OB Lane Wandering

[fun2drive]

Self centering is affected by caster and toe.
Both contribute to the stability of the car to self center.
Subaru's react better to toe in than to caster changes which if you look at the print out I posted is fine. Both front wheels and rear wheels toe'd out does NOT contribute to selfcentering stability. Thus the reason I plan to have them set the toe to 0 degrees or -0.01 degree for all wheels.

As a contrast I drove my M3 today to replace my brakes on base and the drive without constantly doing lane correction is an easy one. It ain't "all AWDs do that" it is because the alignment is wrong. The Conti tires are fine by the way they don't tramline like my Me does and they are a nice performing tire overall.

If I wanted the Outback to handle better I would change toe to 0 degrees and increase negative camber a couple degrees. But this isn't a track vehicle my M3 is but a highway cruiser.

I am happy those of you posting are happy with your handling and can accept the way it drives. I can't plan and simple and will tweak it until it is right for me.

If your read Looby's post #331

"What fixed mine -- completely 100% fixed -- was adjusting the alignment
to the centers of the allowable ranges. As delivered, mine had a very
bad wandering problem. Although the alignment was "within spec," it had
a slight front toe-out, and near maximum rear toe-in.

Re-adjusting (toe only) to specification midrange on all four wheels fixed
the problem entirely -- and it has remained fixed for past 2500 miles."

[foxrider68]

^Just keep us posted, I maybe happy but that doesn't mean I wont follow you if you find perfection.

[DieselOx]

Just got mine back from the dealer yesterday after an alignment: HUGE difference. Left front was out of spec (.22 toe out), right rear was out (forget what.) Total toe in front was out of spec too.

All toe in is set to dead center now, seems great so far, should have done it months ago (13,900mi).

Now I can actually feel the car start to pull and correct before I see it drift, like every other properly set up car I've ever owned. So it has some on-center feel when before there was just a big fat dead spot in the middle.

I'll scan my report and post it after Thanksgiving and a 1000 mile road trip, see how it goes.

[subarubong]

Did the dealer charge you with the alignment? if not, please tell me how you told them. I really want mine to be checked.

My previous 2012 model was off too. The dealer played BS on me saying the alignment was good. I learned that they just test drove it. When i ask about the alignment machine result, they can't show anything. Then when they finally did it(because I was mad), it was off in about 3 areas.

[DieselOx]

Did not charge at all; it was out of spec, don't know what would have happened if it was in spec. I said "it wanders all over the road, especially in the wind or with a trailer, but still noticeable normally" and we had a chat about putting it dead center on the toe in. I also said I wanted the print out of before and after specs.

Subaru supposedly pays for up to 3 alignments under warranty, you can probably get them to reimburse you without too much trouble.

[jogosub]

Originally Posted by fun2drive

I took my Outback into the dealer to get it tweaked because it lacks self centering capability to the extend that it should.

The tech drove the car told the service advisor that the car drove fine. I warned the service advisor that the alignment would come back "in spec" but I wanted the toe adjusted both front and rear even if I have to pay for it (2000 miles in this car in 3 weeks).
He was great said no problem we will align it how you want.

Great so they waited on SOA to get alignment specs and they came back the same as for 2010 to 2012.]

OK alignment measured but a problem. Service advisor told me that because I have Eye Sight that Eye Sight has to be aligned after alignment. He told me that they don't have the alignment tools yet so I need to come back once he gets them. He expects to get this alignment tool in the next few weeks. Thus if you are going in for alignment and have Eye Sight be sure your dealer has this alignment tool. This was no bull because they guys were very accomidating and were taken back once they discovered that Eye Sight alignment had to be done as well.

Attached are my alignment specs. You can clearly see that they are within spec but also that toe is out in the front to almost the max spec limit and also the rear is out quite far.

I am going to ask them to either zero out the toe front and rear or use at least -0.01 toe. That will provide the self centering stability that this car lacks at the moment.

Other than that this is an awesome vehicle...

Do you mind giving out the name of that dealer? Or, at least the city that the dealer is in the Fl Panhandle... I would like to know for my possible visit there as well... thanks!

[Georgeh]

BTW, it's not uncommon for new cars to need an alignment. I'm not sure if it's the factory being a bit lazy, or the suspension components settling a bit after the first 1,000 miles or so, but, again, it's not uncommon.

I'm planning to bring mine to my local alignment shop, since it's closer than the dealer, and the $100 I spend will give me the luxury of being demanding (as opposed to "It's within spec") and also I can bring it back within 30 days if I don't like how the car drives and ask them to tweak it. Alignment is important and it's a relatively small cost to get the most enjoyment out of the car.

And, for those of you not familiar with the effects of alignment settings, toe-out is BAD pretty much anywhere, but it's especially bad on the rear. You always want a bit of toe-in front and rear, but not too much, or you'll get faster tire wear. But rear toe out will definitely cause the wandering that people are seeing.

[fun2drive]

Anderson in Pensacola. Very accomidating service dept and the person I deal with is named Randy. He has his hair on fire because it is the largest in the 100 mile area but he is interested in making it right...

[jogosub]

Originally Posted by fun2drive

Anderson in Pensacola. Very accomidating service dept and the person I deal with is named Randy. He has his hair on fire because it is the largest in the 100 mile area but he is interested in making it right...

Great! I know him too - he is a service manager there and indeed he is one of the better ones... But I wouldn't go as far as saying that he is the best in 100 miles radius.
For parts and accessories I get better prices at Koby Subaru in Mobile. I bought a car there few years back, before Eddie Mercer/Anderson opened in Pensacola.

[subaruserviceguy]

If you are truely having an issue with your alignment and you can show the dealer that your vehicle is truely drifting an alignment will be covered 1 time under your new vehicle adjustment warranty which is 36 months or 36,000 miles from date of purchase.