Suspension set up

[dbsdave]

Hi,

I posted this on Track Days but guess you guys a far more technical in this dept.

Is it not true that a car has to be on its wheels to read camber, castor and kingpin angles
and can not be done with the wheels off the floor. I see some people have these gauges mounted on the brake disc and wonder why?

[Sam_68]

It has to be with the suspension deflected to static ride height, but not necessarily on its wheels.

[dbsdave]

Thanks Sam 68. How is that achieved ?

[Sam_68]

You can either support the car under its suspension arms, so that the sprung weight of the car itself compresses the suspension to normal static ride height, or (more usefully) you support the sprung weight of the car (ie. the chassis) on trestles, unbolt the springs/dampers so that the suspension arms can move up and down freely, then put a jack under the suspension arms to support them at their normal ride height relationship with the chassis.

The latter technique is the normal way of checking for bump steer, because you can use dial gauges to measure the toe deflection as you move the suspension arms up and down through their normal working range.

[dbsdave]

Thats great. You see I am working on an adaptor for one of these bubble gauges and just need to understand all the dynamics involved. Mine is for fitting on the wheel rim. Its for general reseting and checking on a lift with turn plates.

I am a Kit car fan. 1987 I was buying kit car magazine, sending of my £2 and receiving a letter and some polaroid pictures from varios manufactuars, I visited the Covin Turbo Coupe factory once and was eying up Novas, Bonitos, Avantes, Cobras.....dreaming ,I was 19!
I got into classics with a couple of Beetles, Hillman Imp and Two Triumph Spitfires and a Tr4
Do you think I was swayed into those choices by a couple of years Kit Car Magazine influence of good doner cars ?
One day I am pretty sure I will have a Hawk 289..Its having a Triumph 2.5 6 in it. Nice balance.

[AdiT]

I have one of those guages and I can put it on the disks through the holes in the wheel.

[dbsdave]

Well that was not something I had thought of and a quick look at my cars ,a Golf3 and a SAAB 900, it could work on both.
Top Tip !

[one eyed mick]

Great idea but I cannot see it helping you on the golf or the saab as I doubt they can be adjusted caster camber wise any way? May be wrong others will no doubt educate me!

[dbsdave]

Well its like this.

I am in Sweden and sell a few bubble tools and tracking tools here (mostly stuff from ebay).

I was thinking of making an adaptor to mount these tools on, there are a few in the US.

I find it all very interesting and I am here for tips in general like the ones above.

On my seach in the past for information for all things wheel alignment related, it seems you can buy camber/castor kits for nearly any car, Inc FWD, mostly from the US.

Edited by dbsdave on Friday 1st July 19:17