Four Wheel Tracking

[Phaeton]

Hitched the Buggy up yesterday to take it to the local tyre place that has 4 wheel laser alignment got there about 3pm to find it was closed, always used to be open till 5pm so not sure what's happening there. So in to the tinterweb to see if there was one I could make & came across this method. You need 4 axles stands or moveable posts & a long piece of string.

Put the 4 axles stands out, 1 off each corner of the buggy, measure the distance between the 2 back ones & the 2 front ones, adjust until they are the same.
Put your string around all 4 axles stands, needs to be taut.
Starting at the back measure from the string to the centre of each rear wheel, then adjust the rear axles stands until this measurement is the same both sides. (On my back wheels I have centre caps so used them, on the front I held a piece of metal over the hole in the centre of the wheel.)
Repeat the process at the front, you will then have to recheck the rear wheels, then possibly back to the front. This is actually the most important part of the process & worth taking time over.
You must ensure that the distance between the front pair & distance between the rear pair of axles stands stay the same for the whole process, distance between left side & distance between right side is not as critical but good practise. You will find that the distance between the string & the rear axle is different to the distance between string & front axles, this is not important.
Once complete you will have a string box around you Buggy with the buggy exactly in the centre.
You can then measure from the string to the rim of any wheel at the front & at the rear of it to find whether it is toeing in or out & adjust accordingly.



Does any of this mae sense to anyone or is it complete jibberish?

Alan...

 

[esdebe]

Makes scene to me but you need to make sure that your strings are run parallel to the centre line of the car, Having the same distance between the axel stands doesn't guarantee that it will be right as you may have a parallelograms nstead of a rectangle

 

[Phaeton]

But Shirley that's the beauty of the method you can't have a parallelogram if you have the same distance between the front & rear axle stands across the width of the buggy & you have the same distance between the os rear wheel & the string as the ns rear wheel & the string. Then have the same distance between os front wheel & string & ns front wheel & string you have got to have a rectangle.

Alan...

 

[Danny]

my uncle has a set of laser trackers.... so I wont worry!

Jerry does it that way but with chalk lines if I remember right

Danny

 

[Mini Mad Max]

my uncle has a set of laser trackers.... so I wont worry!

Jerry does it that way but with chalk lines if I remember right

Danny

My uncle too! ;D But i have to come all the way down to near you if i want the buggy done lol!
Max

 

[Phaeton]

You two related then????

Alan...

 

[esdebe]

yes you can still have the same distance between teh stands on both sides and betwenn the front and back and not have 90 degrees at each corner.  You could have 110 degres on two diagnal corners and 70 on the other two, but all yous sides will still be the correct length but you end up with a parallelogram called a Rhombus

Simon

http://www.icteachers.co.uk/children/sa ... terals.htm

 

[Phaeton]

Still going to argue this one, but as usual I'm prepared to be corrected.

If you have 1655mm between the rear pair of axle stands & you have 1655mm between the front axle stands, then have 80mm from the centre of the O/S rear wheel to the string & 80mm from centre of N/S wheel to string, with 50mm from the centre of the O/S front wheel to string & 50mm from centre of N/S front wheel to string it has to be a rectangle with 90 degrees in each corner.

I accept that you could have a situation where you have 1655mm between both sets of axle stands, 80mm from rear wheels to string, & have 95degrees & 85degrees in the corners, but by also measuring the front & making them equal you eliminate that possibility.

Or am I missing something?

Alan...

 

[esdebe]

so long at the length of the side strings is the same length as the car + the length from the front of the car to the front string you may have right angles at the corners.  it sounds acurate enought but you are also assiming the chassis is true in the first place too.

 

[Phaeton]

but you are also assiming the chassis is true in the first place too.

What are you suggesting that Dave didn't make 100% sure that each one was  ;D

Alan...