THE LARGEST BMW 2-SERIES FORUM ON THE PLANET
2Addicts
2Addicts
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
2Addicts | BMW 2-Series forum BMW 2 Series (F22) Forum BMW 2 Series Coupe and Cabriolet (F22/F23) General Forum Very slight off-center steering bias: what to do?

Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      06-14-2018, 02:09 PM   #1
BarryJI
Captain
BarryJI's Avatar
United_States
424
Rep
980
Posts

Drives: 2015 BMW 228i M Sport
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: United States

iTrader: (0)

Very slight off-center steering bias: what to do?

Gents, I'd appreciate your advice. I have always sensed a very slight rightward bias in the steering wheel position (i.e. it's at 12:03 instead of 12:00 when tracking straight). It's not a huge deal but I was hoping that the alignment done at the dealership yesterday when I got four new PSSes would fix it; it hasn't.

I'm not sure I want to take it to my tuner for another (probably more expert) alignment. I wonder if there is a "one click" solution, i.e. some adjustment that can be made in five minutes; it's an electronic steering rack after all. The steering ratio seems very finely calibrated to me, so it's not like a quarter-inch offset has any practical effect on the car's tracking but like a lot of you, when it comes to my cars, I can be somewhat OCD. Any suggestions? Many thanks.
__________________

2015 BMW 228i M Sport w/Track Handling Package
DAP | Lighting | Premium | Tech
DINANTRONICS Performance Tuner Stage 1 | DINAN Shockware | DINAN Free Flow Exhaust | DINAN Performance Spring Set + Ride Quality and Handling Kit
Appreciate 0
      06-14-2018, 02:11 PM   #2
Luftwaffe1O1
Lieutenant
230
Rep
555
Posts

Drives: M235i, 2000 Z3
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: San Diego, CA

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by BarryJI View Post
Gents, I'd appreciate your advice. I have always sensed a very slight rightward bias in the steering wheel position (i.e. it's at 12:03 instead of 12:00 when tracking straight). It's not a huge deal but I was hoping that the alignment done at the dealership yesterday when I got four new PSSes would fix it; it hasn't.

I'm not sure I want to take it to my tuner for another (probably more expert) alignment. I wonder if there is a "one click" solution, i.e. some adjustment that can be made in five minutes; it's an electronic steering rack after all. The steering ratio seems very finely calibrated to me, so it's not like a quarter-inch offset has any practical effect on the car's tracking but like a lot of you, when it comes to my cars, I can be somewhat OCD. Any suggestions? Many thanks.
I am pretty sure I observed the same thing with mine, I actually wondered if the seating position makes it just appear that way.
__________________
Appreciate 0
      06-14-2018, 02:16 PM   #3
BarryJI
Captain
BarryJI's Avatar
United_States
424
Rep
980
Posts

Drives: 2015 BMW 228i M Sport
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: United States

iTrader: (0)

Yeah, plus my right hand rests a tiny bit lower on the wheel but still...
__________________

2015 BMW 228i M Sport w/Track Handling Package
DAP | Lighting | Premium | Tech
DINANTRONICS Performance Tuner Stage 1 | DINAN Shockware | DINAN Free Flow Exhaust | DINAN Performance Spring Set + Ride Quality and Handling Kit
Appreciate 0
      06-14-2018, 02:56 PM   #4
Pray for Mojo
Major
Canada
430
Rep
1,115
Posts

Drives: 2014 M235i & 2018 X3 M40i
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Calgary

iTrader: (0)

Every road is crowned for drainage sloping slightly right from the center line, are you sure it's not what you are feeling?
Appreciate 0
      06-14-2018, 03:32 PM   #5
BarryJI
Captain
BarryJI's Avatar
United_States
424
Rep
980
Posts

Drives: 2015 BMW 228i M Sport
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: United States

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pray for Mojo View Post
Every road is crowned for drainage sloping slightly right from the center line, are you sure it's not what you are feeling?
I thought about that but the offset does not seem to vary on very crowned roads vs. flat.
__________________

2015 BMW 228i M Sport w/Track Handling Package
DAP | Lighting | Premium | Tech
DINANTRONICS Performance Tuner Stage 1 | DINAN Shockware | DINAN Free Flow Exhaust | DINAN Performance Spring Set + Ride Quality and Handling Kit
Appreciate 0
      06-14-2018, 03:53 PM   #6
BEM-S4
Major General
BEM-S4's Avatar
United_States
4515
Rep
8,942
Posts

Drives: Dinan M235, Dinan Sport Wagon
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Philadelphia

iTrader: (5)

I could be wrong but I thought I read somewhere that cars are set up with a slight bias away from oncoming traffic so specific to the location the car is sold in. Reason being if you fall asleep or have a stroke or something while driving drifting away from oncoming cars is preferable to into them.
__________________
2022 Macan S
2016 F31 328i xDrive Sport Wagon
2006 E46 330ci ZHP Convertible
Appreciate 0
      06-14-2018, 04:08 PM   #7
Sportstick
Major General
Sportstick's Avatar
4606
Rep
5,979
Posts

Drives: '15 228i and '24 X3 sDrive30i
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Southwest USA

iTrader: (0)

As your post suggests the car does track straight, the alignment specs are likely correct. I’d visit the dealer and respectfully suggest that they didn’t have the steering wheel straight when those correct specs were set. That should be remedied by them having you agree the wheel is straight when the car is on the rack and then re-setting the original correct specs. I’ve been through this before.
Appreciate 1
BEM-S44514.50
      06-14-2018, 04:10 PM   #8
BEM-S4
Major General
BEM-S4's Avatar
United_States
4515
Rep
8,942
Posts

Drives: Dinan M235, Dinan Sport Wagon
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Philadelphia

iTrader: (5)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sportstick View Post
As your post suggests the car does track straight, the alignment specs are likely correct. I’d visit the dealer and respectfully suggest that they didn’t have the steering wheel straight when those correct specs were set. That should be remedied by them having you agree the wheel is straight when the car is on the rack and then re-setting the original correct specs. I’ve been through this before.
Ah - I agree with you I misunderstood the first post.

Pulling the wheel you can break all kinds of shit, definitely have the shop do it since this would be a no cost repair.
__________________
2022 Macan S
2016 F31 328i xDrive Sport Wagon
2006 E46 330ci ZHP Convertible
Appreciate 0
      06-14-2018, 05:56 PM   #9
albertw
First Lieutenant
Canada
115
Rep
317
Posts

Drives: M240i
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: Canada

iTrader: (0)

This is a fairly common problem after an alignment. Some techs aren't quite as concerned about getting the steering wheel positioned exactly right as some drivers are about it.

I haven't had a look at my M240i, but on every car I've owned this was an easy fix. The front wheels are turned by rods that come out of the steering rack. There is an obvious way to adjust the length of those rods. If you make exactly the same adjustment on both sides (shorten one the same number of turns as you lengthen the other), you don't affect the alignment at all. The only thing you change is where the steering wheel is turned for a given position of the wheels.

The easiest way to think of this is that when your steering wheel is set for perfectly straight ahead the wheels are actually turned a bit to the left. You adjust the length of the rods to turn both wheels slightly to the right. For the discrepancy you see, a couple flats (1/3 of a turn) would be a good place to start. Look carefully at the threads to make sure you know which way to turn to get the length change you want. Use how hard it was to loosen the lock nuts as a guide to how hard to tighten them. It would be a good idea to mark the orientation of the rods before loosening the lock nuts in case you turn a rod at the same time, and also to let you check that you turned each one in the correct direction and turned both the same amount.

(My understanding is that the steering is assisted by an electric motor, but the connection to the wheels is still mechanical. Only one of the Infinities has a fully electric steering system. If I'm wrong about this ignore what I wrote.)
__________________
18 M240i RWD auto
Previous: 01 Z06, 99 323i

Last edited by albertw; 06-14-2018 at 06:08 PM..
Appreciate 0
      06-14-2018, 06:15 PM   #10
BarryJI
Captain
BarryJI's Avatar
United_States
424
Rep
980
Posts

Drives: 2015 BMW 228i M Sport
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: United States

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by BEM-S4 View Post
Pulling the wheel you can break all kinds of shit, definitely have the shop do it since this would be a no cost repair.
Not sure I understand this; in fact I don't...

No pulling involved; the offset is very small.
__________________

2015 BMW 228i M Sport w/Track Handling Package
DAP | Lighting | Premium | Tech
DINANTRONICS Performance Tuner Stage 1 | DINAN Shockware | DINAN Free Flow Exhaust | DINAN Performance Spring Set + Ride Quality and Handling Kit
Appreciate 0
      06-14-2018, 06:49 PM   #11
BarryJI
Captain
BarryJI's Avatar
United_States
424
Rep
980
Posts

Drives: 2015 BMW 228i M Sport
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: United States

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by albertw View Post
This is a fairly common problem after an alignment. Some techs aren't quite as concerned about getting the steering wheel positioned exactly right as some drivers are about it.

I haven't had a look at my M240i, but on every car I've owned this was an easy fix. The front wheels are turned by rods that come out of the steering rack. There is an obvious way to adjust the length of those rods. If you make exactly the same adjustment on both sides (shorten one the same number of turns as you lengthen the other), you don't affect the alignment at all. The only thing you change is where the steering wheel is turned for a given position of the wheels.

The easiest way to think of this is that when your steering wheel is set for perfectly straight ahead the wheels are actually turned a bit to the left. You adjust the length of the rods to turn both wheels slightly to the right. For the discrepancy you see, a couple flats (1/3 of a turn) would be a good place to start. Look carefully at the threads to make sure you know which way to turn to get the length change you want. Use how hard it was to loosen the lock nuts as a guide to how hard to tighten them. It would be a good idea to mark the orientation of the rods before loosening the lock nuts in case you turn a rod at the same time, and also to let you check that you turned each one in the correct direction and turned both the same amount.

(My understanding is that the steering is assisted by an electric motor, but the connection to the wheels is still mechanical. Only one of the Infinities has a fully electric steering system. If I'm wrong about this ignore what I wrote.)
Many thanks for this.
__________________

2015 BMW 228i M Sport w/Track Handling Package
DAP | Lighting | Premium | Tech
DINANTRONICS Performance Tuner Stage 1 | DINAN Shockware | DINAN Free Flow Exhaust | DINAN Performance Spring Set + Ride Quality and Handling Kit
Appreciate 0
      06-14-2018, 07:24 PM   #12
mr_clueless
Private
18
Rep
59
Posts

Drives: Acura RDX
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: California

iTrader: (0)

Quote:
Originally Posted by BarryJI View Post
Gents, I'd appreciate your advice. I have always sensed a very slight rightward bias in the steering wheel position (i.e. it's at 12:03 instead of 12:00 when tracking straight). It's not a huge deal but I was hoping that the alignment done at the dealership yesterday when I got four new PSSes would fix it; it hasn't.

I'm not sure I want to take it to my tuner for another (probably more expert) alignment. I wonder if there is a "one click" solution, i.e. some adjustment that can be made in five minutes; it's an electronic steering rack after all. The steering ratio seems very finely calibrated to me, so it's not like a quarter-inch offset has any practical effect on the car's tracking but like a lot of you, when it comes to my cars, I can be somewhat OCD. Any suggestions? Many thanks.
I drove my E46 for most of its life like that thinking it was normal.

They should have fixed it when doing the alignment and the alignment comes with a warranty so if you demonstrate the problem the dealer should be able to fix it. Did you mention the steering offset problem when dropping it off for the alignment?
Appreciate 0
      06-14-2018, 08:01 PM   #13
harma24
Captain
United_States
403
Rep
742
Posts

Drives: 2017 M240i Glacier Silver
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: 19.5mi NNW of Boston, MA

iTrader: (0)

Garage List
2017 BMW M240i  [0.00]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sportstick View Post
As your post suggests the car does track straight, the alignment specs are likely correct. I’d visit the dealer and respectfully suggest that they didn’t have the steering wheel straight when those correct specs were set. That should be remedied by them having you agree the wheel is straight when the car is on the rack and then re-setting the original correct specs. I’ve been through this before.
I've had this happen once. I got about two miles down the road and turned around to bring my car right back. The car tracked perfectly straight, but the steering wheel was rotated about 5deg right. I couldn't believe they botched it so badly. They realigned it for free (aside from my wasted time).
__________________
Fun Cars (daily drivers) 2001-2016: 2001 Honda Prelude | 2016 - present: 2017 M240xi Glacier Silver Coupe
Family Cars: 1993-2014: 1993 Honda Accord 10th Anniversary Edition | 2014-Present: 2014 Honda Odyssey
Stable-mate: 2019 - present: 2020 230xi Seaside Blue Convertible
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:18 AM.




2addicts
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST