Alignment
Just completed an alignment on Caldwell D9 using alignment bars bolted to the car with strings. All previous alignments have gone without a hitch and the car is very straight. The platforms are level and square and the strings are square to the car. The problem I'm having is that when I roll the car back and forth, with the rack stops installed it ends up moving to the left. Any ideas?
What moves to the left and how much?Originally Posted by mhrace
Could be as simple as a rack stop is not as perfect as it once was to your tires resisting the adjustments until you roll them to a bad heim joint somewhere.
Robby
The length of an alignment area is not very long, so for it to pull one way, it must be significantly steering left. You need to check all those parameters that you think are square, etc. Most likely scenario is that with fatigue, and standing pointing different directions, etc, you have inadvertently put toe-in on one side and toe-out on the other. It is so easy to doEven if your strings are not square to the car, but still parallel, it might dog-track, but should not steer itself.
Greg Rice, RICERACEPREP.com
F1600 Arrive-N-Drive for FRP and SCCA, FC SCCA also. Including Runoffs
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Check your tire circumferences.
Roland Johnson
San Diego, Ca
Rolling the car forward and backwards the car angles to the left so that the front of the car is further left than the rear.
minimal difference 1/8 inch
The length of an alignment area is not very long, so for it to pull one way, it must be significantly steering left. You need to check all those parameters that you think are square, etc. Most likely scenario is that with fatigue, and standing pointing different directions, etc, you have inadvertently put toe-in on one side and toe-out on the other. It is so easy to do
Had the rack out since the last alignment when we first put the car on the platforms the left front toe was way out plus the camber was out half a degree. The other 3 wheels where very close.
Did you take the steering stops out and put them in again after your alignment? If you reversed them and they have any variation you will steer to one side.
My guess is that your setup may not have been as square as it needed to be.
Given the type of suspension you have it is very easy to have the car out of square. Step one to get a square car is to make sure that the front and lower a-arms are exactly the same length side to side. Especially at the front equal means that the forward legs and rear legs are the same side to side. If the frame is square, then the front lower ball joints will be the same distance behind the front bulkhead and from the center of the chassis.
Next is to check the wheel base of the car side to side. You can do that by measuring from the front lower ball joints once you have those square. Or you can use the front bulkhead of the frame and measure to the rear axle.
Another common mistake when you do an alignment is setting an individual variable, say camber, and not checking say caster or toe after the camber change. Any change in toe will change the readings for camber and caster. I recommend that you set the toe to zero, take your measurements and change camber and caster to desirable number. Reset the toe and measure toe, camber and caster. If any one adjustment is not correct, change that variable. Reset the toe to zero each time and take your measurements. When you have camber and caster as you want at zero toe, then set toe to what you want. This sequence is necessary when you do bump steer as well.
My first FF was a D9, so I am a bit familiar with your car.
Yep
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