Front Wheel Alignment

[Nevman]

I've had passenger side track rod and track rod end replaced at Eurospec 2000 today (as always great service, great chat, no coffee :D Thanks Ben :2thumbsup)
After that I went to our local ATS for the front wheels alignment and they were not sure what values the wheels should be set up to.
They have checked as per the tables for galant (i believe that they all the same including VR4) and have said the the toe out should be around 2mm and that my wheels are fine.
Well... I don't think so as it pulls to the left a little bit and inside of my driver side tyre is a bit bald. Also I can feel a bit of vibration on a steering wheel at high speed.
Could someone advise on the alignment values please.
Also, the problem of bald-ish inside of the tyre (only driver side) and vibration can be caused by wrong camber angle (my local ATS doesn't do camber :( )

Sorry if it is repeated question but I just can't find the answer.

Cheers.

[Roberto]

http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12167&highlight=alignment+vr4

This should help.

Got mine done before using these, no issues at all.

[Nevman]

Cheers Roberto!
Great help.
How about Camber then? Would it cause the 'eating' the inside of the tyre?

EDIT:
Just found this:
http://www.v6performance.net/forums/showthread.php?t=75055
Looks like the Camber may be a bit of a problem.

[ANTHONY]

Nev i think if you take you car to a garage that is not sure what to do , you need to go somewhere different

[Nick Mann]

Toe out will cause inside edges to wear. And I think it is measured in degrees, not mm? It makes more sense, 'cause it is an angle.

My fronts are set just about parallel, to try and prevent inside edge wear.

Slight pull to one side is because the wheels have not been set to the steering wheel. It doesn't necessarily point to bad alignment.

[Nutter_John]

go to the place ben uses in bagshot


and you can not adjust the camber

[Nevman]

You are absolutely right Anthony,
I went to National and they have said that the tracking was way out (2.5 and 4mm).
It seems to be (almost) fine now, no vibration but it still pulls to the left a bit.
I will got there again tomorrow and ask the question.
Cheers guys for the advise.

[Roberto]

Nev i think if you take you car to a garage that is not sure what to do , you need to go somewhere different

The problem with that is not many places will have the setting for a VR4. Especially over here.
In my case it was as simple as:
Me "Please use these setting"
Tyre man "Are you sure?"
Me "Yep"
Tyre man "No problem"

And I haven't had any since. Well with the tracking anyway.

[Nevman]

Yeah, I've done the same Roberto with printout from the thread you have pointed out above but they've checked with their data and said that's fine.
So looks like the settings for the VR4 are not the same as for standard V6.
Actually, is the V6's suspension also multi link?

[Roadrunner]

Could someone advise on the alignment values please.

Definitely set the front wheels to parallel. Don't accept "they're within the manufacturer's tolerance limits". Parallel. :scholar:

[bradc]

Nev - all UK/NZ/JDM cars have the same suspension setup.

The overall accepted setting for most 4wd cars is as close to zero toe in/out as possible

[I-S]

Camber can cause the car to pull to the side, as can incorrect thrust angles. Neither of these will be picked up by your average tyre-place "laser alignment".

Find a place with someone knowledgeable and a Hunter Hawkeye 4-wheel alignment machine. If you're prepared to drive a bit, give Wheels In Motion in Chesham a call. They did my Accord last weekend, and Tony is extremely knowledgeable (sets up drift cars for events, among other things).

[Nevman]

It's quite far away Issac but I may give it a try if won't find anything closer. Thanks
NJ said above that you can't adjust camber so what can I do?

[White Lightning]

go to the place ben uses in bagshot


and you can not adjust the camber

I could not agree with this statement more /yes

This is where I took mine and they know exactly what to do with a VR-4. They setup the toe front and rear on mine spot on.

The camber is not adjustable as such i.e. there is no adjustment on the car. But it can be changed using some big washers behind the upper arms :scholar:

[Nevman]

Would the uneven tyre wear also cause pulling?
My tyres are in bad shape (driver side worn inside and passenger side is evenly worn). Maybe I should buy tyres BEFORE spending more money on the alignment? And then put them on in the place where I'll have alignment done?

EDIT: And thanks for the tip NJ and Wayne. I may go there as it's closer to the one advised by Isaac.

[White Lightning]

Would the uneven tyre wear also cause pulling?


No, I don't think it would.



My tyres are in bad shape (driver side worn inside and passenger side is evenly worn). Maybe I should buy tyres BEFORE spending more money on the alignment?


It certainly sounds like new rubber is on the cards ... especially with winter coming!



And then put them on in the place where I'll have alignment done?

That is not necessary. You can get the tyres and balancing done wherever is convenient (and a good price) and then just get the alignment done somewhere decent.

[I-S]

Even if it's not adjustable, a proper rig can at least identify camber problems and so you know what the cause is. For example, I now know that the Accord's driver's side rear wheel is out of spec for camber - although not by enough to be worth doing anything about.

[Nevman]

In that case I will go to them tomorrow complaining about pulling.
The rubbers are definitely on the menu but not this month. Tomorrow I will put the keys in the locker for another month :( :( :(

See what they say tomorrow.

[Nick Mann]

Sorry to disagree, but worn tyres can cause pulling. I will say however that this is not a common issue. The alignment can make it feel better though. I would not bother with more alignment until you have the new tyres unless you are going to wait more than a month for new rubber.

[ANTHONY]

i agree if tyres are worn to the old setting then that may be why its feels like its pulling

[Nevman]

It does feel like pulling, trust me.
To drive straight I have to keep the steering wheel around 3 - 4 deg to the right.

[White Lightning]

I stand corrected ... perhaps I just never let me tyres get that worn :D /pan

[Nevman]

It's not really THAT worn but it's definitely uneven.
I think I wait (£££) to buy new tyres and than do alignment at Ben's place and see what they say.

[Nick Mann]

Nevman - none of us can say if your pulling issue is tyres or tracking. It could be either. TBH even a tyre shop is going to struggle to answer that one. Swap your front wheels over and see if the pull reverses. If it does, then it is certainly your tyres.

All I can say is that if you are getting new tyres soon, then wait for that and have the tracking redone then.

[Nevman]

That's great idea Mr. Mann. My rears are bald evenly :D
I'm sure if I go back to the tracking place they will say it's down to tyres and I won't be able to prove them wrong.
Anyway - keys to the cupboard (luckily VR4 is not my every day car anymore), saving money for tyres and see what happens after replacing them.