Tracking tools?

[droopsnoot]

I also use a Trackrite most of the time, a pound or two from the local car boot sale years ago. It's been adequate for setting up my daily driver and the classics. I've recently been given a set of Dunlop gauges which I've also used, though I think the Trackrite is quicker.

 

[Farside]

Im sick of waiting months to get a garage to do a crappy job of tracking the van,
So are there any cheapish tools that are able to do the job at home?

Two ten-foot lengths of straight wood, bungeed to the front wheels, pointing out the way ahead, measure the distance and calculate the present toe-in /out and easily set the needful one.
Costs next to nothing.

 

[8ob]

I agree parallel with wood or string gets you in the ballpark, for the ultimate in handling and prolonged tyre wear you will be better off with the much researched and developed manufacturers settings. Most rwd cars toe in a tad, front wheel drive generally toe out a bit. If you don’t shiny new tracking gauges there are some bargains about second hand. I bought a hardly used four wheel set up for about £250.

Bob

 

[voipio]

Drive the car onto a flat floor, with the steering wheel dead centre. Put a Faithfull 2.4m feather edge butted up against the front wheels (with the square edge next to the tyre, not the feather edge), and use a 500mm digital angle ruler to measure the toe angles, and note them down. Put a bubble level on the ruler, to keep it level for the measurements. Calculate the necessary adjustments to each side. The track rod adjustment works out at ~0.6 degrees per turn. Either jack the car up and take a wheel off, or turn the steering full lock to give access to the track rod adjusters. Once done, back the car out, then drive it back on, to recheck the angles. The tracking is usually right first time.

 

[jmp49]

I have the track ace laser setup and a decently flat work area for front alignment on my own stuff and a flat floor and camber gauges and a wheel holder etc, I want a set of wheel turn plates, and I might get round to making some bolt on fixtures to make the rear alignment diy possible with lasers too but again only for my own stuff, normal production cars with standard width wheels and settings there's a place near me with 4 wheel laser alignment on a specialist ramp and the guy who runs the alignment gear knows his stuff and its at reasonable cost so why not, one less thing to have to faff about with. He has a big databook of standard car settings and gives me a nice printout with each wheel detailing what the before and after results of castor, camber etc all are and what the factory specs are, down to degree's and minutes level. Also never a bad thing to have a second set of knowledgeable eyes prod round and check your workmanship.

My wife had a spate of taking her clio to a fast fit monkey chain because she got discount codes and they claimed the rear subframe was twisted and it couldnt be aligned at the rear without a replacement subframe. I'd set up the fronts already on the trackace and put a straightedge on the rears after I replaced the engine so that was news to me and it steered fine, but she wanted it done by a pro and at least they would own the result and get the nagging about something percieved to be out, so off it went. They claimed everything at the front was out and adjusted it all, but after it pulled to one side a bit and felt heavy to steer after, but they just stuck the the rear subframe explanation.

After It got new tyres there (more discount codes...) and they diagnosed a track rod end being bad and gave her a quote with part numbers on it etc and told her loudly in front of some police in the shop that it would be dangerous to even drive at all in a "free checkup" we didnt ask for. So she rang me and I rolled my eyes and told her bring it home and on the ramp the bushes & joints were all fine so at my insistance as it had new boots on, off it went to 4 wheel laser guy who tweaked and got it all in spec front and rear, and now it drives really well again. Dangerous is how I would describe the fast fit monkey's workmanship, and if you go a fast fit place, this is the standard of workmanship you are potentially exposing yourself to unless you know its a "good" one personally.

 

[Bornfree]

I use 4 axle stands and fishing line on my four post ramp. I can get it as good if not better than the local tyre company with their all singing and dancing laser alignment equipment.

 

[Dessieb2022]

Having worked in a fast fit place, I was given very little training on doing alignments. We would lock the steering wheel with a clamp and if all the adjustment was needed on one side according to the computer screen thats what we done. It was all about getting the boxes green for the print out. But I'd say at least half the time cars came back with steering wheels sitting off centre.

Having left that job, I then picked up from my uncle how to straighten steering wheel first by adjusting one side til steering wheel is straight and then adjusting each side evenly until parallel on Dunlop gauge. It's nowhere near as handy as before on 4 poster lift, but once everything is freed up that's the hard bit done.

 

[Ubique]

No-one has yet mentioned camber angles, nearly as important as thrust angle and must be corrected before toe (rear, then front). It's possible to get 'in the green' on rear & front toe yet still have the wheel off-centre if you don't take account of thrust angle or have both wheels on the same axle biased to one side or the other, but still 'in the green'.

This basic diagram may help explain thrust angle and it's importance.

 

[MetalMonkey]

I agree parallel with wood or string gets you in the ballpark, for the ultimate in handling and prolonged tyre wear you will be better off with the much researched and developed manufacturers settings. Most rwd cars toe in a tad, front wheel drive generally toe out a bit. If you don’t shiny new tracking gauges there are some bargains about second hand. I bought a hardly used four wheel set up for about £250.

Bob

Tracking are gauges are certainly very convenient and efficient, but I'd have to disagree about string only being to get you in the ballpark.
Done properly it is actually a very accurate way to set up 4 wheel alignment. It does require converting toe angles into mm, but that can be calculated from the official specifications if it isn't supplied.

When you look at the super tracker style laser alignment gauges and the thickness of the laser, a string line can arguably give you a finer resolution.
Obviously it does rely on accurate measurement and interpretation of results, whereas tracking gauges are a lot more fool proof in that regard.

I suppose what I'm saying is the accuracy is determined by the amount of effort put in, don't be fooled into thinking anything more fancy or expensive is required or more accurate.