gz1

took the terri for a run on the freeway (sydney to newcastle) today, and i noticed that while traveling at 110 km/h the steering feels kind of vague in the straight ahead position. hard to describe really, just had to keep making constant slight adjustments to keep the car in a straight line, and while travelling straight the steering wheel seems to be ever so slightly turned to the left, like you are constantly turning a very slight left turn. (about 1/4 inch at the rim). this happend both there and back.
I suspect the wheel alligment may be slightly off so rang the service department and was told to wait untill the 3000k service and they will look at it then. (only done 550 Km's). Actually the service guy said it will probably "settle down" by then and won't be a problem.
Anyone else seen this? Of course it may be entirely normal for this car, Previous car was a VT commodore with FE2 suspension so the steering was very direct.
Just wanting a general opinion.

 

new2ford

No vague steering on ours at high speed - very precise. Maybe wheel alignment?

Territory

The "straight line" characteristic you describe is what we call "on-centre feel". T's steering is deliberately calibrated to be light and responsive, but should also have a clear 'centre' that the wheel returns to - giving the car good on-centre feel. If your vehicle is moving slightly left, were you on a road with a slight camber to drain rain off the road? It would be noticable in both directions and would pull the car toward the curb. Alternatively were there semi-trailer ruts in the road? If it does it on flat straight freeway, then you might need some slight alignment.

Paulv

Actually Territory - that's not as true these days, particularly with the new pivot point. The Terri tracks true irrespective of the road camber as the rotating pivot is in the centre of the wheel and the vertical movement stays fairly straight. Nothing like old Datsun's for example (1/4 turn to compensate for road camber)

No-one should have a Terri that drifts left while driving on the Sydney-Newcastle freeway (which is fairly OK with camber on it's corners). I think this is a simple wheel alignment issue (as is the lack of auto-centring).

Territory

Agree.

Ouzo

Did the Hobart Launceston return trip yesterday and kept thinking how responsive was the steering compared to my previous VT Berlina. I suppose it all depends on what you're used to.

As an aside, it was a very light footed trip - 110kph all the way and not too much flat out overtaking. Air conditioner full on - end average fuel consumption 11.9 l/100k. Was as low as 11.4 at times. Pretty good for a 2+ tonne AWD.

johnydep

I noticed a slight pull to the left about a month ago, thought I'd take it into the dealer when due for next service.

I'm sure it is a wheel alignment issue, but why it should need one so soon is strange, it was perfect when I first got & for 5 months.

Steering feel is good.

Organza

Well I think that the T's steering and driveability is almost its very best feature.

I've never get into the car and think "gee, this trip is going to be a chore" or after a drive get out feeling that it wasn't fun.

For a car of its size and jst what it is, the driving experience is outstanding. Significantly better than a BA Falcon and light years ahead of anything Commodore I've driven.

For my own personal tastes I think the steering is beautifully weighted and as an added bonus feels very direct when you actually steer the car into a corner or whatever.

Paulv

I certainly agree. Territory - whatever you feed back into the business, ignore the write-ups that say the steering is too light. It's not. It's very consistent irrespective of speed, it tracks really well, the amount of turns is spot on. This is the first car I've had that's required very little correction, either straight ahead or cornering.

I once drove a rental EF that needed correction all the time, and it was REALLY tiring going from Sydney-Canberra. I think it's underestimated as a safety factor really. This is passive safety at it's best (Something Volvo have never really understood - active safety is no substitute for passive safety)

gz1

Thanks for all the input guys, It's definetly not a road camber issue, also checked the tyre pressures all ok. Rang the service department again and spoke to someone else that was *much* nicer and he also agrees it's a wheel alligment issue. He arranged for me to get the car in for a wheel aligment next week and we will see how it goes then.
And yes the way it is now would be a chore on a long drive. I wonder how a car can be delivered with the wheel aligment out? never heard of that before. Hope it wasn't dropped off the car carrier or something
Will report back after the wheel aligment. cheers,