hit a curb a while back front passenger back in 05
replaced the following:
crossmember
inner/outer tie rod
lca
endlink
steering rack
tc rod bracket was slightly bent but i left it. tc rods looked ok, starting to rip but still ok.
after a while got a used rack, alignment and etc.
the steering seems slightly stiffer than before. if i try to change lanes the wheel gives more than usual force to try to center back. if i turn and let go of the wheel, the wheel can go back to the center faster than normal (usually u’d see the wheel slowly go to the center and sometimes not center 100% sometimes if you are going slow. mine will go back to the center in an instant)
whats up? could it be the steering rack?
could it be the tc rods/tc rod bracket.
i got new tc rods and want to get a nismo brace to replace everything.
i could never figure out this problem to this day.
could it be my shock towers or something? car drives fine, got alignment, doesnt wander much.
is your boot covering the inner tie rod still on there? my steering felt like it was half power steering and half manual steering for a while but i got my inners replaced and new boots put on them ( there was dirt and shit in there) and that made a huge difference
my caster is wack. not sure what stock settings were b4 the accident but presently they are
7.3 left
6.8 right
i’m pretty sure the boots are still covering them. if ur old boots weren’t on before and then you got them on, what happend to all the dirt and etc that got into the rack prior to replacing the boots?
well if your caster is dialed in higher than usual, it may affect your steering feel being more hard to maneuver.
At least for me, one thing I notice is if I make the front dampening stiffer the steering wheel becomes a bit stiffer too (a tiny bit harder to turn, but more accurate).
The last thing is bigger wheels/tires but that is not your case. Another thing is maybe more unsprung weight? I don’t know… I’m just guessing the usual things I hear of.
Ah well that’s all I know, hopefully someone else answers better.
yeah man, if your caster is messed, that is your problem… think of it like a retard with a raked out harley and how hard/dangerous they are to turn. Then think about a shopping cart and how the castors on those work. Now think about having one wheel having the hog setup, and one having the shopping cart setup. KInda far stretch but you get the jist of it.
I’d recomend going to a high end suspension shop to figure out what is wrong.
I suggest you do a proper alignment on your car if you haven’t done so. Wheel & Tire Zone is probably the best place imo. They did it on my car and it was spot on.
edit: The reason I posted this is because the 5-6 different places I’ve been to didn’t do it right and I knew it was off eventhough the car did go straight. The steering just didn’t feel right somehow.
Speaking of high end suspension shops, what kind of shops are out there that can do good alignments, lift lowered cars (you’d be surprised how many shops couldn’t lift mine and it’s only a 1.5" drop) counter weighing, etc…? People who you can discuss with what you want on the car, whether you want more/less toe, caster, camber, etc… and that can give suggestions/test the car, whatever. What’s out there shop-wise honestly I don’t know? Canadian tire and a bunch of other speers road shops couldn’t do it. Only one michelin shop could (they had a bunch of porsches/modified lowered cars). None of them could lift the damn car because it was ‘too low’ :rolleyes:.
actually, i did go to wheel and tire zone and it messed it up in the first place.
after getting my alignment done there, thats when i felt the stiffness.
the first time my wheel was crooked so they fixed it. when it was fixed i felt it but thought nothing of it at the time. later on, i thought they messed with my rack because on each rack, there is a pressure regulator which can also change the setting of the stiffness of the rack (shouldn’t be touched). thats why i’ve wanted to switch racks to see if thats the case.
the guy also said it could be my power steering pump but i didn’t notice anything really wrong with it. if the car goes nice and straight, how can the alignment be really off or affect your steering? please shed some light so maybe i can find a better shop.
but for now, i do my alignments at OK Tire. the guy that does it did rally stuff etc etc. he does the alignment to spec how i want it (even tho its stock but lucidsnow goes there and he does it to spec for him)
hey Theo, where can i find high end suspension shops? everyone claims there a high end suspension shop now a days.
EDIT: does anyone know stock caster settings for an s14? i wonder if 1 degree would make that difference. my highest is 7.3. if stock was 6 that would be somewhat significant?
I know Wheel & Tire Zone did a good alignment on my car. Also people say OK Tire by Kipling & Dundas is good too. And oddly enough Sherway Nissan did a good job on my alignment. They knew exactly what to do with the multilinks.
ok tire is the best ive gone to… exact spec u want he makes it to the dot for me… be it 0 toe all around camber same to the dot … it wont be .1 different but i paid a lil bit more then a usual 80$ alignment
The only other thing to consider is that your car was way out of spec in the first place. What you’re feeling is actually “spec” and you were just used to the looseness.
I’ve always gone to crown, but I’ve never requested anything too fancy other than make sure it steers straight.
As far as I’m concerned there are no “perfect” alignment settings for a street driven car.
There may be benchmarks, but that doesn’t necessarily reflect your driving style, or take into account existing modifications. You should really just try and get as close to stock spec as your setup will allow.
A race alignment, which is best for handling (again, set up to your preferences, and for the track you plan to run on) is pointless on the street. You’ll never be driving to the extremes necessary to actually be operating within the range your suspension is set up for, and you’ll wear out your expensive rubber a lot faster.
well my car before the accident steered straight. ive test drove 2-3 other s14s and they all feel identical.
only thing that would make a difference is steering rack bushings, which i think mine are still oem.
o well, when i change things like my tc rod, nismo brace then coils and that all doesn’t do anything, i will just swap in a new rack when i get tie rods.
