How To Wheel/Tire Toe Alignment diy w/ tape measure easy and cheap

[deadgodanubis]

@igottagetmycam I found and read some of the thread. Good install! Nice looking car! A good alignment certainly makes a big difference. Maybe link my video in the thread so others can see it in case they want to do the same as you. I also have much to learn. I'm more of a weekend mechanic. Keep me posted!

[igottagetmycam]

@deadgodanubis your steps definately work. I did the same to the back. I'm just waiting for the car to settle after jacking to post finish ride height pics in that forum thread. I need to tweek the drivers side some more as its still slightly out. I think after driving a bit, rechecking alignments a good idea. Thanks for the car compliment, wouldn't believe i got it for $500 and have about $1200 into it. Anyway your the Man for helping me and others out!

TY

[deadgodanubis]

@igottagetmycam That's one thing I forgot to mention is letting the car settle back after adjusting it. Keep tweeking it and you'll eventually get it where you want it. Never pay for this service again. $500 for it is a good deal I think. They are fun cars to drive. I've always been a fan of similar cars like the Fiero and the Toyota MR2. Compact, small and fun. Pass on the tip to anyone who might need it. Thanks for the comments, I'm very happy it helped you and others!

[deadgodanubis]

@kev12quebec Thanks. I'm happy you liked it. I was afraid I made it too long. Pass on the tip to anyone you know who needs it. Thanks for the comment!

[kev12quebec]

Very nice video ! A++++

[igottagetmycam]

Dude cool vid TYVM for making it!! I just installed lowering ball joints on a 86 Fiero and the alignments all out of whack! It was before the new lowring ball joints. I also installed adjustable upper ball joints. Also my steering was crooked before the upgrades. I'm gonna try this and see how it turns out!!

TYVM for taking the time to make this vid!!

[deadgodanubis]

@igottagetmycam Ooh, Fieros are fun cars. My friend had one and it was fun to drive before he sold it. Sometimes when you change suspension parts the alignment gets changed, but it sounds like you had a bad one before changing any parts. I would center the steering wheel first, then see which way I would adjust both wheels so that they're parallel and the steering wheel is centered. But as long as wheels are parallel, steering wheel position is not really important, just annoying

[igottagetmycam]

@deadgodanubis Lol After I watched your vid I went out and centered the steering wheel. Now the drivers side looks much better! Just have a do your steps and get the alignment right. Then I can adjust camber! I'd send you a link but youtube wont let me. Try a google search?

Installing Rodneys 1" Lowering ball joints in a 86 by weloveour86se

You can see the car there! We own two. I have much to learn, I will be the first to admit.

[deadgodanubis]

@igottagetmycam I'm happy you liked the video. Try it out and let me know how it goes! Thanks for watching!

[chaise91]

No bullshit I have those same sneakers sitting right next to me. Lol.

[deadgodanubis]

@chaise91 $35 at Big 5 Sporting Goods. Good pair of shoes and cheap! ha!

[deadgodanubis]

@Ambassadorkenny thanks! pass the tip on to someone who needs it. i've had friends get alignments at shops and they come out worse than going in. somehow my way is better than the technicians and their expensive machines. doesn't make sense, right? thanks for the comment!

[Ambassadorkenny]

genius!!!!!!!!!!



[deadgodanubis]

@Middlemcd And yes, alignment is camber, castor, and toe. On some cars the camber and castor are not adjustable with stock suspension. It is possible to adjust it though. There are several other videos by others that are good DIY for Camber and castor. Adjust your toe in the meantime, that way you won't be eating away at your tires as you drive. They can start to show wear pretty quickly with a bad toe. Thanks for the feedback!

[deadgodanubis]

@Middlemcd My friend hit a big pot hole and damaged parts and messed up the alignment similar to you. If you drive along and the car feels like it shakes at higher speeds or maybe you feel vibrations in your steering wheel, then you might need to rebalance.

[Middlemcd]

My school will give me an alignment eventually. But this is great in the mean time

[Middlemcd]

The front right wheel of my car hit a curb, pretty hard, but left should be fine, gashed the rim, but tire is fine. Prob needs re- balancing. Alignment can also mean camber right?

[Logcabincookin]

That was a VERY GOOD video. Thank you so very much!

[deadgodanubis]

@Logcabincookin I'm glad you enjoyed it. Pass on the tip to anyone who needs it. Thanks for watching!

[MegaGOREGASM]

Thanks! I just took my car over a 5 or 6 inch curb goin bout 15mph bent the hell out of my front rim and blew up the rear tire so once I get new ones this video should come in very handy for the painful next part after... lol I will come back to this video and let you know how I did ;D

[deadgodanubis]

@MegaGOREGASM Similar thing happened to a friend of mine, he drove over a big pot hole and he broke his rim and did some damage to the tie rod. Luckily we replaced the rim from craigslist, and replaced the tie rod ourselves and I aligned it for him so we saved him some money. I hope this video is useful to you when you have to do it. Let me know how it goes. Thanks for watching.

[adam08181984]

I heard and read that the front wheels of any vehicle would be toed in a little to help with stability of the vehicle at highway speeds. I used your idea to align my wheels today, however it only really works when one of the front wheels is already aligned, yes? Since both my front wheels were toed in, I ended up using the left REAR wheel as a reference to align the left front wheel using string, pencils etc...But once the front left was straight, ya your video was nice; pretty accurate.

[deadgodanubis]

@adam08181984 I've read they're supposed to be a bit toe in or toe out, not sure which. But, I didn't know it's for stability. Don't know if it's true. I might have to ask a mechanic friend of mine to see if he knows. If both wheels are off, you'll have to adjust 1 wheel then the other. But as long as the wheels are parallel, the steering wheel position is not that important, just annoying. But good thinking using the rear wheel as a reference, that helps. Thanks for the feedback!

[bfenti]

I was tought a rear wheel drive car should be slightly toe in and a front wheel drive car should be slightly toe out. Is this true? Personally I remove hub caps and use long string half way up the tire and wieght the ends and set them out at least 20 feet out front. Then measure close and far and position them to make parallel. Then check if string is touching both tires evenly, front and back. 

[deadgodanubis]

@bfenti I've never heard that before. If it is true, then the tires could wear irregularly, which wouldn't make sense. But, I'm not a mechanic, I'm still learning about cars. It might be true, we just don't know why. But, I have done it this way for front and rear wheel drive cars, trucks, SUVs for a while now and never had a problem. I'm going to have to look this up now because I'm curious now.

[deadgodanubis]

@bfenti I've also used strings in the past to do it, along with pencils, and chalk. But I found that it took me too long to set it up and get it perfect. The way I did it in my video takes about 5 to 10 minutes to do. But if you set it up correctly, using strings definitely works great. It's all about doing it yourself where you know you get it just right, and not paying some "shop" to do it, and risking that they don't do it correctly. Thanks for the comment and for watching!

[deadgodanubis]

@syphorus if you raise your car on stands, it makes it easier to get to the rods and adjust them. But in my experience, if you do it while raised and then recheck it, it's just as accurate. As long as you go slowly and carefully, you get a good result either way. But it is a good idea to double check your work. As for the tire resistance, I would recommend doing the adjustment, driving around the block, and then rechecking. Thanks for watching! Pass on the tip to someone who needs it!

[syphorus]

Great video man. The only thing I can think of that would make the alignment more precise is to adjust the rods while the car is up on jackstands and redo the meansurment after you drop the car back down. This way you take out the resistence of the road to your tires out of the equation. It does make it more cumbersome but in the end it would yield better results, at least in theory. Let me know what you think.

[deadgodanubis]

@970357ers I think I've done it this way for 15+ cars for friends, family and myself and I've never had a bad result. Steering wheel never moves, always stays centered, tire wear is always even. I'm not sure exactly what you mean by tracking would be way out.

[deadgodanubis]

@970357ers I have never needed to lock the steering wheel with anything or needed a swivel plate. I've never gotten a bad result this way. The steering wheel never moves. Try it!

[970357ers]

Good luck with that. With no means to lock your steering wheel and no swivel plate under each wheel, your tracking will be waaay out!

[ybafool2]

Very good video. I've used a level before but my camber was combined with my toe adjustment. This seems to be a much better way of getting the job done lol Keep posting videos!

[deadgodanubis]

@ybafool2 I also used to use levels, as well as strings, and chalk and I found that this was easier and quicker. It took me about 10 minutes start to finish. Thanks for watching and for the feedback!