2013 Hyundai Sonata - Caster at low end of Spec Range

On Wed, 10 Aug 2016 15:01:08 -0700 (PDT), dsi1 >
wrote:

>On Tuesday, August 9, 2016 at 1:49:28 PM UTC-10, wrote:
>> dsi1:
>>
>> Look up online "2011 Hyundai Sonata wandering" and you'll
>> understand why the concern. Although most of the issues
>> were resolved by the third model year of the YF body Sonata,
>> it is still good to havr alignment checked, especially on a
>> used one with 30,000 miles.
>>
>> Another contributor to the wandering was the electric power
>> steering and what mode it was set in at the factory. Mine was
>> set to 'Soft'(maximum boost, minimum driver effort). I had my
>> dealer set it to 'Sport'(minimum boost, most driver effort needed
>> to steer car). In soft, even slight changes to the road angle, or
>> a mild cross wind, would wrest the wheel from drivers' hands!
>> It was reminiscent of the 70s 'one fingered' steering on
>> full size models.
>>
>>
>> Sport mode was a huge step in normalizing the handling/road
>> feel of my Sonata, but I figured finding a way to maximize
>> caster - within specs - would really ice the cake.
>
>Just tell the alignment guy your problem and he'll probably just change the toe-im. I don't know if they'll be in spec but that should improve straight line stability. The young alignment guy might not want to do it so find the oldest, most ornery-looking coot in the shop and ask him. The price you pay will be increased tire wear.

Changing the toe will help only if it's so far off right now that the
car is wandering back and forth. The only things that affect steering
return to center are camber, caster, and kingpin inclination.