i have a 98 civic hatchback, today i just changed a pass. side lower ball joint. after the install was done, the car steers a lot easier, but i noticed the steering wheel was slightly turned left while driving straight. the tie rods were not touched during the ball joint install.
does this sound normal? my friend told me i need an alignment after such a job, but i didnt think it was necessary with just a ball joint installation. either way, i cant drive with a crooked wheel.
also, i have oem 15 inch wheels, the tires in the back are 195/55/15 (oem spec) and in the front, i have 195/50s, which is lower profile than stock, would that have any affect with doing an alignment?

thanx guys.

 

yes, different sized tires affect alignment.

Basically, anything that changes the amount of space between the center of the wheel, and the fender will affect the alignment.

the different sized tire will only affect it slightly.

you will need an alignment after changing anything having to do with suspension.

The fact that the steering wheel isnt straight when driving should have been a dead giveaway.

 

how the hell did you remove the balljoint without messing with the tie rods?

if youre alignment is off. its off.

are you asking why? who the hell cares. just get it fixed now.

 

well, i obviously realize the alignment is off, im not a complete retard, lol...and as for the ball joint...its the lower ball joint, its popped into the bottom of the knuckle, why would i have to touch a tie rod to remve it? i just popped out the axle, unbolted the balljoint and air hammered it out, then popped in a new one. the tie rod has nothing to do with it.

 

you usually remove the whole knuckle to get access to the balljoint with tools.

i can see how you can get away without it. but dont you think in the process of swinging the knuckle out of the way and stressing the tie rod that it would change the overall length...


get it fixed. and take off the knuckle next time.

 

gotcha... i guess my bigger concearn was the difference in tire size from front to rear cuz obviously i know i need an alignment, but just wanted to know how the tire size would affect me.

 

no. not if they are on different axles.

stagger wheel sizes are common.

 

cool , thanx.

 

tire size should not affect alignment. The distance from the wheel center to the fender should stay the same, because there's still the same amount of weight on the springs, no matter what size wheel or tire. Wheels and tires are unsprung weight so it's not going to affect how much the springs compress under load.

 

cool, thanx agani!