I think my V is crabbin~

**CadzillaTN** · 08-16-08 10:37 PM

after many many many miles of testing, I am quite sure this car is crabbing eeever so slightly. I first thought it was out of alignment to the right but it was intermittent, even on flat roads. It seems the rear wheels are out/pull left because when the wheel is straight it feels like the car is steering to meet the back wheels at the center line. hard to describe...
I know in the end, it is probably the tires although they are still about 7/10 tread..
if not,
what are some of your alignment experiences? few problems out there..?

Roughly what does a 4 wheel alignment run? Has anyone purchased the lifetime from firestone?

Also-- the car is not truly crabbing like a wrecked car...just best way I can descibe the motion..

**Naf** · 08-17-08 01:59 AM

Well, i paid 150$ for a full alignment. I found my car was out for when i layed the power down the cars butt kept goin in one direction and i had to conpensate with steerin...Went to my dealer and they wouldnt touch it...They swore it was fine, although you could see one tire stuck out more then the other...

In practice if you do a power take off you should track straight...if you feel th car pullin to one side you are off...Now if they did the alignment and its still doing it well you may have to change those AWFUL rubber parts..I went BMR all the way except the wheel hop and diff holder...

**atdeneve** · 08-17-08 10:44 AM

Originally Posted by Naf

In practice if you do a power take off you should track straight...if you feel th car pullin to one side you are off...

Bit off topic, but don't unequal length axles contribute to pull to one side, during hard launches?

**AlmostAV** · 08-17-08 01:25 PM

torque steer

**Bueller** · 08-17-08 06:50 PM

Check the faq for a few different aligmment descriptions and specs.

**ewill3rd** · 08-17-08 09:06 PM

The old school term for the rear off to one side is "dog tracking".
It could be caused by tires or alignment issues.

You could start by swapping tires side to side, if the pull moves you have a "radial lead" or pull.
From there you could have the alignment checked.

Torque steer is usually a phenomenon that you find in a front wheel drive car but you can get more power to one side on the rear IF the axles are different lengths. I am pretty sure the V has equal length axles... or at least close enough. I never measured one.
Operating angles can make a difference in torque transfer also.

**Naf** · 08-18-08 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by atdeneve

Bit off topic, but don't unequal length axles contribute to pull to one side, during hard launches?

You know i ask myself the same question, but in all honesty the differeence wouldbe so little we wouldnt notice it....When you start to get into the MASSIVE HPs 1000+ then i would beleive you would notice a difference in launches...

Range Rover has different lengths for their vehicle, and so far tey track straight when layin down the supercharged power....

**ewill3rd** · 08-18-08 06:53 PM

Actually back in the day when I worked on just about everything I remember Ford using unequal shafts on the Taurus and SHO in particular.
If you gunned those things it would almost rip the steering wheel right out of your hands.
The smaller 4 bangers with unequal axles would do it too but it was barely noticeable.

**rand49er** · 08-18-08 07:41 PM

Originally Posted by ewill3rd

... the Taurus and SHO in particular.
If you gunned those things it would almost rip the steering wheel right out of your hands. ...

Yup. Had three of 'em. Sure made for a bit of excitement ... especially in 1st gear.

**darkman** · 08-18-08 07:59 PM

The right side axle shaft measures 34.5 inches from tip to tip and the left side measures 32 inches, also from tip to tip. (I just happen to have an '06 set sitting on my floor pending installation in my 05 V.)

**ewill3rd** · 08-18-08 08:18 PM

The SSEi did the same thing I think, although not quite as bad.

This phenomenon wouldn't be so pronounced on a rear drive car, the main reason you get massive torque steer on those is because when it pulls it yanks the steering, on the back it would just put more juice to the road on one side and maybe push a little. Not like a massive yank of steering input on the front were it the drive axle.

**CadzillaTN** · 08-18-08 09:04 PM

Bueller, I charted all the specs but in the end there were several versions of what was considered acceptable and I dont remember any being 'factory' specific.. could have missed it though. I'll swap the tires and see how that goes first...

-After years with my Rustang GT but before my V, I had a brief stint with a Maxima... absolutely hated the torque steer. Felt like a bass boat with a 250 horse motor on the FRONT... There is no point in having a powerful fwd car if your intention is to actually USE that power.
Also you can't have torque steer on a rwd car, well technically you could- but as someone mentioned it would have to be an insane amount of power. find a physics professor near you for a better explanation...