chan110 Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 Is that the same as Tracking? What is balancing then? And wot diff between ALIGNMENT and COMPUTER ALIGNMENT or LASER ALIGNMENT - since prices differs?!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Red Celica Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 Short version, it's the geometry set up of the angle of the wheels in relation to each other and the chassis. Tracking/alignment the same. Balancing the wheels is not related to Tracking, balancing ensures the wheels rotate vibration free. Oh and those prices are too high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
25th Anniversary Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 My toyota dealer wanted £50 to align my wheels!! No thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chan110 Posted August 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 I just took mine to a garage that charged me just £20 for 4wheel laser alignment. But, my RED (Gen4) is only 2 wheel drive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamespheely Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 I just took mine to a garage that charged me just £20 for 4wheel laser alignment. But, my RED (Gen4) is only 2 wheel drive? ha! does that mean it only has 2 wheels? :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chan110 Posted August 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 ha! does that mean it only has 2 wheels? :rolleyes: U kno u deserved that! Wot I mean is, I always thought 2wheel tracking was for 2wheel drive and 4wheel tracking (being more expensive) is for 4wheel drive? But, I just paid £20 this morning for 4wheel aligment - as u see from the pic the equipment is clipped onto front and back wheels! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arizona Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 :rolleyes: you have four wheels..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chan110 Posted August 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 :rolleyes: you have four wheels..... Sigh - today is 'not' a good day to be sober is it? I'll just go and read my paper for a bit then... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Boy 1 Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 Two wheel alignment is for Motorcycles ie. Both wheels are pointing in the same direction. Four wheel alighnment is basically that all four wheels are aligned up to point in the same direction. If your wheels are out of alignment then you would probably find that your tyres will wear at an alarming rate. (my son managed to scrub through a set of front tyres on his VW golf in about 2 months because his wheels were out of alignment partly due to some very worn out wishbone bushes.) Wheel alignment Incorrect alignment can result in rapid irregular tyre wear and can even affect the handling and safety of the vehicle. Wheel alignment can be affected by driving against a kerb, hitting a pothole in the road or by excessive wear to steering or suspension components. Alignment of wheels and tyres to the specification required by your vehicle is an important way to guarantee a smooth ride and to get the most out of your tyres. The direction and angle at which tyres are set are both important. Wheel alignment or 'tracking' involves checking the direction and angle against vehicle manufacturers' specifications. These are often described as toe in, toe out, positive camber or negative camber. "Toe" refers to whether the front of the tyres are closer or further apart than the rear of the tyres. Different types of vehicles need different toe settings to allow for the way that wheels pull either towards each other or apart. "Camber" is the inward or outward tilt of a tyre. The camber is set by the vehicle manufacturer, and can be affected by potholes in the road and may need to be adjusted periodically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chan110 Posted August 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 Aw - thks Monkey! At least we have another sober bod on here ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleario Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 My cars booked in for full set up tomorrow at 2, it's handling like crap at the moment! It's only £59 all in per hour. I've asked been asked if I want a fast road set up or standard, I cant decide at the moment lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splinter Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 What you had was a basic alignment set up. They hang a laser of your front wheel and trim the toe angle to an angle indicator hung on the back wheel. Then they do the same for the rears. As yes you do only have front wheel drive. But all 4 wheels can be adjusted in some degree for camber, toe, castor etc. so they try to align them to a factory set of angles that should run your car true. A next step up from this is a 4-wheel laser alignment. This is where a reflector plate is mounted on each wheel and all pointin to a frame or wall mounted laser unit. This evaluates all the wheels angles independently to the chassi and tells the operator exactly how much to within 0.01 of a degree how much it is out by. I get the full 4 wheel laser alignment done by FCM Motorsport for 50 qui I think with ccuk discount. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chan110 Posted August 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 So, I got a bargain for 4wheel laser alignment for £20?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splinter Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 Uuum not really. That's a basic set up. I woul look for a tuning specialist with a full 3D laser alignment computer rig. Well, it's not to say it won't help. It will still get them in line to a point. I just prefer a more thorough set up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chan110 Posted August 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 hmmm....have any pics? Because not exactly sure wot the diff between a basic setup and a 4wheel laser alignment now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splinter Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 Thats the best i got. cant see the rear reflector unit, but its the same as the front!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chan110 Posted August 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 Thks mate! Pic says a million words Basically u have a laser-bar thing on the front and back. Whereas, my laser was just on the front wheel pointing to the rear....totally understand now - cheers! :thumbs: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
planc Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 My toyota dealer wanted £50 to align my wheels!! No thanks Considering most dealers charge around £90 an hour that bloody good going because I couldn't do a full 4WA in around half an hour. You have to remember even the newest Gen7 is getting on a bit so the adjusters will be pretty seized by now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleario Posted August 5, 2012 Report Share Posted August 5, 2012 The company I'm using avia wheel alignment in Bridgend are dry highly rated on the piston head, night walkers, Evo and Subaru forums, I'm hoping ill feel a differnce after! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Boy 1 Posted August 6, 2012 Report Share Posted August 6, 2012 We use the 4 wheel reflector type alignment at work, known as a Hunter Rig (as it's made by a company called Hunter.) Unfortunatly it's only for our production cars and we cannot use them for private car set-up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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