see if the steering wheel wants to lean. If you leave the lot they will tell you that you could have hit a pot hole and thrown it off or something. It's a bit tough to get it perfect but a good shop can do this no problem. As far as the caster being off... here is how caster works.. (it could definitely explain your straight tracking issue.

Caster:

Positive caster improves straight line tracking because the caster line (the line drawn through the steering pivot when viewed from the side) intersects the ground ahead of the contact patch of the tire. Just like a shopping cart caster, the wheel is forced behind the pivot allowing the vehicle to track in a straight line. The good news is that most modern cars only have adjustments for toe. Caster and camber went the way of the dodo thanks to the McPherson strut.

If this is the case, then why did most cars have negative caster specs prior to 1975 ? There are a couple of reasons for this. In those days, people were looking for cars that steered as light as a feather, and cars back then were not equipped with radial tires. Non-radial tires had a tendency to distort at highway speed so that the contact patch moved back past the centerline of the tire (Picture a cartoon car speeding along, the tires are generally drawn as egg-shaped). The contact patch generally moves behind the caster line causing, in effect, a positive caster. This is why, when you put radial tires on this type of car, the car wanders from side to side and no longer tracks straight. To correct this condition, re-adjust the caster to positive and the car should steer like a new car.

dogcatfud

iTrader: (2)

Your car may or may not have this problem. But read on if you want.

The 2002-2004 WRX has soft/rubbery steering rack bushings. They compress as you turn but don't fully decompress after the turn. This causes the steering wheel to be slightly off center even though the car drives straight after the turn. The steering wheel is biased in the direction of your last turn. It is called "memory steer".

I spent lots of time and money pulling the front struts and getting alignments, but my steering wheel was still crooked. Then I did research and discovered the memory steer issue. I replaced the OEM bushings with Whiteline. Then I got an alignment at Vex Motorsports in San Jose. Now my steering wheel is always straight, even after making hard turns.

johndabrit

iTrader: (31)

I've never been to Vex before but that would be a much closer drive for you than Napa for sure. Dunno how much vex would charge for the parts but found them here for 40 bucks
http://www.hptmotorsports.com/whitel...__0409_sti.php

dogcatfud

iTrader: (2)

I bought my Whiteline bushings from Turn-In-Concepts. The install was a bit frustrating for the driver side (square) bushing due to the proximity of the power steering lines.

I didn't notice any improvement in steering response but it fixed the memory steer problem, which is what I wanted in the first place.

WRX04WRB

iTrader: (10)

Thanks so much! this definitely help.
I'll go to get my steering correct this weekend before UFO event. I was considering whiteline steering rack a while ago, i'll give it a shot if the issue still continue after adjustment.