Ballsed up the camber

[dave364634]

So yesterday I changed the O/S/F wheel bearing, and undid the camber bolts.

Today the car steers to the left.

Am I to negative or posative on the camber?


Ta.

 

[944 man]

They all steer to the left! Id advise that you get it set up properly. You can pay from £80 upwards (£30 front and £50 rear; Roddison Racing - Sheffield) for a proper 944 geo.

 

[MartinRS2K]

If your in the North West Hartech in Bolton do four electronic wheel camber and castor settings for £150.

Mine is that little bit sharper in the corners since it has been done []

 

[J4CKO]

Hartech quoted me £300, possibly more if any bols were seized, hence why I didnt get it done, want to check over the suspension properly, replace any bushes or whatever then get it done, I cant spend an open ended amount on having the thing set up.


Is it possible to mark up the existing settings with a scribe so you can get it back if you make a change, well enough to run it until you can get it in to be set up, I dont mind spending £100 or so but
Hartech scared me off !

 

[Hilux]

ORIGINAL: J4CKO




Is it possible to mark up the existing settings with a scribe so you can get it back if you make a change, well enough to run it until you can get it in to be set up, I dont mind spending £100 or so but
Hartech scared me off !

Yes, it is.

Scribe for accuracy, Tippex for near enough to nip up the bolts and also good for bonnet and boot hinges on painted surfaces etc.

Blue tack is good but easily moved/altered if you`re not careful

95% accurate

Find a centre with a Hunter machine - wont cost anything like £300 and ensure (insist) they centre the steering wheel first and lock it (they normally do) and also to adjust the steering arms each side incrementally - not just one.

Try here

 

[944 man]

ORIGINAL: J4CKO

Hartech quoted me £300, possibly more if any bols were seized, hence why I didnt get it done, want to check over the suspension properly, replace any bushes or whatever then get it done, I cant spend an open ended amount on having the thing set up.


Is it possible to mark up the existing settings with a scribe so you can get it back if you make a change, well enough to run it until you can get it in to be set up, I dont mind spending £100 or so but Hartech scared me off !

Was it Grant, or whatever his name is? I think that there are better people there...

I can recommend somewhere thatll do it for less than £100. You might be aware of Paul Roddison from Nutz, as he is a successful racer and preparer of MX-5s.

Paul is familiar with the cars and he has a number of regular 944 which come in for adjustment. He knows which settings to opt fro bas3ed on the conversation he will have with you and I dont think that Ive ever heard a bad word said about him (anywhere, not just on Nutz, wher ehe is an MX-5 setup legend).

Paul quoted me £30 for the front and £80 for the lot and Id be very surprised if it went beyond £100 on any reasonably clean car.

Their unit is about half a mile from Meadowhall, so easy to find and easy to get to, too: M60 > M67 > A628/A616 > M1-J35a > M1-J34 > under Tinsley Viaduct > 500m up the ring road.

Your problem was obviously that you were on the wrong side of the Pennines! []

 

[ChasR]

ORIGINAL: 944 man

They all steer to the left! Id advise that you get it set up properly. You can pay from £80 upwards (£30 front and £50 rear; Roddison Racing - Sheffield) for a proper 944 geo.

This.

My 951 (which came with adjusted geometry) drives much nicer than my old S2 used to (which seemed to have the geometry setup years before I bought it). Until buying it, I thought most 944s were a little wayward at the rear []. A competent person to adjust them is the way to go I reckon.

As Hilux said, anyone with a Hunter machine should be able to do it on the assumption that the rear bolts are not seized.

 

[dave364634]

The bolts aren't seized, I've just undone them!

It just seems to go to the left more than it should, the steering wheel goes anti clockwise too! (When the wheel is straight, the car goes in a straight line).

 

[944 man]

Theyre set up to counter the camber - on a German road... PCGB would set them up to suit right hand drive applications as a special request, but it wasnt that common.

So, striclty speaking, a well set up car should turn to the left. Id get the front done, as a minimum, if I were you.

 

[dave364634]

So if I drive on the wrong side of the road I should be OK?

 

[944 man]

It could be... []

 

[George Elliott]

Dave
the understanding of wheel alignment aside from suspension and wheels / tyres is not generally good.

Even among car manufacturers, it is poor. For example Audi are practically incapable of producing a car that steers well. Lotus are among the best along with Porsche. Ford excelled themselves from the Focus onwards. Peugeot in the 205 era were also good. A Renault R26 is also good I understand.

I would say alignment services are like restaurants.

They will all adjust your wheel alignment, Caster, Camber, Tracking, on all 4 wheels. (there is a corner weight / ride height factor too but for simplicity we will ignore it).

Just as a restaurant will serve a meal from the menu.

But if you want a really good meal, there are restaurants and restaurants.

And for alignment, "Centre Gravity" is 5 Star. They understand: Grip, Feel, Balance, Your Driving style, the ARB's Bushes, everything about your car. Its not just a Set the Alignment Parameters into Manufacturers Tolerance exercise - ignoring the 50% tired ARB Bushes, and leaking damper, its a proper overhaul to leave you totally happy with the finished result. They speak to you.......

I'd guess Hartech do a similar thing, and thats why they quote £300 which is actually very reasonable IMO.

You get what you pay for, Horse-meat included.[]

good luck
George
944t

 

[dave364634]

I'll be going to the local golden arches.


Stupid question - what should the angles be for a 4 wheel alignment (ie tracking and camber)?

Its a 1989 2.7 lux, which really needs new front dampers.