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Back to the Alignment Again

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KVH

KVH

Obi Wan
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I set my alignment, perfectly at 1/16th toe in.

I then drove the car and noticed that, from driving, the springs had settled in, probably from the car previously having been up on the hydraulic jack. The car now sat about an inch lower.

I rechecked the alignment after driving 15 miles. I was now way off. I was actually reading 4/32 toe out!

What happened? Is this why you have to rock the springs back and make the car settle before setting the alignment?

Another question. The steering felt too tight, and when I cornered, the car didn't steer itself back out of the turn they way it should. Is that because I was way "toe out"?
 
I think others will know this topic better than me, but I'm suspicious of the tightness you mention. The amount of toe out you quote isn't very much, I'd be surprised if it is the cause of the tightness and inability to recenter after turning. I can't remember from earlier threads, but have you rebuilt everything in the front? It sounds like some binding is occurring - if it isn't severe you may just be experiencing the feel of some brand new parts, and if so it may improve with a few road miles to settle everything in.
 
Kentvillehound said:
What happened? Is this why you have to rock the springs back and make the car settle before setting the alignment?
Click to expand...

In a word - Yep. I was kind of surprised how much the suspension settled on the TR6 after I rebuilt the front suspension. I'd actually suggest driving her for a couple of miles including going over some bumps then doing the alignment. A couple of miles isn't going to check up the tires unless the alignment is really-really off, and you'd visually pick that up before putting her back on the ground.
 
I have new tie rod ends and a brand new steering rack, so that could be part of the issue with the tightness of the steering, but having the tires toe-out when I was setting toe-in was a bit of a shock.

I drove the car, and I'll check it again tonight (when the obsession starts all over again--shhhh).
 
you didn't read my response on the previous post did you? If you did, you wouldn't have a new one on this.(I'm not trying to be a smart a$$-really)
The tr's have a lot of bump steer, so a small change in ride height has a big inffluence on toe. When your spings sag, your toe will change. That is one of the reasons for having someone sit in the drivers seat (that weighs the same as you) when you do the alignment (if you mostly drive alone-most of us do).
Rob
 
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