iiyama
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| posted on 15/4/09 at 08:54 AM |
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DIY Tracking
Done a bit of a search and got myself totally confused!
Want to get the tracking set reasonably accuratly, (will get it into a laser tracking place at a later date).
Ive set the steering wheel straight, what next?? 
A/ B/ C/ instructions please for a tracking noob!
If its broke, fix it. If it aint broke, take it apart and find out how it works!
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nick205
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| posted on 15/4/09 at 09:21 AM |
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A. get a long straight plank/straight edge
B. set it against the rear tyre level with the wheel centre and parallel to the floor
C. adjust track rods so that the plank touches the front tyre (fore and aft) level with the wheel centre.
(Assuming front and rear track are the same)
This should get you straight enough to dirve to the tyre place whithout wrecking your tyres.
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iiyama
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| posted on 15/4/09 at 09:53 AM |
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Already done that Paul, so I got something right then!!
Front track is slightly narrower then the rear on the Dax.
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britishtrident
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| posted on 15/4/09 at 10:08 AM |
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If you get the steering centred up and the rear wheels pointing reasonable "square" to the car centreline r then wih a Gunsons
Trakrite measure set the tracking accross the axles as accuarately as a mega buck laser tracking system.
When iniitially setting the rear end up it helps a lot to establish the chassis centre line that you can take mesurements from. These days as long as
you have a flat garage floor and a wall or board to use as a target using two or three cheap laser spirit levels it is quite easy to get the rear
wheels reasonably "square" to the chassis centreline. From that point you use the trackrite to measure the toe-in/out and as long as you
adjust equally on both sides all will be well.
[Edited on 15/4/09 by britishtrident]
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iiyama
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| posted on 15/4/09 at 10:15 AM |
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The rear tracking is fixed on the De Deon set up I have with the Dax, hopefully the factory use a jig to build it!!!
If its broke, fix it. If it aint broke, take it apart and find out how it works!
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iiyama
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| posted on 15/4/09 at 10:53 AM |
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Sorta depends on how much the equipment would cost? I really like doing stuff myself but the diminishing returns equation has to set in some time!!!!
If its broke, fix it. If it aint broke, take it apart and find out how it works!
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BenB
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| posted on 15/4/09 at 11:09 AM |
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Depends on how you mean tracking (also depends on how adjustable you car is).
For camber I put the car on a flat surface and used a cheap inclinometer off Ebay. They have a magnetic base which stuck onto the brake disc nicely
and gave me a camber reading easily. Screwed in / out the top swivel to adjust camber. Job done.
For toe in / toe out I used some toe-in calipers my brother welded up. They're easy to make out of box section if you can weld and allow you to
compare the distance between the front of the alloy and the back of the wheel. The difference between the two gives you the toe-in / toe-out. Or you
can do what I did and adjust them so that the distance between the front and the back of the wheels is the same (ie no toe-in) then screw in the TRE a
little to give a smidge of toe-in (couldn't be bothered to do the maths)... If that doesn't make sense give me a shout and I'll do a
diagram (easier to draw than explain but fundamentally a few bits of box section and two bolts!!!)....
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iiyama
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| posted on 15/4/09 at 11:25 AM |
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Following ya all the way Ben, unfortunatly I dont have any welding skills, or the equipment to give it a go. (Hence buying a kit and not building from
scratch!!)
If its broke, fix it. If it aint broke, take it apart and find out how it works!
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craig1410
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| posted on 15/4/09 at 11:57 AM |
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To measure toe angle, just roll the car back 1 meter on level ground then roll it forward again to settle the suspension. Set the steering absolutely
straight ahead and locked off so it can't move.
Now, stick some masking tape to the tyre contact surface in the middle of the tread at the exact 3 o'clock position level with the hub centre
(assumes nearside wheel) and make a vertical pen mark on it. Now transfer this mark to the floor using a set square or plumb bob onto another firmly
stuck piece of masking tape. Do the same on the offside wheel only it is the 9 o-clock position this time.
Now roll the car forward (don't let the steering move at all) until the tyre has rotated 180 degrees. The nearside mark will now be at 9
o'clock position and the offside at 3 o'clock. Transfer the marks to the ground as before on both sides.
Now roll the car out of the way and measure distance between front and rear marks. If front > rear then it is toe-out otherwise it is toe-in (or
zero toe if equal).
You can work out angle as follows:
Angle = Inverse Sin (d / D) where d is the toe distance and D is the diameter of the tyre (not wheel). This will give total angle so halve it to
determine per-wheel angles. If you want to stick with millimeters instead of angles then you need to multiply d by (rim diameter / tyre diameter)
since most measurements talk about wheel toe not tyre toe.
This method is recommended in Des Hamill's excellent book on suspension design and should be pretty accurate as long as you lock off the
steering and measure accurately.
I hope this helps,
Craig.
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iiyama
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| posted on 15/4/09 at 12:15 PM |
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I will have to digest and cogitate over that craig!! Printers at the ready and a brew is on the way!
If its broke, fix it. If it aint broke, take it apart and find out how it works!
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craig1410
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| posted on 15/4/09 at 12:32 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by iiyama
I will have to digest and cogitate over that craig!! Printers at the ready and a brew is on the way!
It's easier done than said...
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iiyama
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| posted on 15/4/09 at 01:17 PM |
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The kind of work that I like!!
If its broke, fix it. If it aint broke, take it apart and find out how it works!
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