Wheel Alignment

[joe1joe 3]

as said before u should have near enough the same amount of threads each side, as if not u will loose a small amount of steering lock if u have loads of thread on one side. u need to get the same amount of threads each side then take the steering wheel of and put it on straight, then carry out the tracking which because the rack is in the centre and the steering will is in the centre the track rod ends will only need minor ajustment.

[DamirGTI 342]

Absolutely agree with this.

On other stuff I work on there is a plug in the rack which can be removed, and then a dowel dropped in which locates into a drilling, and centralises the rack accurately. I don't know of this feature on a 205 rack so the only way to do it that I am aware of is to measure the turns of the wheel and do it that way.

 

If fitting a pair of new track rod ends this is how I do it.

 

Screw both in an equal amount that you think will be somewhere near, then ignoring steering wheel position turn the rack so the wheels are straight and check the tracking, ignore the steering wheel position. Then adjust both track rods an equal amount, either shorten (more toe out) or lengthen (more toe in) BOTH to achieve whatever overall toe you desire. Once you've done this and locked the track rods off, then you can centre the steering wheel up by removing the nut and indexing it round on the splines.

 

If you are adjusting an existing pair then really the easiest thing is to remove them completely, give them a dose of grease to make them easy to adjust now and in future, and then do as above.

 

Ok. i'll try to re-adjust this by myself according to Tom's explanation ...

Just one more thing - how do you measure the tracking ? with a rope from the edge of the rear tyre to the edge of the front one , or ?

 

Thanks !

Damir

[eeyore 0]

Dont measure the tracking by stringing it to the back wheels as the front is probably wider than the back, and would obviously give you lots of toe out. Dunlop tracking gages are the simplest to use and are surprisingly accurate. If you cant get hold of any of them then a trammel bar or even a tape measure between the inside of the front wheels is better than nothing, this is quite difficult to do on the ground because of the access to the rear edge of the rim. If you have centered the steering rack and got the tracking something like it then string back to the front of the rear wheels and measure the distance from the wheel to the string each side, screw the track rod ends in and out to even up these measurements with the tracking correct, it may take a while but its well worth it. Then take the steering wheel off and center it up.

[Tom Fenton 1,541]

I'm lucky to have a set of Dunlop gauges which I use to set tracking up, however careful use of a tape measure will do the trick.

[DamirGTI 342]

Ok. i'll try to correct that when i find some spare time ..

 

Thanks for help boys !

 

Rgs

Damir

[DamirGTI 342]

There should be an equal number of threads showing providing both trackrod ends are the same type. if one is further in than the other it moves the rack out of center, this creates the effect of different length steering arms which also creates bump steer in different directions on each side. you need to make sure the rack is properly centered before setting the tracking and then make sure the front wheels are facing the same way as the rears. Most of the competition cars that i set up arrive with rack out of center and once put right people are surprised at how much better it drives. Its quite an easy problem to sort out and it surprises me that so many people ignore it.

 

 

... so true i've adjusted the tie rods equally today , ended up with 8 visible threads on both sides of the tie rods , with same amount of steering wheel turns from center to the lock left and right , then gone for a spin and i couldn't believe how much better the car drives and steering wheel feels now this was bugging me for a long time as i didn't know so much about this wheel alignment stuff before

Just need to check the tracking for fine adjustment although the car drives perfectly straight as it is now ..

 

Rgs !

Damir

[Ahl 4]

Thats good Damir, though the difference between 1mm toe in, parrallel, 1mm toe out is quite noticeable to me.

As said, it takes very fine adjustment to get this right!

 

I like parrallel to 1mm toe out.

2mm toe out is a bit much personally, too skittish.

[DamirGTI 342]

Hi !

 

Well it's a bit hard to set this precisely with the tape measure I've found one good wheel alignment workshop (a bit far from where i live , but never mind as i've heard good recommendations for this one so it's worth a little trip down the road , my mate said that he's an old man with gray hair , glasses , works for ages this alignment jobs etc. sounds promising ..) been speaking with the owner and he said that he always adjust both tie rods equally when doing alignment and that i can try test driving the car after the initial adjustment .. if i'm not satisfied with the first adjustment i can go back straight away and he will re-adjust it for free until i say it's fine

 

I said to him that i've center the steering rack , and tie rods (roughly) and just need to set the tracking precisely .. so what should i tell him Ahl ? to set 0 or 1mm toe out ?

 

Thanks !

Damir

[wardy18 33 1 Cars]

for my hillclimb pug ive been told to set the front at 1.5mm Toe IN each side (or if ur gettin technical 30minute) this allows the wheels when lauching from the line to straighten up and not result in Toe Out which will scrub speed off!!

 

also running 2.3deg camber on the front

[Ahl 4]

Perhaps its different for massive camber cars, I don't know, but my understanding is that FWD cars TOE IN when moving and RWD cars TOE OUT when moving.

 

Hence why setting FWD TOE OUT to begin with.

 

Damir, its up to you really. Everyone has a preference, I definitely don't like the turn-in feel when the wheels are TOE IN at all. Just a road car though.

Oh, and you didn't mention the tape measure in your post above, just the equal threads! But nice one.

[DamirGTI 342]

I'll try two different adjustments , say 1mm toe out and 1mm toe in (and 0 perhaps ..) , and check/test on the road which suits me best

 

Thanks boys !

Damir

Edited May 1, 2008 by DamirGTI

[Ahl 4]

Hey Damir, how did you get on with this?

[DamirGTI 342]

Hello !

 

Well , no i didn't sort that alignment yet cos im doing some intensive work on my other Ph2 car (rather unpleasant stuff bodywork – welding , cutting , patching , sanding , rust removing , rust proofing , painting etc. .. ) so i didn't get a chance to make that trip down to the alignment workshop , im stuck inside the garage (from 10:00 up to 21:00 o'clock) for a last few weeks setting fire to things with my welding machine

 

Rgs !

Damir

[Paintguy 0]

Perhaps its different for massive camber cars, I don't know, but my understanding is that FWD cars TOE IN when moving and RWD cars TOE OUT when moving.

 

That's how I understand it too, although to be a bit pedantic I'd say under power, rather than when moving. The front wheels are pulling the weight of the car forward, so suspension/chassis flex will inevitably cause the wheels to toe more inwards (however slightly). What you also have to consider though, is that under a trailing throttle, or when under braking (the cars normal state when turning in to a corner), this situation is reversed, as the wheels are holding back the weight of the car, causing them to splay outwards.