Is the adjustment of toe-in a DIY job on the Zed?

You can change it yourself but unless you have the right equipment you wont get it right. Take it to any tyre place to get it tracked.

 

Stuart

Best to have a 4 wheel alignment done IMO

You're right, i should take it to a proper place to do it. I was just feelin' adventurous :o :o :o

 

 

How much should i expect to fork out?

 

 

 

Can the camber angle also be adjusted?

Front camber is not adjustable as standard, tho you can get kits or adjustable arms to fit if there is a problem

 

Rear camber is adjustable standard, as is rear toe.

 

HTH :)

You're right, i should take it to a proper place to do it. I was just feelin' adventurous

 

I did it myself.

 

Had a bad experience one time with a "proper job". I know it doesnt mean they are all bad.

 

I used a crude but effective track guage made out of 2 pieces of wooden profile curved one side flat the other each about a metre long or so about as thick and broad as a normal ruler and placed back to back and held together with a couple of elastic bands. Sort of thing you find at B&Q near dowling stuff

 

The 2 pieces slide against each other and the laccy bands hold them tight together but still allow you to use it like an extending rule. Get the picture? Then you get under and extend it to meet the wheel rim at as high a point as possible behind the axle then without disturbing the inside track measurement you just made you try in front of the axle same place on the wheelrim. With toe in it should be a lessor measurement and need pushing in. You check the back again and see how much gap difference there is back to front. We are talking a couple of mm here so do it several times to get an average or to be sure you are measuring right. I did front and rear like this and after a couple of thousand miles the tyres are showing no sign of wearing wrong. You adjust the track arms exactly the same amount each side - we're talking half turns here each check. If you get it wrong your steering will be all off centre! So maybe count visible threads each side and make notes!

 

If you feel this adventurous that is. Its at your own risk!

 

When I first got the car it had 7 or 8mm toe in on the rear after a professional had fitted new rear track arms. The tyres were disappearing and the handling was diabolical in the wet.

 

I think as well that just about every zed around 10+ years old will have a little sag in all its rear bushes and springs meaning more than std negative camber. You might as well adjust the rear camber to the max positive setting first and believe it or not check it with a spirit level. On flat level road you can see that you'll still have negative camber even then. After getting the camber as good as possible you need the rear tracking set anyway. When I checked mine one rear camber adjuster was already at the max and one midway.

 

On the front I guess shims behind the top link mounts would go some way to restoring camber if springs or bushes sagged.

 

I'm having a crack at fitting Nismo bushes in the top links in front at the weekend and then I'll re check tracking again.

I get my tracking done once a year and its the whole 4 wheel lazer tracking and it is well worth it. The car feels a lot sturdier when its done and more responsive.

 

I too have had bad experiences with tracking with the steering wheel wobbling and not being centre, to the mechanics kicking the crap out of a spanner trying to get the track rod loose.

 

This is why, now that I have found a good place, I travel 15miles to them just to get it tracked and I go once a year.

 

I go to a place in Bolton who do a full 4 wheel lazer check which takes 45mins or so and costs £28 and & £30 an hour over the first hour if it needs a lot of adjusting.

However they do check toe-in, caster and camber of all 4 wheels and adjust them. They tend not to do the caster if it isnt that bad but if you ask they will but it will make you go over the hour you get.

 

 

Stuart

Where's this place in Bolton & what's it called? I'll take mine there, it's only 10 mile or so for me.:)

Thistlethwaites I think it's called. You best phone up and make an appointment. Its across the road from Machine Mart if you know where that is. They are also a good tyre place. No air guns for putting your wheels on. Its all torque wrench.

Cheers SRRAE, that's bang on;)

Yeah I can vouch for Thistlethwaites ~ although they did quote me £30 per side(?) for mine so I got it done else where. They're not your average Kwikfit people, they actually know what they're doing and don't try to sell you stuff you don't need. Which is always a plus point in my book. They also quoted me a good price for the rear tyres £115 for the 245's.

The directions are come off the A666 at the Toys R Us junction turn left in to Bolton (A56 I think) 200 yards keep in the middle lane for the T junction opposite Focus Do it All, bear right then an immediate left. 100 yards bear left at the lights and Thistletwaites is on the right, although you cant drive straight in from that direction you have to go to the roundabout turn right then first right.

Originally posted by WillieO

I did it myself.

 

I used a crude but effective track guage made out of 2 pieces of wooden profile curved one side flat the other each about a metre long or so about as thick and broad as a normal ruler and placed back to back and held together with a couple of elastic bands. Sort of thing you find at B&Q near dowling stuff

 

did mine myself too

 

Ive got a crude 4 wheel electronic wheel alignment bay ;) :D