Regarding aligning wheels in my own garage.

Short version, I replaced my struts on the corolla last fall knowing it would need an alignment afterward but it tracked perfectly straight when I got done even though the steering wheel was about 10-15 deg canted left that was left over from replacing both axles in the summer and not getting something perfect on the reassembly. So I never got the alignment done.

Forward to spring. I took the winter wheels off and the tires look and feel just fine. I bought new 9 month tires and had them installed at a place that gives free alignment checks. They gave me the printout of what my alignment issues are.

With the steering wheel pointed straight both front wheels toe right. The left wheel .71 deg right and the right wheel -.35 deg right.

My thought is that I can attach my magnetic based laser level to each rotor and tape a protractor underneath to make either 90 deg or 0 deg match at the laser mark then adjust each tie rod until it corrects each number to zero toe. Am I on the right track? or am I thinking wrong. If Im on the right track, Im horrible at math and could someone tell me what each of those numbers would correspond to on the protractor in degrees from zero? If so could you also give me the formula so I can try to reverse figure out how to do it myself in the future? Caster and camber are good as well as the rear wheels. got lucky there I guess.

Just string up the car like any sane person would and do a normal DIY alignment. You're only doing a toe and go right so it should be a piece of cake.

It has to be done on the ground, with a pair of greased steel plates under each wheel you are adjusting so the tires don't resist the changes you will be making.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: It has to be done on the ground, with a pair of greased steel plates under each wheel you are adjusting so the tires don't resist the changes you will be making.

Or just two of the 55 cent home depot tiles with the shinny side facing each other.

Leafy wrote:

Kenny_McCormic wrote: It has to be done on the ground, with a pair of greased steel plates under each wheel you are adjusting so the tires don't resist the changes you will be making.

Or just two of the 55 cent home depot tiles with the shinny side facing each other.

Thats brilliant

I also use those tiles as shims when making sure the alignment stands are level.

Thanks for posting that. I don't know how I forgot about the string alignment.

I cant access the tie rods without jacking up the car so the wheel will be in the air while its being adjusted which is why I had my thoughts in the OP.

I bought 12x12 cement blocks and put 3/4" plywood on top to make alignment stands. Yes I put the block in the strong orientation so I wouldnt die. The blocks were like $3.xx each.

I use 4 or 5 plastic grocery bags under each tire.

In reply to Leafy:

No such thing as a safe cinder block, a single concrete block is not meant to support anything. You want cribbing boxes or railroad ties for that.

Just take your measurements from the string alignment. Jack the car with support and make and adjustment. Bounce and roll the car back and forth in the garage. Then repeat the string alignment. It's a little bit of a pain to set up each time, but you can do it in your own garage.

I use four jack stands. Two jack stands at each front and rear of car. I place a 1" metal conduit (pipe) across the jacks stands front and rear. Hose clamps are placed on the pipes to be outboard of the car. The clamps are the same distance apart on each pipe. Then I slide a string against the clamps front to rear on each side. Measure string to hub and move pipes to square your set-up.

I knew I should have taken pictures while I was doing this last weekend. Had to jack up the car to make the rear toe adjustments. Sorry for no pics.

Titles break to easy and are tick so you need them under all 4. Instead use thin cutting / chopping sheets from the dollar store or any cheap kitchen supply place.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/Flexible-Chopping-Mat-Set-of-4/1013615004

reposted from years ago...I wrote

A long time ago before I had plates I used a drafting table (ya one of those things before CAD) to figure this out. With the Circumference of the old McCreary tire (now the AR we run again) I calculated the tires radius. Using the protractor on the table I found if I made a mark out at the distance of the radius then moved the protractor to 20 deg and made new mark I had a straight line distance of 8 inches. So to set Caster you need 20 deg from either side of center
With the wheels faced straight and the inner tie rod ends lined up with the lower inner ball joint (hiems) (side note: if your rack is shorter or longer than the distance between the inner ball joint set it in the middle. Use Wife’s old nail polish to mark tie rods so you can see it at the track later on) Okay so now the racks centered as best as can be. Set your toe to Zero on both sides so wheels are straight to the chassis center line. Now run a plumb bob down the center tread. Make mark on the floor. But caster gauge on the spindle (or angle finder on the brake rotor.) Turn wheel and let plumb bob settle measure from center mark to plumb turn until you get 4.09 inches. Make new mark. Read gauge and WRITE IT DOWN. Turn wheel the other direction until it is 4.09 inches from the center mark (NOTE: this will not be 8.18 inches from the other mark! Due to the arc the tire scrubs it is 8.0566 but who’s measuring that close…) make another mark. Read gauge and WRITE IT DOWN. Now subtract the two readings. There’s your caster. Adjust as needed. Do the same for the other side once you have caster set recheck your TOE as it will likely have changed then recheck the caster numbers. Then set your toe. Me I use 1/16 out on my Jaxport but my old home built uses 1/8 out. I personally make my toe adjustments on the Left Front as it adds some Ackerman, other don’t they do the Right Front.
For different tire sizes you can use math to figure out the distance as the Triangle has two side the same length and you know the angle is 20 deg. I took the easy way with the drafting table..But now that the web is hear it’s even quicker. http://www.1728.com/trig4.htm

for example a tire with 74inch roll out has a diameter of 23.555 = a radius of 11.778

Oh as for turn plates….Go to Bed and Bath or Kitchen etc. grab the 4 pack of CHEAP thin plastic cutting boards (note cheap ones are slippery the higher $ units have silicone on one side to grip the counter) These make it easy to turn the wheels and eliminate the side scrub errors from high offset wheels.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: In reply to Leafy: No such thing as a safe cinder block, a single concrete block is not meant to support anything. You want cribbing boxes or railroad ties for that.

False. If its placed so that the holes would hold water if it rained, its strong minimum standards for the strength of the block is more than enough to support the car. Put it the way car wheel thieves typically do and its a death waiting to happen.

If you have to jack the car up to adjust the toe, make sure you roll the car backwards and then forward again after each time the tires leave the ground. This makes sure the suspension is settled in its normal resting position.

If your toe is correct, the steering wheel is easily aligned by shortening one tie rod and lengthening the other the same amount.

Likely the only thing you can adjust is toe.

You can "center" the steering wheel by turning each tie rod the same direction maybe a quarter to half turn (left tie rod IN, right tie rod OUT, equal amounts).

Do this, and adjust until the toe is the correct reading (likely 1/16" to 1/8" toe out):

The corolla is going to want toe in, its a corolla. And if the toe is adjustable in the rear too, he'll want to string the whole car so he can get the thrust angle correct.

iceracer wrote: If your toe is correct, the steering wheel is easily aligned by shortening one tie rod and lengthening the other the same amount.

DING DING DING.