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I have been looking at DIY tracking setting tools as I will need to replace my steering rack soon. I just wondered if anyone has any recommendations, or indeed if they work at all? I reckon a couple of uses and it would pay for itself...
I have got a "trackace". I got it a couple of years ago and used it quite a few times on various cars from a small Citroen AX, several classic cars upto my Land Rover. Can sometimes be a bit tricky to set up and you need several feet clear either side of the car but results seem to be consistently accurate. They say it is for checking only but I don't see why as I have used it to adjust the tracking as well.
didn't seeRuss's post - the Gunsons Trackrite is the same as the Trackace - though I think the Gunsons one is usually listed at a higher price. As Russ said it does need a largish flat area to uses it accurately.
Last edited by marshman; 13 February 2014, 20:26.
Reason: additional info
Now Stagless but have numerous car projects
So many cars, so little time!
Hi Brian
i've had a lot of use and success with the Gunson Trackrite (I think that is how they spell it). It does need a good flat concrete floor to work properly I believe. I've used it on many cars and have never had a problem with uneven tyre wear. It also has the advantage of you not needing to know the settings for your particular car as it simply measures how much sideways force the wheels put on the ground. I bet it costs pennies to make though so the purchase price seems steep for what it is. But for what it achieves it has been good value for me.
I also have an extending underslung bar system for measuring toe in/out. I find that harder to use and I have less confidence in it.
Graham
(all you guys type faster than me and say it so much better!!)
Last edited by kgnich; 13 February 2014, 20:30.
Reason: too slow
I've got a gunson track thingy. You're very welcome to borrow it and see how you get on. I find it works great but it's a bit time consuming to do the adjustments.
Many thanks folks for replying to my question. Looks like the Gunson thingy is the way to go - I was asking because I have a sneaking suspicion that I will need a new steering rack when my MOT is done next month
Gary - yes please to your kind offer if I do have to change the rack.
I also have just bought a Trackace. Just tried it out on my S-Max and daughter's Corsa and the rersults i got were consistent with the tyre wear patterns. i.e. slightly too little toe in on the S-Max resulting in inner shoulder wear, and too much toe in on the Corsa causing the outer edge to wear. Haven't tried adjusting them yet. I agree with marshman that they can be a little difficult to set up. I had problems with the Corsa trying to get the laser on the scale when doing the calibration, but got there in the end.
Haven't tried it on the Stag yet, but don't have a problem with tyre wear.
A long, long time ago, when I was starting out as a mechanic (Stag's were just ordinary second hand cars then) the garage I served my apprenticeship in used one of these tracking plates. We found they were perfectly good at setting up simple systems...and most cars were simple in those days...I seem to remember using one to set the rear toe-in on a Herald too. Only thing is...in those days there were 2 plates. One of them was just a solid piece of plastic that was exactly the same shape as the one with the pointer. This was to avoid the car self steering slightly when running over the plate. I bought a trackrite a couple of years ago and was surprised that only one plate was supplied. I made a dummy plate out of a piece of plywood and use it on one side when I'm checking tracking. Seems to work pretty well. I've done my old Volvo after fitting ball joints and track rod ends, and set up the Stag.
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