Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video and my teaching style! If you deem me worthy, I'd really appreciate it if you could share out my channel on your social media so I can help more people. Thanks for the watch and welcome to the channel! Cheers!
Hi great video!...but I have a question about the string installation procedure: before measuring toe you need to have the string perfectly parallel to the side of the car, so can't you just install that string at the same distance from both center wheel hubs in the front and back. This should be more precise than relying solely on two measures takn on the rear wheel that are only 16 or 18 inches apart. Thanks and keep up the good work sharing your knowledge
Good question. You aren't actually lining up the string to the car. You're trying to make a string parallel to a zero degree angle of toe, which is what the back wheel is. Hope that helps. Thanks for the watch!
@@wayofthewrench I found out that I was wrong about measuring the same distance from the front and rear center wheel hubs, because most cars have different wheel track width...on my VW Golf mk6, the track width in the back is about 1 inch shorter than the front.🧐
@ioancampeanu-lacatus7942 my mazda 3 has a factory toe in in rear .11 on left and .13 on right per manual. Weird how it's not the same.....to get fronts parallel just clamp an angle.iron across the edges of the front good rims and measure the front and back edge of the 3' angle irons with tape under the car. Both ends should be the same distance from each other, make it so with tie rod adjustment. Then set a laser level on the top of the tire and mark point in inner fender. Get in car and straighten wheel. If you had to straighten wheel, go back and look at laser level point. If it moved use tie rod to correct back to original position and count number of flats you had to rotate and do the same number to the other side. This keeps tires parallel and only moves the steering center. My back right is way off but it's not adjustable. Wth? Something got bent on a pothole or something
jack under each LCA ball joint to keep suspension loaded but clear tire off ground. Also what about cars that have negative toe on the adjustable rears by design? Could you possibly measure off the center of the rear rim first to the front and align the fronts and then string across the fronts to align the backs? I guess the track would have to be identical?
Some vehicles you can't lift under the ball joint or you'll cause damage so be careful doing that. As for cars with negative rear toe ( which is rare), you could use trigonometry like shown in the video to calculate the difference and then measure from a point on body or frame (like the center of a ball joint) to the string and make both strings the same. Remember that we are just trying to get it close enough to get it to an alignment shop so we don't have rapid wear. Thanks for the watch and welcome to the channel!
Thank you for your detailed instruction, and safety precautions. I appreciate that much. I've been subbed for a few months now ,and am learning. I'm a Diy'er.
Hi , how do we know if the rear wheel angle is zero degrees ? We don't know , we only asume it is . The most precise way to check the alignment is to use strings on both sides of the car that are perfectly paralel with each other and with the car itself . To do that : a - distance between both strings at the extremities has to be exactly the same , b - distance between the centre of the front wheels and the string has to be the same , c - distance between centre of the rear wheels and the string has to be the same . That way you have your car inside a perfect square , then you measure the distance between the extremities of the left (or right) rim and the string . The difference in measurement is the toe . If you get both combined you have the total front toe.
You are correct but remember this is really only to get it close so you can drive to an alignment shop so you don't peel your tires off before you get there. Using strings and a ruler is only so accurate. Thanks for the suggestion and the watch! Welcome to the channel! Cheers!
Still works as you are just making a parallel string to the front. The distance on the front from the rim to the string will be larger but still can be done the same as shown in the video. Good question! Thanks for the watch and welcome to the channel!
Great question. First I would say that depending on your skill level, there is a lot of room for error using this method. You get it close but maybe not close enough. The second reason is that some vehicles don't want zero degrees toe and you might not have access to those specs. Hope that helps. Thanks for the watch and welcome to the channel!
I suggest if your vehicle has an issue like pulling to left or right or any reason you may think you need an alignment, just take it to the shop. Really seems silly to do this work & then just take it to a shop and pay them to align it, UNLESS you are a long way from shop, like 50 miles or more.
I would agree but I've seen people do their own work on the cars and then drive to a shop for 15-20 minutes with a front wheel at such a terrible angle that their tires are shredded by the time they get there. I have used this technique many times and it's almost a challenge to see if I can get it better than the alignment shop. However, it can be off especially if the person doesn't have it set up right. Hence the trip to the alignment shop. Thanks for the watch and welcome to the channel!
if he says there is room for error with this method , why waste time time doing it ? use youre eyeballs and line the wheels up with the side of the car , thats close enough . off to the alignment shop !
Most rear wheel drive and all wheel drive and 4 wheel drives have a rear axle so the toe will be zero, unless the axle has been hit/damaged. Remember that this is just to get you to an alignment shop so even if the rear toe is off, the front will be adjusted to be inline with this so the tires won't peel off on the way there. Hope that helps. Thanks for the watch and welcome to the channel!
I think you left out a step. Just measuring the string at the rear wheel does not mean the string is parallel by the time you get to the front wheel. How do you ensure that it is, before you start measuring toe
Remember that we are just trying to get this close enough so we can still drive it to the alignment shop. It's not going to be perfect. That being said, you could do 2 setups on both sides and then measure across the strings at the front and back. If they are at zero toe, the distances should be the same. Hope that helps. Thanks for the watch and welcome to the channel!
All of this work just to drive a few miles and pay someone to align vehicle again!? This seems to only need done is one is many miles away from alignment shop.
I've seen people destroy brand new tires in just a few miles so yes, I think it's a good idea if you're doing this work at home. This is also a great way to test your skills and see how close you can actually get and compare it to the alignment inspection sheet after. Often, I'm better than they are after. Thanks for the watch, happy wrenching!
Excellent tutorial video you just need some practical knowledge to align. Thank you.
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video and my teaching style! If you deem me worthy, I'd really appreciate it if you could share out my channel on your social media so I can help more people. Thanks for the watch and welcome to the channel! Cheers!
Hi great video!...but I have a question about the string installation procedure:
before measuring toe you need to have the string perfectly parallel to the side of the car, so can't you just install that string at the same distance from both center wheel hubs in the front and back.
This should be more precise than relying solely on two measures takn on the rear wheel that are only 16 or 18 inches apart.
Thanks and keep up the good work sharing your knowledge
Good question. You aren't actually lining up the string to the car. You're trying to make a string parallel to a zero degree angle of toe, which is what the back wheel is. Hope that helps. Thanks for the watch!
@@wayofthewrench I found out that I was wrong about measuring the same distance from the front and rear center wheel hubs, because most cars have different wheel track width...on my VW Golf mk6, the track width in the back is about 1 inch shorter than the front.🧐
@@wayofthewrench ...wrong ! how do you know the rear wheel is on zero angle ?
@ioancampeanu-lacatus7942 my mazda 3 has a factory toe in in rear .11 on left and .13 on right per manual. Weird how it's not the same.....to get fronts parallel just clamp an angle.iron across the edges of the front good rims and measure the front and back edge of the 3' angle irons with tape under the car. Both ends should be the same distance from each other, make it so with tie rod adjustment. Then set a laser level on the top of the tire and mark point in inner fender. Get in car and straighten wheel. If you had to straighten wheel, go back and look at laser level point. If it moved use tie rod to correct back to original position and count number of flats you had to rotate and do the same number to the other side. This keeps tires parallel and only moves the steering center. My back right is way off but it's not adjustable. Wth? Something got bent on a pothole or something
@@ioancampeanu-lacatus7942yes, so many wrong assumptions and inaccuracies in this video
jack under each LCA ball joint to keep suspension loaded but clear tire off ground. Also what about cars that have negative toe on the adjustable rears by design? Could you possibly measure off the center of the rear rim first to the front and align the fronts and then string across the fronts to align the backs? I guess the track would have to be identical?
Some vehicles you can't lift under the ball joint or you'll cause damage so be careful doing that. As for cars with negative rear toe ( which is rare), you could use trigonometry like shown in the video to calculate the difference and then measure from a point on body or frame (like the center of a ball joint) to the string and make both strings the same. Remember that we are just trying to get it close enough to get it to an alignment shop so we don't have rapid wear. Thanks for the watch and welcome to the channel!
Thank you for your detailed instruction, and safety precautions. I appreciate that much. I've been subbed for a few months now ,and am learning. I'm a Diy'er.
Awesome, glad you're enjoying the content and learning lots! Thanks for the sub and your support for the channel. Cheers!
Babe wake up new Way of the Wrench video just dropped 🔥
Lol, this comment made my day. Thanks for the watch and your support for the channel!
@@wayofthewrenchlol mine too New Sub❤😂THANKS FOR SHARING S/0 from Florida…❤
❤Nice clean shop too I like… Thanks again
Thanks for the sub! I hope you are doing ok in Florida after those terrible storms. Cheers!
Thanks, I try really hard to keep it nice and organized. Cheers!
Hi , how do we know if the rear wheel angle is zero degrees ? We don't know , we only asume it is . The most precise way to check the alignment is to use strings on both sides of the car that are perfectly paralel with each other and with the car itself . To do that : a - distance between both strings at the extremities has to be exactly the same , b - distance between the centre of the front wheels and the string has to be the same , c - distance between centre of the rear wheels and the string has to be the same . That way you have your car inside a perfect square , then you measure the distance between the extremities of the left (or right) rim and the string . The difference in measurement is the toe . If you get both combined you have the total front toe.
You are correct but remember this is really only to get it close so you can drive to an alignment shop so you don't peel your tires off before you get there. Using strings and a ruler is only so accurate. Thanks for the suggestion and the watch! Welcome to the channel! Cheers!
@@wayofthewrenchso wrong. String itself is accurate, provided you do the boxing, which you skipped
This video is just to get your vehicle to an alignment shop so you don't have rapid tire wear. It is not meant to be your only wheel alignment.
What happens if you have wider rims on the back and skinny on the front..
Still works as you are just making a parallel string to the front. The distance on the front from the rim to the string will be larger but still can be done the same as shown in the video. Good question! Thanks for the watch and welcome to the channel!
Great math!
You liked the soh cah toa lesson did you? Lol. Thanks for the watch and welcome to the channel!
0 to 10 , I think the 0 should be counted as 1. It doesn't get credit. Ok every time we have a 0 we will add nine more to it. ✅ Yes !!!!
Why do we have to take it to the alignment shop if we align the tires properly (zero degree)? 🤔
Great question. First I would say that depending on your skill level, there is a lot of room for error using this method. You get it close but maybe not close enough. The second reason is that some vehicles don't want zero degrees toe and you might not have access to those specs. Hope that helps. Thanks for the watch and welcome to the channel!
I suggest if your vehicle has an issue like pulling to left or right or any reason you may think you need an alignment, just take it to the shop. Really seems silly to do this work & then just take it to a shop and pay them to align it, UNLESS you are a long way from shop, like 50 miles or more.
I would agree but I've seen people do their own work on the cars and then drive to a shop for 15-20 minutes with a front wheel at such a terrible angle that their tires are shredded by the time they get there. I have used this technique many times and it's almost a challenge to see if I can get it better than the alignment shop. However, it can be off especially if the person doesn't have it set up right. Hence the trip to the alignment shop. Thanks for the watch and welcome to the channel!
if he says there is room for error with this method , why waste time time doing it ? use youre eyeballs and line the wheels up with the side of the car , thats close enough . off to the alignment shop !
I have the same sketchers sneakers for toe angles
They size 12 too? Lol
@@wayofthewrench
Yes
Lol...
what about if the rear tire is toed in or out?
Most rear wheel drive and all wheel drive and 4 wheel drives have a rear axle so the toe will be zero, unless the axle has been hit/damaged. Remember that this is just to get you to an alignment shop so even if the rear toe is off, the front will be adjusted to be inline with this so the tires won't peel off on the way there. Hope that helps. Thanks for the watch and welcome to the channel!
@@wayofthewrench man you are so wrong can you pls don’t spread wrong info
This video is just to get your vehicle to an alignment shop so you don't have rapid tire wear. It is not meant to be your only wheel alignment.
🍺 🍺🍺
Thank you sir for this awesome video
You're very welcome, glad you enjoyed the video! Hopefully I earned your subscription today. Thanks for the watch and welcome to the channel! Cheers!
Don't want a arm & leg just a few toes , tows . Darn big foot is real !! 😉
I was waiting for someone to comment on my feet.....congrats! You're the first. Thanks for the watch and welcome to the channel!
I think you left out a step. Just measuring the string at the rear wheel does not mean the string is parallel by the time you get to the front wheel. How do you ensure that it is, before you start measuring toe
Remember that we are just trying to get this close enough so we can still drive it to the alignment shop. It's not going to be perfect. That being said, you could do 2 setups on both sides and then measure across the strings at the front and back. If they are at zero toe, the distances should be the same. Hope that helps. Thanks for the watch and welcome to the channel!
All of this work just to drive a few miles and pay someone to align vehicle again!? This seems to only need done is one is many miles away from alignment shop.
I've seen people destroy brand new tires in just a few miles so yes, I think it's a good idea if you're doing this work at home. This is also a great way to test your skills and see how close you can actually get and compare it to the alignment inspection sheet after. Often, I'm better than they are after. Thanks for the watch, happy wrenching!
No steel toes in the shop?! Sounds like the same way I dress when I reno the house
CSA approved flip flops for me....
The misinformation in this video is frustrating
That's pretty vague to drop without any info. Care to explain what you think is wrong?