Steering alignment

Is it groundhog day again? :-))

Steve

contributing

lol :o)

I suspect they are a little loose in their language and really mean hitting a bump, e.g. the kerb, with the side of a tyre. I certainly don't see why hitting a bump that causes no sideways impact on the tyre should put the tracking out.

Rob Graham

contributing

no i can not see why, but if it is true then i know a lot of cars that must have the tracking out by about 5inches

Strictly speaking, cornering puts a sideways force on the tyre. However, as you adjust the tracking by screwing the trackrod ends in or out on the steering rack itself, the tracking should not change from what is was set at. Of course, wear in the rubber bushes and balljoints would mean that the tracking could not be set accurately in the first place and it would be slightly different every time it were checked. Also a real hard impact could bend the steering or suspension components making it wrong.

The reason I gave the last garage my business is because they were realistic about what really affects the tracking and were prepared to recheck/adjust FOC if needed within the 28 days. To me, the garages which offered no such comeback either do not understand the principles or don't have faith in their own work...

Darren

or perhaps the garage that offers the free re-check/adjust have no confidence in their work either, hence the need to re-check it within 28 days ?

Darren Jarvis ( snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.con) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

It doesn't take much of a ham-fisted attempt at parking next to a kerb to knock tracking out, without bending anything. That's a *good* thing. If the TRE didn't slip on the rod, something WOULD bend, and that'd cost more than ten minutes to correct. Especially if it cracked and later fractured instead of bending...

The track rod end slips on the rod nowadays? When did that start then, last one I saw was threaded on to the rod and fitted with a locknut.

Steve

hmm i did see a peddle car without threads on the ends.........do this count ;0)

TRE do not slip on rods. What nonsense to suggest they do. If you don't believe that, have a look at some cars with frontal damage in breakers yards. IME you wont find any where the TRE has slipped on the rod. Even those with mangled front suspension. Mike.

Yes it does, but from the bottom of the tyre where it has minimal effect on the steering levers and joints. The sort of force that puts tracking out comes from further up the tyre, such as when the kerb is hit.

I have to say, I can't see why this should put tracking out unless it's severe enough to bend something, but it evidently does.

Rob

Does it really? Or is tracking just a big con by tyre places to get

John

A while ago I calculated how many turns of the track rod thread would cover the manufacturer's allowed range of toe-in, it was something like 1/3 of a turn on my car, so perhaps these kerb knocks have to less damage than we think to affect the tracking.

Mike G ( snipped-for-privacy@lycos.co.uk) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

Last one I adjusted, I just loosened the two bolts holding the collar, and the adjuster slid on the rod, which wasn't threaded. That's how it got knocked out of alignment, and that's how it got knocked straight.

very interesting, perhaps you will let us know what make and model this car was.....

The message from Adrian contains these words:

Eh? How's it going to slip - it's a threaded tube on a threaded bar with a locknut. Short of stripping the threads there's no way at all it can shift.

No doubt there's some of that. But I've had my cars re-tracked from time to time because of uneven tyre wear, not because some tester told me it was out.

Rob

Are you sure? This design would seem madness to me. I've never heard of it before.

Rob Graham

Rob graham ( snipped-for-privacy@btinternet.com) gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying :

The rod and TRE are threaded, by the look, but the adjuster is held by pinch bolts, and is not threaded. It certainly kicked straight.

So how does a small kerb knock hit the tracking out without bending anything?