CIH

"That'll be your tracking mate" etc

I thought WIM was doing the training, how is this working then...Pete asks the questions and you answer? It has to start somewhere..... We have a huge pool of information in wim web/forum and i have no idea of the level of understanding Pete has so where do you start? That's a good point actually...I suppose the best place to start though is the beginning...why is a geometry needed, what are the advantages over tracking etc? Even though you will both know the answer and the regulars on here...for newbies they will get the full picture by starting at the beginning Well I suppose "Geometry" is used to achieve, as near as possible, the optimum tyre posture when the vehicle is in motion. Is that a good, if slightly simplistic, definition ? As for tracking, by checking only the front wheels across a single plain, it makes several unfounded assumptions which can, and probably will, render any subsequent remedial work (at best) counter-productive. A Full Geometry check looks at the position of all 4 wheels across all relevant plains and can also indicate suspension defects I'd say about 85% of my "knowledge" of suspension/geo is from years of Gran Turismo and Forza tweakage. Anyway, been through all the Techno Info and have questions! 1: Is KPI applied to steered axles only ? If so, what are the implications as to 4-wheel steer ? Or is it applied to the front axle only ? 2:Do manufacturers allow a tolerance to be applied to Included Angle ? That is, assuming camber is within specs, the tyre shows even wear but IA is not to spec ? Or is tyre wear/poor handling inevitable given such readings ? 3:Could you define bump steer ? And what are the causes ? I've never been able to pin-down a clear definition. EDIT: Look what I just found:http://www.wheels-inmotion.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=2335 ("Positive Ackerman theory, I have a cunning plan") 4:I'd also be interested in the implications of changing wheel offset (ie using spacers, different wheels) and also Rolling Radius. I have more (ofcourse) but these are the most relevant and will do for starters!

ze car

Reading through all the theory on the home page at the moment.

Probably a proprietary format so I doubt my comp will be able to read anyway. now I could have removed that post but somebody went and quoted me

Had a quiet day in work today so spent some time watching OTJ training movies. "Borrowed" the Hunter DVDs so I can have them at home too. Got a fantastic night sifting through ~200 .avi files over 5 discs. A workmate wants the Geo database so I'll have to try and copy that too.

look forward to seeing some pictures!

Thanks Tony. Don't know why it bothered me. One of the guys noticed it and y'know when someone puts an idea into your head ? Oh and note the comedy exhaust on the Mercedes bus parked ahead. There's another such box on the near-side too!

I was expecting a late eighties Skyline GTS or something....

edit:whoops probably not the best forum. maybe "General Gold" ?

Had a late shape new mini in for two runflats and a Hunter alignment. Before (upper) and After (lower): -terrible picture I know but it was spur of the moment with my phone. You can see the red areas where it was off-spec and the lower half all-green which indicates angles are to spec ("correct"). Here's a close up: Note rear camber. A little over 10minutes short of 2degrees either side. Quite aggresive I would have thought ? Here's the car after a quick shake down-run. Yeah I'd say that's alot! Rear tyre wear was unremarkable prior. Perhaps I should have left 'em where they were ? Incidentally, the rear trailing-arms were fighting me all the way. I was down to half turns on each bolt as I attempted to lock it in place without the toe wandering.

If the OEM spec were correct you wouldn't have the customer? No I mean if we were playing out our standard MX5 scenario and I advised settings that were not to Manufacturer's spec that could give the wrong impression ? But then if I were competent enough to make such changes I should be able to give the customer the confidence such changes were for the best yes ? I always try to talk people through the report as ~£80 for "wheel alignment" is a lot to your average fast-fit customer.

Wouldn't a report showing deviances from OEM spec give the wrong impression to the customer ? Though, I imagine a competent tech should be able to explain such changes to a customer ?

Well I've sat down and thought about this. If it's un-modified then I'm inclined not to deviate from Mazda's specified settings. First, ask customer of any unusual behaviour, noise etc. I would check the tyres to ensure correct size/fitment/pressures/DOT Codes to indicate tyre age. .Check for excessive play and/or damage in suspension and steering ie; broken springs, bent arms, cracks in wishbones, subframes, leaks in power steering components etc. Check wheel balancing to ensure wheel/tyres are not out of shape, buckled etc. Test drive and look for any unusual behaviour or noise. In that order, assuming I hadn't found anything that would indicate the cause of the wear. Could probably adjust the suspension to try and eliminate any tolerance but I'm not confident that would achieve anything. Other than that, honestly, I don't know.

This is probably directed towards wim but I suppose anyone who runs a garage could answer. I'm enjoing the Hunters more than ever since I joined here and could happily do it allday. As is, I probably do about 12 a week (give or take). So, I'm wondering is there a big enough market to do this full time ? As far as i'm aware, there are around 6 such garages with this kit in the North West so there can't be that many people who can use it properly. If so, what would you guys look for in, I dunno, a "Geo. Tech" ? ie, what kind of experience/qualifications etc ? Or is it like ours where it's just one number of many jobs depending on what comes through the door ? I really hate fast-fit. Save for one or two I'm surrounded by chancers and idiots plus the money is exceptionally poor. I'd like to think my experience with our Hunter can be my ticket out of the place. Any thoughts, opinions etc appreciated.

Bridgestone do have noticeably stiff sidewalls.

Yeah but I don't get anytime to watch stuff like that when I'm at work (unless it relates directly to something I'm doing).

Oh I agree and wouldn't normally bother but I'd wager every 3 of 5 alignments we do are 3-series BMWs.

You wouldn't happen to have any links would you ? Can't find anythong other than online vids and I'm still in the stone age (56k).

If you think they're tough try locating Toyota Landcruiser models. Must be over 3 dozen variants listed, going back to the seventies, and there's nothing to assist in tracking down the specific model. Just a big list of Toyota model numbers. I'm probably more familiar with a fair few Toyota model codes than most (AE86 Corollas, St202/205 Celicas etc -I can thank years of Gran Turismo for that) but Landcuisers are a total blank.

Just read through this topic and I'm totally jealous. All I ever get in is exec-chariots and mummies with their point-less jeeps. Don't know how you manage with these mega modified stuff. Somecars, such as a track-slag Clio 172 recently, I had to measure the ride height and because it was slammed on coil-overs the Hunter didn't like it one little bit ("suspension needs repair" etc)

I'll scan the print out but our kit states somekind of rachet affair that sits atop of the strut. I try and do everything "wheels down", if I can.

Has anyone managed to source the tool for the actual adjustment ? Or an equivilant ?