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Gunson Trakrite Wheel Alignment Gauge

C

ChrisH

Enthusiast
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106
Anyone got one of these?

If so, is it any good? I'm thinking of getting one to take to France.

If it's not so good is there another one on the market at a cheap price (if about 76quid for the Trakrite is considered cheap!).
 
What's wrong witha plank?, steering wheel centred, plank touching front and rear of the front tyre, equal gap either side of about 10mm to 15mm at the front of rear tyre. Worked for me, tyres not wearing. Got to remember the rear track is narrower than the front, on the TL anyhow.
Hi tech or what?
 
http://www.frost.co.uk/images/datasheets/M280_datasheet.pdf

Only thing is that you can't set it correctly according to the data. I reckon that you will be able to get it so it's 'ok'....but it does involve lots of attempts to get it right. I would say it's fine if you don't have a car that needs it's rear tracking adjusting as ours do. Saying that, I hate paying a tyre company £30 for a 10 minute laser check and adjustment!
 
Thanks for that Pepper, as you say, there are loads for sale on E-Bay for about 50 quid.

Not sure what you mean Steve when you say you can't set it according to the data. Have looked at the data sheet, while it talks of front wheels it does mention the rear wheels too. It should work shouldn't it?

Thinking of getting one to take to France. Our car desperately needs the rear wheels aligned and this has got to be better than nothing I feel, even if it does need a lot of attempts to get it right, and it has got to be less hassle than trying to find a place in France that could do it - and make myself understood when I do? Comments?
 
From what I read (unless I misunderstood) it appears that it tells you if the tracking is out, but not by the amount of degrees it is out from the correct figure stated by the maker of the car. For example, if the front wheels are supposed to be 1/16" toe in you can't use this tool to adjust it to that measurement. The only way I can see it working is that if the tracking should be in a straight ahead position then any excess toe in or out will move the plates and so indicate how far it is out.

I could be talking completely out of my backside, so please correct me if I have missed the point.
 
That does seem to be the case, in as much as it will tell you the angle in degrees that the tracking is out, but not a linear measurement like 4mm.

However, presumably, the degrees indicated are measured over the length of the device, that is, the length the wheel travels when run over the moving bit of the Trakrite. So, if one knew that length and the maximum toe-in, which for the R4's rear wheels is 4mm, then one could either find the maximum allowed measurement in degrees by either calculation or by drawing? And one could do the same for the front wheels, which Haynes also gives in linear measurement not degrees? What do you reckon?

Be a lot easier if Haynes gave the toe-in/toe-out in degrees as well!
 
I've not used one so wouldn't know, but they look very impressive and quite 'the business' - but there is a major difference in price from the Trakrite, and when a few pennies have to be stretched a long way.....................!

The original query was is the Trakrite any good or is there an alternative at a similar price?
 
But its easy if we know the settings required for our car then all we need to do is adjust them to the correct toe in.

Here's a close up from the Frost user manual.
 
  • Trak-rite close up.jpg
    Trak-rite close up.jpg
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