Rear Wheel Toe-In/Out - Alignment

[ChrisH]

I have followed the threads re how to correct rear wheel toe-in/out, but:

What is correct - the rear wheels being straight and in-line with the vehicle fore & aft centre line, or a degree or two of toe-in? (I am assuming toe-out is a no-no).

And, how do you assure that that both wheels are parallel (or with a wee bit of toe-in if that is required) to that vehicle fore and aft centre line and are not at a slight angle across the car? I ask as obviously you can check one rear wheel is parallel (or has the required toe-in) to the other easily enough (I think) but it's more difficult checking against the car. I guess what I'm asking is how do you ensure correct alignment - someone is bound to know an easy way (I hope)!

ChrisH
PS. I will be doing this without any specialist equipment, that should really be without saying!

 

[angel]

I would not do this without any wheel alignment equipment...this is especially true for the rear wheels to avoid ending up with what you fear...the rear wheels being parallel to each other but not to the vehicle centerline.

 

[jjad]

I don't like to disagree with Angel, as he is far more knowledgeable than me but when Malcolm helped me to get Richie's rear wheels aligned, we got the rear wheels parallel by measuring, but only aligned the rear wheels to the front wheels by eye. This was good enough for us, and the tyres seems to wear evenly now (see my photo on this page!)

I guess you could use a long straight edge (metal pipe or wood) to get the rear and front aligned?

I think Haynes says 0-4mm toe in at the rear; Richie had 20mm toe in! Malcolm reduced it to about 4mm.

 

[ChrisH]

Jjad,
Thanks for that and the link to your photo - read the whole of that thread and it was most interesting. I also have (probably) rear wheel steering as the car seems very skittish over the bumps - positively disturbing at times!

As much as I do appreciate Angel's advice re specialist equipment, you are absolutely right there Angel, but have other influences (see below), I think I am going to have to tackle it at first on my own, so I too was thinking of a long straightedge like a length of wood to line up the rear wheels with the front. I was also thinking of doing that then making up a means of measuring toe-in as per Malcolms DIY effort.

My rear tyres which are just a few miles old are beginning to feather quite badly already and I want to reduce that as much as I can ASAP. Part of my problem is I am in France and trying to explain things in my very broken French is a nightmare - hence the need to do what I can to reduce the problem myself. At least from that thread you directed me to Jjad I have found out the toe-in should be 0-4mm, couldn't, or haven't yet, found that in Haynes.

 

[angel]

Certainly you won't do any harm to your R4 by adjusting alignment without specialist equipment. I was meaning you will not be able to achieve the accuracy of the modern optical wheel alignment devices, nor is there a way to be sure if it is correct (except for comparing tyre wear!).

 

[jjad]

angel is right of course

The specification for 0-4mm toe in for the rear wheels is near the bottom of p. 230 of the updated R4 Haynes manual (the one that goes up to 1986). The 'supplement' where this is in the book is for post 1972 models, it says.

Good luck!

 

[ChrisH]

P. 230, so it is - many thanks Jjad.

I remember the motto - if all else fails, read the manual!

ChrisH

 

[jjad]

No problem Chris!

It's not the easiest thing to find!

Jonathan

 

[quatrelle87]

I realise this thread is now 9 years old, but it's proof of how good this forum is for advice. Having searched my current 4L problem (rear wheel alignment), I've read quite a bit about others here with similar problems … I just hope I can find a garage here in my part of France to deal with the problem for me. One of my rear wheels is obviously out of alignment (I can see that just be looking at it - but the tyre is now going bald on the outer edge!). Fingers crossed!

 

[harbourseal]

Hi, what I will attempt to describe might be a bit unorthodox.

I have aligned the rear wheels of both the Sinpar and the F6 myself because of a lack of knowledge by our local tyre centers.

It is quite easy to do yourself with a 2 meter aluminum ruler and a steel bar that fits into the hole of the rear wheel swing arm assembly silent block.

You also need a straight level floor.

It goes as follows.

Put your beloved R4 onto the spot you want to work at. Pull on the handbrake and put it in gear.
In other words prevent it from moving.

Loosen the 3 bolts that hold the silent block in place.
Put the ruler against the rear wheel
It has to sit along the whole wheel front to back. If you put it right about 1,5meter of the ruler sits parallel to the outer chassis-beam.

Look along the ruler and look if it goes into the chassis-beam or if it trails outward or if it is parallel.

If it trails inwards the wheel trails inwards.
If it trails outwards the wheel trails outwards.

In both cases the ride is jumpy and you have the feeling that the back of the car Leeds its own life.

Now you take the steel bar and put it into the hole of the silent block.

If the wheel trails inwards sit next to the wheel and jank the bar towards you.

If the wheel trails outwards sit next to back door and jank the bar towards you.

Repeat the ruler and looking along it trick.

If the ruler is parallel to the chassis-beam fasten the bolts again.

And the alignment is done

If not repeat the process.

For me this worked fine.
The funny driving experience with the feeling that the backside was overtaking me in corners was gone.
And I still don’t have any uneven shaved tires.