[s-cars] I'm ready to SELL if I can't fix the WANDERING problem!!!

[CLAG500 at aol.com]

Nic,

  One thing you can try is the steering rack adjustment. There is a 10 mm
adjustment screw on the passenger's side of the rack. I adjusted mine by
wiggling the steering wheel back and forth and gradually tightening the screw
a small fraction of a turn each time until there was no slop in the steering.
I could actually hear a little bit of a rattle until it was tight.  If you
get it too tight the steering wheel won't return to center on it's own. Just
turn the screw a tiny bit at a time. This might help at least get it
tolerable. These cars do wander on rutted pavement though. I think it has to
do with there being very little caster built into the suspension.

Chad Tobin

In a message dated 5/10/03 10:03:06 AM Central Daylight Time,
spedrcr at attbi.com writes:

> There must be a secret I am missing. Please help me!! A little background.
>  '93 S4
>  76,000 miles
>  Seattle, WA roads
>  H&R V8's with Bilstein Sports-switching to Eibachs soon
>  Bolero's with 235/45/17 SO-3's-heavy
>  38psi cold front
>  33.5 psi cold rear
>  1 degree negative camber-left and right-front
>  0.08" toe IN-left and right front
>  1/2 degree negative camber-left and right-rear
>  0.11" toe IN-left and right-rear
>  complete front end bushing rebuild w/ all subframe mounts
>  all nuts and bolts rechecked after 1,000 miles
>
>  Oh yeah, and a ton of wandering. I don't dare drink a beer and drive. I
>  might get pulled over by the local long arm of the law. The biggest
positive
>  difference I saw is when I went to the tire pressures you see above. I sold
>  my Kumho 712's and went to the SO-3's on a reccomendation that the
>  Bridgestone's don't wander, in comparison. A little better. Three
alignments
>  in the past year and a half and I can't drive over small cracks in the road
>  without endangering children on the sidewalk. Car has never been hit or
>  re-arranged. What am I missing? My GTI VR6 with 3 degrees negative camber
>  and toe out drives straighter than this thing. Feel free to email directly
>  with your words of encouragement and rays of light shining the path towards
>  a straight driving, no need to look out for the car in the next lane, wife
>  no longer laughing/swearing at me, can take clients in the car again, UrS4.
>
>  Nic