New wheels - alignment needed?
 

I just replaced 6 and 7x16 wheels with 7 and 9x16s (both sets are fuchs) and now my steering wheel seems to be slightly to the right. Could changing wheels of the same size necessitate an alignment?

Wheels alone would not change the alignment.

New tires as well?

Maybe increased grip has magnified a problem that was already there.

Well if ride height changes so does toe in/out. A small amount that may or may not justify an alignment. Steering wheel shouldn't have changed position though.

The old tires were a 50 profile, and the new ones are 55. Does that make a difference?

No.

Not if that ride height change came from a tire diameter change. Suspension arms are still in the same positions they were before.

Maybe the tire installation shop took it for one hell of a joy ride? Or maybe they jacked it up all wonky and bent a suspension A arm or a steering rod. Or maybe you're just going cray cray?

Keep us updated as to who the real killer is but as others have said, it's not due to the wheels and tires unless your previous set was WAAAAY unevenly worn, but you'd have notice that; right?

I would think I'd have noticed that, but the car is relatively new to me so it's possible I just didn't notice it before changing the wheels, and I was hyper sensitive to it after the change. I did the wheel change so I can say with certainty nothing was damaged. As for any hooligan driving, well.... ;)

if you still have the old front wheels and tires, put'em back on and compare!

Switch the tires side to side, unless the tires are directional. I had similar situation on an Audi once and that solved the issue.

No


Just throwing this out there..are the tires the same size, make and model on each side for both fronts and backs. People do make mistakes when replacing

Just a thought but maybe your old tire may have been worn down on the inside or outside some and the new tire changed the footprint so to speak.

Well doing alignments on regular basis I find wheel swaps of different sizes can exhibit different values.

In in any case, the OP needs to visit the alignment rack.