Wheel alignment

[skydragon]

I visited a local tyre depot yesterday to have my tracking/camber checked.

 

They have a rather expensive state-of-the-art 4 wheel alignment system, which I've had used before on a tin-top with good results.

 

The guy using the machine, seemed to know what he was doing, but when he couldn't find 'Caterham' in the systems' list of cars, he asked for the settings the car should be adjusted to.

 

I was asking him to tell me what the car's settings currently were, but he said the machine needed a starting point, so I gave him the following info.

 

Fronts; -2.5 deg neg camber per wheel, parallel tracking

 

Rears; -1.5 deg neg camber per wheel, 20 min toe in

 

...However the machine wouldn't accept this range of inputs and in the end we had to give up

 

Is this a case of machine/operator error, or have I given him duff info?

[Shaun_E]

Operator ignorance probably. I had the same problem at the tyre place near work - it was a case of "computer says no". I picked up the mouse to read the help text on it and the operator went ballistic. In theory you could select any car and then read the results but the operator I had wasn't the sharpeset knife in the drawer and couldn't cope with that! The place I normally use are quite capable of entering custom settings into their computer so I went back to them.

Your suggested front settings are exactly what I have. I can't remember the rears.

 

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

[Pendennis]

The rear wheel alignment should be checked against the chassis, whether you want toe in or out, they need to be equal.

 

Before setting the toe, run a string down the middle of the car then get the rear wheels aligned equal, when equal then concerntrate on toe. It's not difficult, but well worth while

 

Want to rent an 18th century Farmhouse in Rural Somerset?

[jason liddell]

Make sure any measurements are taken with you sitting in the car

 

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