steering

turbo_man · 23-07-2011, 06:13 PM

hey guys just need a general opinion last night i found out the hard way of the importance of good tyres as i ended up losing the front in the wet and crashing into a gutter at about 30-40 k's at an angle of around 45 degrees. now the front tyres need replacing because one of them is torn and the other looks at the end of it's life (probably how i lost it) but now i have to steer about 45 degrees right to drive straight ahead, my first course of action is an alignment and some new tyres. but if this doesnt correct the steering then what could possibly be broken or bent and how much could it end up costing me to fix? i drive a vs commodore and im not exactly made of money being a p plater and all so this is very worrying

edit: hmm 40k's is probably an exageration id say more like 20-30 still somewhat quick though

**Mechan1k** · 23-07-2011, 06:17 PM

You hit it at a fair pace ... i am surprised it still drives.
With a steering wheel at an angle like that ... I would not be surprised that there's damage to control arm(s) / tie-rod end / rack end / steering rack / hub.

Take it to get it checked ... but if there's damage ... they place won't be able to do any sort of alignment ... well .. they may be able to straighten it up a bit more than what you have now ... but it won't be perfect.

Ask them to see what's damaged and give you a list to start off with.

svo supporter · 23-07-2011, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

You hit it at a fair pace ... i am surprised it still drives.
With a steering wheel at an angle like that ... I would not be surprised that there's damage to control arm(s) / tie-rod end / rack end / steering rack / hub.

Take it to get it checked ... but if there's damage ... they place won't be able to do any sort of alignment ... well .. they may be able to straighten it up a bit more than what you have now ... but it won't be perfect.

Ask them to see what's damaged and give you a list to start off with.

Good advise right here. I very much doubt you've gotten away without any sort of damage.

IMA. A good place to look for damage is the front cross member where the Z-bar (Radius rod) goes through. This area is fairly weak on Commodores. The damage to look for is signs of it being pushed inwards.

turbo_man · 23-07-2011, 09:47 PM

hmm well if it helps the steering wheel isnt pulling in any direction it feels normal (maybe a tiny bit lighter) and the car can straighten itself like normal but the wheel is 45 degrees right but acts normally otherwise and if i let go of the wheel driving straight it will stay at 45 degrees and continue forward like normal

svo supporter · 23-07-2011, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turbo_man

hmm well if it helps the steering wheel isnt pulling in any direction it feels normal (maybe a tiny bit lighter) and the car can straighten itself like normal but the wheel is 45 degrees right but acts normally otherwise and if i let go of the wheel driving straight it will stay at 45 degrees and continue forward like normal

There could be numerous suggestions placed on what is or isn't bent. The only way to know for sure, is have the front left corner inspected in person by someone competent.

For what it's worth, I have come across bent rackends, bent stub axles, bent cross members, bent rims and bent control arms as a result of these sorts of impacts. Not necessarily all of the above as the result of a single impact, but none the less, it would appear something is bent, so take it somewhere for it to be visually inspected. Otherwise we will all be clutching at straws.