TF tracking, take the correct settings with you.

[mgb281]

I replaced every bush and balljoint on the TF and since getting it back on the road have been gradually sorting it, as stated in the other thread a change of O2 sensor restored the performance to where it should be. The handling was not great so my wife took a trip to ATS for the tracking to be checked, on return the handling was much improved but not what she expected. The printout showed the front to be correct except for the forty five degree angle on the steering wheel when going straight ahead.
The rear was a different matter, the toe in had been set at two degrees in on both sides, a quick call informed me that the adjuster nut on one side was seized and they couldn't loosen it and that I should get it sorted out. No mention that they had left the lock nut about two turns away from the balljoint or that they had left one degree negative camber one side and two and a half the other. A second session was booked and I arrived with no other customers present, a different manager who was very helpful, I gave him the correct specs and he spent an hour and a half getting it spot on and the handling is now superb.
What was quite amazing is that their specification for a TF is that it should be two degrees toe in on each side, they were also totally unaware that due to the suspension geometry on the rear of a TF any adjustment to the toe in affects the camber. Despite me paying upfront for a full front and rear geometry check and adjustment it was returned to my wife incorrectly adjusted.

[Rob Bell]

two degrees???

A steering wheel that is not straight is one of my absolute bug bears. I absolutely HATE this. Luckily, it is not too difficult to re-set the steering position by re-adjusting the track rod positions with a bit of measurement and careful spannering. I have had to do this on a couple of my cars in recent years - and it was well worth the effort in calming my karma...

[mgb281]

Yes Rob, two degrees each side, I was told that the alignment apparatus used the already programmed in data. Perhaps thats wy some owners complain about the cars handling.

[Rob Bell]

2 degrees is MASSIVE. Toe angles at the rear are two tenths of a degree - how could a professional really look at 2 degrees of toe and think that that is "okay" just because a computer says so?

Glad you found the problem, but this place you have used needs to be given a very wide berth in future. A phrase incorporating barge poles and do not touch come to mind.

[mgb281]

Rob, they are not professionals, they are one trip ponies who can turn the machine on and make adjustments. If you have watched them do it on the rear of a TF adjusting the toe by two degrees makes a massive change to the camber as well. They wanted to charge an additional £30 to bring the camber back to where it was when they started. By the way the "Place" was ATS in Taunton and he told me that all their machines in every depot use the same data.

[Rob Bell]

Yikes

[mgb281]

While deleting photos on my phone, I found this one of the tracking after ATS had done their work. Notice that the toe is in the green area denoting that the adjustment is correct but the offside rear camber is in a red area meaning that the adjustment is incorrect.
No wonder some owners complain about the handling of their cars.

[mgb281]

While deleting photos on my phone, I found this one of the tracking after ATS had done their work. Notice that the toe is in the green area denoting that the adjustment is correct but the offside rear camber is in a red area meaning that the adjustment is incorrect. The coloured green/red/green bars give a pictorial view of the accuracy of the alignment, note that the toe is shown to be perfect at the rear but the offside is quite clearly in the red area. That is exactly how the car was handed back to my wife.
No wonder some owners complain about the handling of their cars.

[Rob Bell]

By the looks of things, they've got mixed units on this report: mm for toe-angle and degrees/minutes for camber/trust angle. Really confusing way to present the data.

Does your TF have an adjustable lower suspension arm?