tracking car without lazers

[jimbob-mcgrew]

has anyone tracked a car the olskool way before ?

i saw one vid on youtube of a guy that had a piece of string running right the way round the rear tyres, connected to 2 axle stands at the front.

my car should be +1mm toe out on each side, is this roughly do-able with the string jig ?

i only ask as since changing the profile of my wheels/tyres, the car pulls to the right ever so slightly.

[jimbob-mcgrew]

i just wanted to get a rough idea of the alignment, so i could tweak the side that was out, a quarter turn

[meritlover]

with enough care and attention you will be able to get it near perfect using string.

[MK999]

In theory yes, in practice I've always thought about it then let someone else deal with rusted on tie rod ends etc. Pretty sure Burgo said once he tracks most of his cars himself though.

[EwanG]

String! Jesus! Empty your piggybank and get it set up properly lol

[Connor]

Have you ever been in the pits on pretty much any racing championship (bar the ridiculous budget ones). They all setup there alignment using the string method in between most races.
And as said above, if done properly, it will be perfectly fine.

[MK999]

Have you ever been in the pits on pretty much any racing championship (bar the ridiculous budget ones). They all setup there alignment using the string method in between most races.
And as said above, if done properly, it will be perfectly fine.

They are making 'doing it properly' look easy though, it'll be great on a straighter than straight car with a bit of measurement of convenient points and attention to detail in the order you change things in and how... doing it on a bit of ground that isn't level on a 20+ year old car with rubber bushes and a dodgy build tolerance is a whole different game though!

Measuring front of the tyres side to side, and back of the tyres side to side, and making that equal is your best bet to get straight track and it's pretty fool proof, but that doesn't guarantee straight steering wheel which can be a bit annoying.

[Iain]

In theory yes, in practice I've always thought about it then let someone else deal with rusted on tie rod ends etc. Pretty sure Burgo said once he tracks most of his cars himself though.

I track up all my cars myself using Dunlop style gauges. They'll have easily paid for themselves by now the amount of times I've used them

[marc69]

I bought the gunson drive over tool for about £50 fivbe years ago. I had problems with a pull on my swing after someone else put on a track rod end. Went to several laser places and paid each time and everytime they came up with different settings and it was still pulling! Bought this, sorted the pull and since used it for several Novas with different suspensions and wheels.

I just set up my track car a few weeks ago which according to this tool was toeing in by 5 on each wheel. I thought it can't be that far out, the guy who owned it before me was driving at 140mph. I went to National who checked it for free for me and they found exactly the same. Showing the tool is fairly accurate. I set the tracking and had it on the track on Sunday, the tracking is obviously fine!

It is a bit fiddly but once you get used to it, it's fine, I am happy with it anyway. I think the laser things in garages can be rubbish once they get knpocked about etc.

[Benn]

There's a thread on Weekend racer about how to do the string tracking...

But tbh just pay the money and get it done.

[jimbob-mcgrew]

cheers for the info guys, i'll give it a go :)

[Southie]

Give it a good what's the worst thing that can happen... well besides the string snapping lol

[chrisd1986]

a place i use to work had a fitter that came round to do servicing on wangons and he done mine with 2lengths of wood running down tbe side of my car to the front and rear tyres and it was perfect after that. the problem with the laser tracking guages is that some people dont set them up rigbt on the car (i went on a corse when i worked in kwik fit) and everytime my car gets done now i go round and check it my self when they say its done

[meritlover]

As above, the biggest issue with most tracking tools is the operator. Most garages use the gauges which sit on the wheels. They often sit on the tyre and rarely checked properly. The result is the gauge is not parallel to the wheel and any reading meaningless. Some one on here had a set on his red nova project thread which grip the rim but had the 3 axis thumb wheels to allow the run out to be adjusted out perfectly so that its parallel.

Mk999 is right in practical terms. You should loosen all your TREs first and ensure they're free to turn, jack your car up and rest on blocks so you can access the TREs without disturbing the string. A swivel plate would ensure the wheel is being adjusted independently instead of bumping the rack.

Most importantly, check all your bushes and ball joints first as if there's wear anywhere, you'll be going round in circles for days. and also think about what your doing before you dive into making measurements.

As said. The worst that can happen is you have to take it to a garage anyway!

[meritlover]

http://wiki.seloc.org/a/Geo_Alignment_Rig_%28Home_Made%29

The vertical string might be over kill for you if your not checking camber, but the theory is there.

[chrisd1986]

for vert camber i used to use a magnetic spirit level on my mk2 golf and i got it bang on, i just took th front wheels off and stuck it on the face of the disk were the wheel mounts to and it was perfect