HowTo: 4 wheel alignment (string method for toe and thrust)

Guest_1u53r · 09-25-2006, 05:25 PM

find it on nasioc instead

Guest_1u53r · 09-25-2006, 05:26 PM

*****

Guest_1u53r · 09-25-2006, 05:27 PM

find it on nasioc instead.

Ikon · 09-25-2006, 11:38 PM

Nice writh up i did the same a couple of times on other cars. what did you use to hold the steering wheel. BTW you got too much time on your hands

STEye · 10-08-2006, 02:48 PM

Nick, nice d00d! Am I to assume that this is almost as accurate as the alignment machine?

OT- Why does your post count say 100?? LOL

Guest_1u53r · 10-08-2006, 03:01 PM

it's a coup against postwhoring.

The accuracy of any alignment is limited by the person making the adjustments - how willing are you to dial things in to micro-precision?

I feel confident that I could get a much more precise and accurate alignment than a normal alignment shop, mainly because I am more willing to go the extra mile on my car.

kessler89 · 10-08-2006, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nhluhr

it's a coup against postwhoring.

The accuracy of any alignment is limited by the person making the adjustments - how willing are you to dial things in to micro-precision?

I feel confident that I could get a much more precise and accurate alignment than a normal alignment shop, mainly because I am more willing to go the extra mile on my car.

+1 and awesome write up bud!! when i got my car aligned i was standing out there when they did it and the guy was like "that's pretty close and you'll never feel that small of a difference" i was like uhhhh

so good write up i'll most def. use this post to do it myself, how about adjusting the camber, anything on that? i'd like to do my camber and THEN use this post to correct the toe

thanks again

Guest_1u53r · 10-08-2006, 06:08 PM

I have been letting a camber howto simmer on the brain for awhile. It requires a lot more diligence because it is very easy to use a camber gauge, get a number, and be convinced that the number you got is correct, when in fact it will likely have large amounts of error.

kessler89 · 10-08-2006, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nhluhr

I have been letting a camber howto simmer on the brain for awhile. It requires a lot more diligence because it is very easy to use a camber gauge, get a number, and be convinced that the number you got is correct, when in fact it will likely have large amounts of error.

good to hear, i'll keep an eye out for if/when you put it on the board, i like to do everyhting myself, that way i know it's done right, i'm sure others can relate, i feel helpless when i need to get my car aligned cause i cant do it myself, you know the feeling..... waching some moron slap a set of laser heads onto your BBS's grrrrrrrr

disturbed1 · 10-09-2006, 07:02 AM

Nhluhr

STEye · 10-09-2006, 09:52 PM

Yeah I thought I was getting a good alignment. But in using this string method I was able to find problems with the alignment. Nick is definately part of the l33t crew, thanks buddy!

munky69 · 11-03-2006, 03:45 PM

very nice. i actually prefer this over machines (former alignment guy/auto tech) the machines are so easy to get a messed up reading on. they are ok ,but it's pretty hard to get set up right,and alot of techs don't do it .

stretch · 11-11-2006, 08:37 AM

Has anyone verified the track width (or more importantly, the relative difference in track widths) in the STI? OE measurements seem unreliable, but even if they were reliable, Subaru is still rounding to the nearest tenth of an inch.

The 2007 STI type UK has its specs listed in millimeters, which is more precise. The track widths are listed as 1490mm front, 1495 rear. (2.5mm difference per side, as indicated in the original post.) That translates to 58.661 inches front and 58.858 rear. Luckily, since both round up a near equal amount, the posted USA track widths are still accurate enough for this alignment- if they can be trusted. Things like camber plates and even lowering springs will all mess with this measurement to varying extents.

One last thing, where'd you (er, your friend) find that ruler? I bought one that has 1/64th of an inch, but no metric.

Abe_Froman · 12-05-2006, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stretch

Has anyone verified the track width (or more importantly, the relative difference in track widths) in the STI? OE measurements seem unreliable, but even if they were reliable, Subaru is still rounding to the nearest tenth of an inch.

The 2007 STI type UK has its specs listed in millimeters, which is more precise. The track widths are listed as 1490mm front, 1495 rear. (2.5mm difference per side, as indicated in the original post.) That translates to 58.661 inches front and 58.858 rear. Luckily, since both round up a near equal amount, the posted USA track widths are still accurate enough for this alignment- if they can be trusted. Things like camber plates and even lowering springs will all mess with this measurement to varying extents.

One last thing, where'd you (er, your friend) find that ruler? I bought one that has 1/64th of an inch, but no metric.

You can verify if the strings are parallel (meaning track measurements are good) to each other simply by extending the strings past the front and rear of the car and measuring from string to string, if the front and back measurements are the same your golden.

STEye · 12-05-2006, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abe_Froman

You can verify if the strings are parallel (meaning track measurements are good) to each other simply by extending the strings past the front and rear of the car and measuring from string to string, if the front and back measurements are the same your golden.

Makes complete sense!

I am always worried that I don't have a completely level surface to take the measurements. I wonder how much an unlevel (slightly) surface can affect the alignment?

09-25-2006, 05:25 PM	#1
Guest_1u53r Banned Fav Mod: knowledge Location: Bristow, VA Posts: 392 Join Date: Apr 2003 Trader Rating: (1)	HowTo: 4 wheel alignment (string method for toe and thrust) find it on nasioc instead This ad is not endorsed by this member. Please register or login to hide this ad. Last edited by nhluhr : 03-26-2007 at 11:42 AM.

09-25-2006, 05:26 PM	#2
Guest_1u53r Banned Fav Mod: knowledge Location: Bristow, VA Posts: 392 Join Date: Apr 2003 Trader Rating: (1)	***** Last edited by nhluhr : 03-26-2007 at 11:42 AM.

09-25-2006, 05:27 PM	#3
Guest_1u53r Banned Fav Mod: knowledge Location: Bristow, VA Posts: 392 Join Date: Apr 2003 Trader Rating: (1)	find it on nasioc instead. Last edited by nhluhr : 03-26-2007 at 11:40 AM.

11-11-2006, 08:37 AM	#13
stretch Silver Member Car: Aspen 2005 STi Fav Mod: TurnInConcepts.com Coilovers Location: Silver Spring, MD Posts: 1,780 Join Date: Mar 2006 Trader Rating: (2)	Has anyone verified the track width (or more importantly, the relative difference in track widths) in the STI? OE measurements seem unreliable, but even if they were reliable, Subaru is still rounding to the nearest tenth of an inch. The 2007 STI type UK has its specs listed in millimeters, which is more precise. The track widths are listed as 1490mm front, 1495 rear. (2.5mm difference per side, as indicated in the original post.) That translates to 58.661 inches front and 58.858 rear. Luckily, since both round up a near equal amount, the posted USA track widths are still accurate enough for this alignment- if they can be trusted. Things like camber plates and even lowering springs will all mess with this measurement to varying extents. One last thing, where'd you (er, your friend) find that ruler? I bought one that has 1/64th of an inch, but no metric. Last edited by stretch : 11-11-2006 at 08:41 AM.

09-25-2006, 11:38 PM	#4
Ikon Welcome to The Board Car: 06 WRB STI Fav Mod: Advan RS Location: Starbucks, WA Posts: 5,494 Join Date: Mar 2006 Trader Rating: (10)	Nice writh up i did the same a couple of times on other cars. what did you use to hold the steering wheel. BTW you got too much time on your hands

10-08-2006, 02:48 PM	#5
STEye The Next Petter Solberg Posts: 947 Join Date: Nov 2004 Trader Rating: (4)	Nick, nice d00d! Am I to assume that this is almost as accurate as the alignment machine? OT- Why does your post count say 100?? LOL

10-08-2006, 03:01 PM	#6
Guest_1u53r Banned Fav Mod: knowledge Location: Bristow, VA Posts: 392 Join Date: Apr 2003 Trader Rating: (1)	it's a coup against postwhoring. The accuracy of any alignment is limited by the person making the adjustments - how willing are you to dial things in to micro-precision? I feel confident that I could get a much more precise and accurate alignment than a normal alignment shop, mainly because I am more willing to go the extra mile on my car.

10-08-2006, 06:08 PM	#8
Guest_1u53r Banned Fav Mod: knowledge Location: Bristow, VA Posts: 392 Join Date: Apr 2003 Trader Rating: (1)	I have been letting a camber howto simmer on the brain for awhile. It requires a lot more diligence because it is very easy to use a camber gauge, get a number, and be convinced that the number you got is correct, when in fact it will likely have large amounts of error.

10-09-2006, 07:02 AM	#10
disturbed1 Professional STI Racer Car: 06 subaru wrx sti Fav Mod: royal purple Location: orange, CA Posts: 619 Join Date: Jul 2006 Trader Rating: (0)	Nhluhr

10-09-2006, 09:52 PM	#11
STEye The Next Petter Solberg Posts: 947 Join Date: Nov 2004 Trader Rating: (4)	Yeah I thought I was getting a good alignment. But in using this string method I was able to find problems with the alignment. Nick is definately part of the l33t crew, thanks buddy!

11-03-2006, 03:45 PM	#12
munky69 S204 Racer Car: 04 STi, 06 Altima Fav Mod: jailbreak Location: SOsocal Posts: 2,956 Join Date: Aug 2003 Trader Rating: (2)	very nice. i actually prefer this over machines (former alignment guy/auto tech) the machines are so easy to get a messed up reading on. they are ok ,but it's pretty hard to get set up right,and alot of techs don't do it .