[200q20v] Alignments and bushings

[Derek Pulvino]

Hey all,

Work I've recently done includes replacing the sway bar bushings, subframe bushings, inner control arm bushings, steering tie-rod ends, and strut bearings.  While brake shimmy has dissapeared, the car feels much more positive, and tracks well around corners, I'm still getting a hunting feeling in the front end.  I changed tires from front to back (remeber I have two different types of tires on both ends of the car) and while this has made it a little more happy to go straight, it still likes to track grooves.  Problems I can think of are the ball-joints, double checking the preload on the steering rack (I've fiddled with this in the past), and the alignment.  Here's my alignment numbers from after the alignment work:

front left                                      
toe: 0.04                       spec: -0.04    range: 0.08
caster: 1.93                   spec: 0.33     range: 1.67
camber: -0.98                spec:  -1.00   range:  0.00

front right                         
toe: 0.04                      
caster: 1.15
camber: -0.52

cross camber -0.46         spec:  -0.50     range:  0.5
cross caster -0.78           spec:  -1.00     range:  1.00
total toe 0.08                   spec:  -0.08    range:   0.17

rear left: 
camber: -0.40                spec:  -0.50      range:  0.0
toe: 0.1                          spec:  0.00       range:  0.17

rear right
camber: -0.32
toe: 0.10

cross camber: -0.07      spec:  -0.50     range:  0.50
total toe:  0.20               spec:  0.00     range:  0.33
 
By looking at it I can see some of the settings aren't at spec, but appear to be within the range.  Also not sure on the importance of the individual measurements verse the cross or total measurements;  so really I don't know how to interpret this data.  Any other interpretations.   The shop say's it should be ok, but driving it doesn't lead me to agree.  I can also check the other variables (steering rack, ball joints), but want to chase down the aligment issue first.  The other ideas don't seem to me to be real substantial problems.  I did note that ball joint was easier to move by hand than a new one when it was out of the car, but did not find any slop in it, and don't think the steering rack would give that much of a change.  Suggestions?  

Derek