Discussion
Over the last couple of weeks I've really started noticing the Chim tramlines. Is this because (a) I am a paranoid wreck and it has always done this. (b) I have just chosen some particularly crappy roads that have really sunk along the wheel lines. (c) my suspension, tyre pressure or something else needs adjusting.
I've got no idea how sensitive tramlining is to suspension geometry, tyre pressure or whatever. Can anyone enlighten me?
I've got no idea how sensitive tramlining is to suspension geometry, tyre pressure or whatever. Can anyone enlighten me?
quote:
Over the last couple of weeks I've really started noticing the Chim tramlines. Is this because (a) I am a paranoid wreck and it has always done this. (b) I have just chosen some particularly crappy roads that have really sunk along the wheel lines. (c) my suspension, tyre pressure or something else needs adjusting.
I've got no idea how sensitive tramlining is to suspension geometry, tyre pressure or whatever. Can anyone enlighten me?
When I had my Chimaera's suspension geometry adjusted by an suspension expert (he works for Zertec), I found that the sharper the turn-in, the greater the tramlining, behaviour that's affected most by toe-in. Race cars have zero toe-in or even toe-out while your average family car will have plenty of toe-in for straight-line stablity and next to no tramlining. As it was explained to me, you can choose what you want: better turn-in = more tramlining or straight-line stability = less tramlining.
Of course, that presupposes all your tyre pressures are right and a whole host of other parameters are set up correctly...(I'm no expert!)
My 500 has been twitchy since I bought it last year - still running on some vintage SO1 fronts. Just put new SO3s all round and had the alignment checked at Micheldever. Toe in was out on both fronts - one was toeing out, the other in. £450 all up and seems much more solid than before. I drive down some heavily rutted roads thamks to our juggernaut friends and am skipping about much less than before. Early days on the SO3s but they seem fine to me, although I am scrubbing them in carefully. The wheel alignment portion was about 25 squids worth.
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Toe in was out on both fronts - one was toeing out, the other in.
How does that work then? Surely toe-in is the angle between the front wheels in the straight ahead position. If one is toeing out and the other is toeing in, doesn't this just mean the steering isn't centered?
Puzzled.
Peter Humphries (and a green V8S)
Peter,
The toe was 0.61 degrees on the left and -0.27 degrees on the right. My mechanical ken does not extend to comprehending exactly what this means. Micheldevers infra-red alignment jobbie specified a correct range for a Chimaera of 0.04 degree (min) to 0.20 degree max. After adjustment to fall within this range the steering characteristics have certainly improved. Difficult to know how much of this is down to SO3's inplace of some worn SO1's, but the overall package feels much tighter now.
Steve
The toe was 0.61 degrees on the left and -0.27 degrees on the right. My mechanical ken does not extend to comprehending exactly what this means. Micheldevers infra-red alignment jobbie specified a correct range for a Chimaera of 0.04 degree (min) to 0.20 degree max. After adjustment to fall within this range the steering characteristics have certainly improved. Difficult to know how much of this is down to SO3's inplace of some worn SO1's, but the overall package feels much tighter now.
Steve
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