My first problem: Steering Wheel
 

I've had my RX-8 almost three weeks now and I've noticed since I got it that my steering wheel pointed slightly to the left when moving straight forward. It has been getting more noticable the past few days.

Anyone know what could cause this? Do you think it's covered under warranty? I guess I'll be dropping it off at the dealer later this week... :confused:

I don't know the cause but its the single biggest pet peave I have when it comes to cars. You never stop noticing it either since your hands and eyes are always there.

I think that is usually wheel alignment which causes that. Does the car pull to one side as well?

It wasn't until the past few days. It now pulls slightly to the right. I'm hoping this is something easy for the dealer to fix.

Yah it certainly sounds like an alignment problem. You're steering to the left to compensate for the pull to the right. It only takes hitting a curb or sharply hitting a pot hole on one side of the car to put the alignment out. On the other hand, shouldn't be a big deal for the shop to put right again.

it is probably an alignment problem but save yourself some embarassment and the hassle of a dealer visit:

check the tire pressures first!!!


while you are at it, check the oil level.

Apropos of that sage advice, a tip for folks who may not have driven a torsen-equipped car before:

If you notice that the car pulls slightly to one side under acceleration and to the other side on trailing throttle, you most likely have a rear tire going flat. If it pulls right under acceleration, the right rear needs air; if it pulls left under acceleration, the left rear needs air.

The pull is due to the slight decrease in rolling radius of an underinflated tire, and the tendency of a torsen to want to drive both wheels at the same speed.

Of course, the TPMS will likely alert you before it gets to that stage, but it's worth remembering if you notice the car wanting to meander as you get on and off the gas.

ah that is good advice.

It's not so much that the car wants to wander but that the steering wheel is crooked. I'll check the tire pressure again. It's supposed to be 32psi all around, right? I'll check the sticker on the door again to be sure.

It's also possible that your tie rod adjustment is just off center a bit. This means that the wheel alignment might be fine, but it's just that the tie rod on one side might be adjusted so its few threads "longer" on one side than the other.

The dealer should be able to take care of this. It's not particularly difficult, although you will want to make sure they align it after the adjustment.

But like others have said, first check the pressures. :-)

The wheel alignment ofttimes has very little to do with the steering wheel being off center. My past cars tracked straight as an arrow but the damn steering wheel was always just off enough to drive me nuts. If the downward spoke was supposed to point straight down (6 o'clock) it was usually pointed at 6:30. My RX9 points to closer to 6:32.....off center ever so little.

remember to check the pressure when they are cool, the best time is in the morning. do not let air out during the warmer parts of the day when you have been driving around. if you do you will likely get in the car the next morning with a low tire pressure warning on the dash.

This thread reminded me of something my Dad told me about renting a car ourside of the USA.

After renting a car in Japan, my Dad pulled over because the car was pulling toward the left. He checked the tires and eye-balled the alignment and saw nothing wrong. Returning to the car rental, the manager told him the pulling was caused by the curved crown of the road. In the USA, we drive on the right hand side where the crown slopes to the right causing a pull to the right. Drivers unconciously compensate by steering slightly left, but this is automatic since cars in the USA always feels that way.
By driving in Japan, he was told, he drove on the left side of the road with the crown sloping left, requiring a compensation to the right. As an American driver, the affect compounded: he always drove steering slightly left, but the Japanese (and European) roads required stopping left compensation and adding right steering.

I'm not saying this is what's happening in this case because obviously we always drive on the right side. But it could mean the steering is never centered, since the road crown varies from small roads to freeways - I think small roads and streets have a greater angle of crowning.

bbarrington,

I'm not sure if this is your problem but when you get a front end alignment, the person doing the alignment must make sure the steering wheel is straight. It's possible they did not make sure the steering wheel was completely straight when doing the alignment at manufacture.

I know this is true with older cars and it may be true with RX-8s too. My dad actually used to do alignments himself. You typically align the front end to go straight so whatever position the steering wheel is in during the alignment becomes the "straight" position.

Also I once had a friend who got his front end aligned and afterwards his steering wheel was way off center because the guy forgot to make sure the steering wheel was straight. The mechanic must have thought his car was way, way out of alignment to think such a large adjustment was required.

Found out today this has nothing to do with alignment.

:)

PM Me for a better explanation, but it has to do with the computer and the centering of the controls. We talked to Mazda Engineers from my shop (Morries in Minneapolis) and found a quick solution.

With all due respect, why just a PM? Couldn't you please just type out the info once here in the thread, and then it's available to every forum member for reference now and in future searches.

Regards,
Gordon

all righty then - wrong side of the bed huh???

Well - It has to do with the Computer running all of the drive by wire stuff. On american spec 8's, to reset the steering to a neutral position once the alignment has been taken care of, you need to turn the wheel left to full lock and hold for 2 seconds and then to right lock and hold for 2 seconds and then to center and stop. This will reset the puter' to center the steering wheel. Kinda spooky. Lots and lots of drive by wire stuff going on. I think it is akin to the old puter joysticks you had to calibrate.

Funky...

Happy now Gordon? :D j/k

Skuz

Sunlight Silver 6MT GT (Silver on Black - sAWeeT!!!)

Interesting... Now that you mention it, I remember reading something about that in the owners manual when I first got the car. I have yet to take it into the dealership for them to check it since I've been beyond busy at work.

Did Mazda mention that this is something a regular user could do or do I still have to take into the dealer to get this done. I thinks I time I drag out the owners manual again.

Thanks for the heads up!

-bbarrington

This is exactly what I had to do with my Microsoft Force Feedback Wheel for the PC to calibrate it years ago.

I'm sorry, but it appears that your dealer is feeding you a line. The process you described is required to reset the Dynamic Stability Control - it does nothing to change the angle of the steering wheel relative to the front wheels. The steering wheel is tied to the wheels via a series of mechanical linkages - the steering is not fly-by-wire.

Any time the battery is disconnected, you must go through the process you described so that the computer knows where the steering is pointed, but it has no effect on the relationship of the steering wheel to the front wheels, I'm afraid.

It's a chilling thought that some of the 3% U.S./Canadian parts content could be Microsoft! ;)

Actually, I've been wanting to ask the same question.....
My steering wheel is off center too! It is pointing slightly left and I'm about to go crazy! Granted, I think I bought mine that way, but not sure. I guess I was too excited when I took it for a test drive.

Mine was that way when I bought it as well but once the excitement of the first few days wore off I really started to notice it. My dealer knows I'm having the problem and they are just waiting for me to get the time to make an appoitment. I hope to drop it off with them next week and let everyone know what happens.