| front end alignment | |
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+6AIRBORNE punder Wingman Pops va.redneckrazor launch22 10 posters |
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launch22
Number of posts : 317 Age : 50 Location : south point ohio Registration date : 2009-04-02
| Subject: front end alignment March 20th 2010, 9:23 pm | |
| has any one had to change the alignment on there front end after adding a 3" lift? i have had my lift on for a long time, but when i am on hard pack or black top the front end seems to dart around at high speeds . if so how did you gauge your adjustments.? | |
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va.redneckrazor
Number of posts : 227 Age : 51 Location : big stone gap va Registration date : 2009-12-30
| Subject: Re: front end alignment March 20th 2010, 9:32 pm | |
| tape measure center steering wheel measure front of wheel to frame and rear of wheel to frame then go tothe other side and measure the same points and adjust as needed | |
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Pops
Number of posts : 1259 Age : 65 Location : Baytown, TX Registration date : 2009-02-20
| Subject: Re: front end alignment March 20th 2010, 9:45 pm | |
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launch22
Number of posts : 317 Age : 50 Location : south point ohio Registration date : 2009-04-02
| Subject: Re: front end alignment March 20th 2010, 10:14 pm | |
| do you want them perfectly straight ? or do you want a slight toe in? | |
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Wingman
Number of posts : 225 Age : 62 Location : Harbinger, NC Registration date : 2009-02-18
| Subject: Re: front end alignment March 20th 2010, 10:58 pm | |
| When I changed my steering rack (Rhino) ... I was told 1/16" to 1/8" toe in. | |
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punder
Number of posts : 1849 Age : 56 Location : Winston Salem NC Registration date : 2009-02-22
| Subject: Re: front end alignment March 20th 2010, 11:37 pm | |
| The way I was showed was a string around the entire machine on the center of the hubs , so far I have been butter smooth all thru the range of speed and turns . | |
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Guest Guest
| Subject: Re: front end alignment March 21st 2010, 2:51 am | |
| i need to adjust the alignment on mine also. im going to do the sting method. on my LE i just went by sight and got it as close as i could. |
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launch22
Number of posts : 317 Age : 50 Location : south point ohio Registration date : 2009-04-02
| Subject: Re: front end alignment March 21st 2010, 10:11 am | |
| - punder wrote:
- The way I was showed was a string around the entire machine on the center of the hubs , so far I have been butter smooth all thru the range of speed and turns .
more info on this string method. do you take all 4 wheels off? im not following you. i ride the short bus some times! | |
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punder
Number of posts : 1849 Age : 56 Location : Winston Salem NC Registration date : 2009-02-22
| Subject: Re: front end alignment March 21st 2010, 1:41 pm | |
| Nope , leave the tires on ( this is what you will use to see tow in/out ) , use string not rope . Your rear tires are a what you are aligning the front tires too . 1st run the sting and make it tight but it should not indent the tire ( kinda like a loose guitar string ) and put the string where it runs thru the center of the hub ( center of the wheel ) , 2nd straighten the wheel ( place it in the position that should be if going straight ) . 3 rd look to see where it is off , if you have one side way off from the other look for bent or worn pieces ( as this can affect it also ) , 4th loosen the lock nut( on the tie rod end ) and adjust the arm ( there should be a place to put a wrench on the shaft where the round bar is ground straight ) , Remember this is a turn buckel , it pushes one way and pulls the other . Now on a atv this should be done with a rider on the machine as this affects tow in/out ( unsure the procedure for side X side as the weight is all one side ) also this should be done on the ground , not lifted in the air this will also change tow in and out . Now I have allways heard tow in for 4 wheel drive as the front in has a slightly higher gear to the rear and will cause the tire to straighten or pull out , braking caused the wheels to tow in with the weight transfer to the front and the brakes locking the tire . Hope this helps , if not pm me and I will send you Phone # and try to talk you thru it . Mostly just remember how many turns you make , worse case go back to where you were to begin with , but don't be afraid to adjust it , once you have got down there and look it will make more sence . Also , the person that told me tow in/out said it is a preference , some like it just the oposite and are used to that feel , so if yours does not feel correct then you need to adjust it to you but 1/16 to 1/8 can make a huge differnece in the way it feels on Asphalt . Mostly use this to spot where rock/trees/ holes have bent or changed the front adjustment . If this works for ya , you owe me a beer , if not , you were going to have to take it to the shop anyway ........ | |
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launch22
Number of posts : 317 Age : 50 Location : south point ohio Registration date : 2009-04-02
| Subject: Re: front end alignment March 21st 2010, 2:14 pm | |
| headed to the garage now. i'll let ya know thanks !! | |
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launch22
Number of posts : 317 Age : 50 Location : south point ohio Registration date : 2009-04-02
| Subject: Re: front end alignment March 21st 2010, 3:34 pm | |
| worked like a charm! just took a test ride, i actually felt like i had control of it at high speed. thanks for your help!! im going to try to make some apple pie for the ride. i'll hook you up if its any good. | |
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punder
Number of posts : 1849 Age : 56 Location : Winston Salem NC Registration date : 2009-02-22
| Subject: Re: front end alignment March 21st 2010, 8:50 pm | |
| Ooooh now you are talking ....... Glad it worked for ya , was you out on just one side ? or just too much tow ? | |
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Wingman
Number of posts : 225 Age : 62 Location : Harbinger, NC Registration date : 2009-02-18
| Subject: Re: front end alignment March 21st 2010, 9:19 pm | |
| Well I guess I will try the string method and see what it looks like. I strapped a piece of angle iron to both front wheels, took measurements and did my adjustments that way. | |
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launch22
Number of posts : 317 Age : 50 Location : south point ohio Registration date : 2009-04-02
| Subject: Re: front end alignment March 21st 2010, 9:28 pm | |
| - punder wrote:
- Ooooh now you are talking ....... Glad it worked for ya , was you out on just one side ? or just too much tow ?
it had way too much tow. my springs have not started to sag at all yet. so i guess thats why it was tow so bad after adding the lift. it was hard to keep in my lane when we road black top at the WW the last time. | |
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AIRBORNE
Number of posts : 530 Location : Fort Lee, VA Registration date : 2009-02-11
| Subject: Re: front end alignment March 21st 2010, 10:00 pm | |
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bubba53 Moderator
Number of posts : 12045 Age : 70 Location : statesville,nc Registration date : 2009-08-29
| Subject: Re: front end alignment March 21st 2010, 10:59 pm | |
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Finzup
Number of posts : 2037 Age : 75 Location : Kenna, WV Registration date : 2009-07-13
| Subject: Re: front end alignment March 21st 2010, 11:26 pm | |
| - launch22 wrote:
- has any one had to change the alignment on there front end after adding a 3" lift? i have had my lift on for a long time, but when i am on hard pack or black top the front end seems to dart around at high speeds . if so how did you gauge your adjustments.?
You've had some good suggestions, but I've aligned the toe on everything I've driven with this simple method (confirmed with alignment machine analysis). After moving vehicle to assure it's settled on the suspension, park on a level surface with normal tire pressure all around. Presuming the steering wheel center is OK, measure the distance from the floor to the center of the hub and transfer this distance to the center of the front tires. I use push pins to mark this dimension on both front tires. Drop a plumb-bob to the inside to both pins, mark the floor and measure the distance. Shove the vehicle back 180 deg. until the pins are the same distance from the floor surface. Drop the plumb-bob and measure the distance . If an adjustment is needed, divide the result by two and lengthen/shorten both tie rod lengths by half the result to keep the steering wheel centered. You can't change rear wheel alignment with relation to the front, so don't worry about it unless you think the frame is bent. | |
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Hump
Number of posts : 4683 Age : 45 Location : Richwood, WV Registration date : 2009-03-08
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Finzup
Number of posts : 2037 Age : 75 Location : Kenna, WV Registration date : 2009-07-13
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shawn
Number of posts : 5230 Age : 50 Location : Beaver, WV Registration date : 2009-02-11
| Subject: Re: front end alignment June 22nd 2010, 11:03 am | |
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Guest Guest
| Subject: Re: front end alignment June 22nd 2010, 3:39 pm | |
| What we do on our race cars is we straighten up the left side with a string and then move to the right side and pull a string on it. That will show if your toed in or out.
Typically you need some toe out in this situation to help keep control. If you go in or straight, it can tend to take away control. We run on our race cars, a 16th of an inch toe out. I plan to do the same on my RZR.
This past weekend I was noticing my RZR was toed out like an inch and a quarter. I must of hit something. Everything looks ok so I will bring in that RF a little bit but of course leave it toed out.
I believe from the factory they are toed out a little bit per what Performance East said. |
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punder
Number of posts : 1849 Age : 56 Location : Winston Salem NC Registration date : 2009-02-22
| Subject: Re: front end alignment June 22nd 2010, 10:57 pm | |
| Might want to check your tie rods Tbone , and look for slack in the ends ( this is a known problem point ) ... If you are way out on one side then you have a bent rod . The ends may look good but pull the wheel off and look for slack , if so then you need to replace . | |
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Guest Guest
| Subject: Re: front end alignment June 22nd 2010, 11:12 pm | |
| I will check it out. I looked it over with a wrench this past weekend and everything looked good and tight. I am going to take a few rounds out of it and straighten it up. With what you said, I may pull the tie rid off and check it out. If its bent I may just put a new one on. I will look for that!
Thanks Drew! |
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Hump
Number of posts : 4683 Age : 45 Location : Richwood, WV Registration date : 2009-03-08
| Subject: Re: front end alignment June 23rd 2010, 3:50 am | |
| I just eyeballed mine. It was toed way out. It did drive like a Corvette on pavement, and handle great in turns everywhere. I haven't drove it much after adjusting it. I did leave it toed out just a little though, because if you are toed in, it will dart like crazy.
Maybe I shouldn't have messed with it. Guess I'll find out this weekend. | |
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Hump
Number of posts : 4683 Age : 45 Location : Richwood, WV Registration date : 2009-03-08
| Subject: Re: front end alignment June 27th 2010, 12:42 am | |
| I used the string method to get it right. Measuring at the tires, I have it toed out about 3/16". I rode it before I messed with it again, and it drove like crap. I have about 3/8" of threads showing on each tie rod. My steering wheel was still off to the right, so I took it off and turned it where it needed to be. I'm toed out about 2 degrees, and it drives great. I'm ready to ride! There's something about the body lines of the rzr that give the illusion that they are toed out much more than they really are. Besides moving the steering wheel, I'm back close to where it was from the factory now. | |
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