hcaulfield57

iTrader: (1)

For whatever reason I didn't really notice this after my initial test drive, but my steering is all jacked up after installing my Racing Beat front swaybar. It's completely non-centered. The steering angle to move the car left is far smaller than what's required to move the car right. It's like all the on-center play has been transferred to right side of center. I'm trying to narrow down whether it's an issue I created or not. The only thing I could think of is one of two things. 1) My swaybar is rubbing a bit on the left side of the car, maybe that's making it favored towards that side? I can't see how that makes sense, but maybe I need to trim the framerail? 2) When I originally got my alignment done after all the steering stuff, the steering felt a little non-centered as well. It wasn't really noticeable though, so I didn't do anything about it. Maybe now that I've installed polyurethane bushings and the larger sway bar, the non-centered steering is much more noticeable? It's kind of scary and takes away from the otherwise nice steering I've obtained due to the unpredictability of where the steering is going to go.

I don't see how I could have created an alignment issue, but maybe I did. I'm trying to decide if I should go back to the alignment shop or wait until I get my new springs / shocks installed. Any thoughts? I wish I could just do my alignment myself, but my understanding is it's pretty difficult to do a decent job if you do it on your own. It's kind of making me not want to take the car out until I get it sorted, because it's so wonky.

wankel=awesome

Mines been like that for years, and mine was caused by a kid in an alignment shop.

I have taken it back over and over, but everyone who drives it tells me either they dont notice a problem or that its "normal".

Good luck..

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

Alignment is bad. Same thing happened to me and I drove it that way for almost a year before dealing with it.
Get some string and Google doing an alignment with string. It's not hard but it is tedious because you have to put it up
In the air to adjust it each time.

hcaulfield57

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the quick responses guys. Surprised you all have been driving like that, I find it super obnoxious. Well I'm going to take it to the alignment shop and see if they can fix it this week. If they can't, I'll move the steering wheel over a spline I guess. It just kind of makes it funky to drive. I think maybe the thicker bushings I put in exaggerated the effect, because I didn't notice it being this bad before I didn't the suspension work.

RGHTBrainDesign

Did you use adjustable endlinks and set the swaybar at zero preload at ride height?

Classically designed Anti-Roll Bars tax the chassis (something's gotta give) and connect an otherwise INDEPENDENT structure.

What results of this, you may ask? Higher AVERAGE cornering grip, Lower MAXIMUM cornering grip. You also lose that independence from corner to corner, so bumps are drastically more unsettling as one side moves against the other, even if it's tire never physically touched the bump. Totally sucks. Way too many cons to run anti-roll bars (unless you're doing what McLaren just did, which is solve all these drawbacks). Fix geometry, dial spring rates (motion ratios F vs. R), and run a proper damper (properly adjusted, of course).

It's science, not a theory.

hcaulfield57

iTrader: (1)

I'm not sure what you mean. I used the stock endlinks with the bushings supplied by Racing Beat. Those were tightened until I had 1/4" of thread showing on the endlinks. The swaybar brackets (that connect to the chassis) were torqued after the car was lowered and bounced a few times as per the FSM. I've got a bit of rubbing on the driver's side, but I don't see why I would need to trim the frame rail. I couldn't be happier with the new swaybar, the car corners very flat and handles very well in my opinion. Like you mentioned, going over bumps and irregularities on the road is harsher than normal, but this could also be due to the polyurethane bushings all around as well. I'm sure there are better handling cars, but I haven't driven one

RGHTBrainDesign

Swaybar preload -> The steel bar is already being twisted by unequal heights on left and right of the car. This leads to steering (among other things) being unequally balanced. By connecting the bar at ride height without bending it (just lengthening or shortening your endlinks accordingly), your endlinks at the same angles, you'll eliminate this downside of a swaybar. MOST factory cars are non-adjustable, but most people who put on swaybars also lower their car, adding MORE preload to said swaybar.

I'm not going to explain polyurethane. Good luck.

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

All he is saying is to make sure the links are the same length at each end, so one side of the
bar is not under tension thats different from the other side. I still say its mostly an alignment
issue. Also at the same angle as well and look at all this with the full wieght of the car when
down on the ground. Its pretty simple really.

RGHTBrainDesign

The swaybar shouldn't be TORQUED when at ride height. You should be able to disconnect the endlink without having to pull on anything. Preloading a swaybar leads to this EXACT phenomenon that he's referring to.

lastphaseofthis

iTrader: (8)

call some tire shop, most tire sales places can use really nice hunter equipment to get your alignment numbers and because hunter makes it easy to get the numbers they often will check the numbers for free ... hoping they are bad and will then try to sale you an alignment... simply ask for a print out and decline.. come back here with those numbers and i can tell you what nut to rotate on which tie rod and by how many turns/degrees.
some tuners do mail order tunes, this is mail order alignments.

hcaulfield57

iTrader: (1)

Torquing the endlinks or the brackets? Brackets were torqued on ground, endlinks were tightened on jack stands.

Car is at an alignment shop right now, they were wishy washy about centering the steering which I find troubling. If they can't fix it, I'm learning how to do my alignment by myself. I'm so over dealing with shops.

EDIT: Dunno why they were so non-committal about fixing the steering. I was pretty irritated, but when I got the car back it drives perfectly now. The steering is centered, and just my virtue of doing that nearly all the play is gone in the steering. Hopefully I'll be able to go for a drive that's not in traffic soon. The steering felt like it was off by about an inch, feels like a new car now haha.

RGHTBrainDesign

Torquing the sway bar... It's a long bent, steel spring connecting the car laterally...

Any slop you're referring to could easily be altered camber angles (the more negative camber you run, the larger that "deadzone" is due to lacking contact patch) or excessive toe (dulls feel when overly toe'd in, exacerbates bumps/road crown when excessively toe'd out, or even just unbalanced from side to side feels weird).