Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2009 00:43:46 -0500
Reply-To: Tom Hargrave <thargrav@HIWAAY.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Tom Hargrave <thargrav@HIWAAY.NET>
Subject: Re: Trying To Understand Tie rod Adjustments
In-Reply-To: <c4e7c5f90904112228q41e2d2cbw98b842a81e4741b6@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1250"
Look at it this way.
Start with the steering wheel perfectly centered - now lock it in that
position - they really don't lock the steering wheel but it does stay
centered during adjustment.
Now consider each wheel as though it were independent of the other.
If both wheels were pointing absolutely straight ahead you would have zero
toe-in.
If the right were pointing straight ahead and the left were pointing
slightly in you would have zero toe-in on the right side and some toe-in on
the left, expressed in degrees of angle.
Also, if the left was pointing in & the right was pointing out, you'd have
some toe-in on the left side and some toe-out on the right side.
Then you have a third reading - total toe-in - which represents a sum of the
left and right side. You could be toed out on the left side, toed in on the
right side and be within the total toe-in in spec. In this case, you would
be driving down the road with the steering wheel cranked over to the right
to make up the difference.
If the front-end guy is careful he will check that the steering wheel stays
centered during the adjustment process - you may see him reach in the car
and re-center the steering wheel as he makes adjustments. If you leave the
front-end shop with the steering wheel off to one side or the other, you
need to immediately return and complain because the mechanic let the
steering wheel drift off from center during adjustment.
Thanks,
Tom Hargrave
www.kegkits.com
http://www.kegkits.com/JABF/
256-656-1924
-----Original Message-----
From: neil N [mailto:musomuso@gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, April 12, 2009 12:28 AM
To: Tom Hargrave
Cc: vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
Subject: Re: Trying To Understand Tie rod Adjustments
2009/4/11 Tom Hargrave <thargrav@hiwaay.net>:
> The measurements are taken with the steering wheel centered and all
readings
> are referencing center.
>
> You could actually have one wheel toed in and the other toed out with a
net
> toe-in of 0.
>
Ah ok. So if I'm understanding this correctly, that would mean:
wheels parallel to each other, but pointing "equally" slightly to the
right or left?
So then am I misunderstanding toe measurement?
Toe in/out is difference between:
measurement taken at same inner point of trailing portion of each wheel and
measurement taken at same inner point of leading edge of each wheel?
What I see in my minds eye, is one wheel straight, one pointing to
right or left.
i.e. :
| \
Or is that impossible?
Sorry for not getting this. I just evades me!
Neil.
--
Neil Nicholson '81 VanaJetta 2.0 "Jaco"
http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
http://groups.google.com/group/vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engine
s
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