Weird Alignment Issue
 

Hey Guys, have a weird alignment issue on my 2011 GT/CS. I had Ford align the car back in July, I've hardly driven it since (less than 100 miles). I looked at it in my garage and can see that the TOE is negative. I figure if it's off far enough that I notice it with my eye than it needs to be corrected. So I bring it back to Ford over the weekend, they put it up on the rack and tell me that the TOE is positive and within spec. Has anyone else run into something like this?

you might want to have someone else check it; but it could be an "optical illusion" that you are seeing by eye

It's defiantly not an optical illusion lol. I can clearly see from all angles that the wheels are pointed outwards. Most shops don't want to mess with it since it's lowered, but I do know of a performance shop in town that has an alignment rack. They mainly to McLarens and Lamborghinis, but I know the owner so maybe he can squeeze me in :-D

You don't need a special place. Just some fishing line, some tacks, and some weights for fishin'. And a good string, tape measure, stick... and park the car on flat ground, level front to back, side to side. Or as close as you can get. Then...

Center the steering so the wheels point straight. Then find the *very* center front of both wheels, stick the tack in the tread block there. Repeat for the rear of the tire. Repeat this on the other side.

Please note: If you have no tread block to stick a tack in, then move the tack inward/outward and stick it. And do it exactly the same inward/outward amount for all corners. If you moved the first tack outward 1/4" to get a tread block, you do that outward move for all four corners the same.

Once you do that, you have the locations of the measurement marks. Now make plumb bobs that'll have a loop on the upper end, and the weight at the other. Make four of those. Hang all four on the tacks. They don't want to touch the ground, just hover over it. It would help if the weights were somewhat pointed. Actual plumb bobs would be ideal, but one does what one does. You might want to test them for accuracy before use on a test rig for center accuracy of the bob end. It's semi important to get this part right, you don't want a left/right bias due to physical inaccuracy. A little would be ok, but a lot would be disasterous.

So, you have four hanging plumb bobs, let's measure. Take more of the fishing line, or a stick, whatever will go across the car's width, be straight, and be *solid* (so no stretchy yarn or such) and run them across the floor under the plumb bobs, taping down as needed. Do both front and back. Measure/mark where the plumb bobs are on both the front and back.

Ensure you *know* which is front and back, then subtract back from front. There's your toe difference. That can then be plugged into a nifty calculator such as this one:
https://robrobinette.com/ConvertToeInchesToDegrees.htm
And there's your actual toe angle.

You can put those alignment racks to shame and things. :yup: Even if it's a pain in the buttocks to do... :p And it might be necessary. Read on:

This will ensure you know what's up with the toe, and it's NOT otherwise car related. It's simply the actual toe angle and only the toe angle. Alignment machines are hardly, rarely, almost a sin to say it happens, wrong. But they can be... but it's usually an external problem and not the machine's fault. They are really that kind of good at what they do/are made for. You might have another issue, like a bent frame. Not impossible even if it's never been in a wreck. Also bent rims (which will throw the wheel mounted reflector things off), misaligned axle (throw the whole machine off)... lots of things are possible where the machine "knows" it's right, but it can't ever be.

Or maybe at the end you need an opthamologist... :jester:

Hope that helps, good luck! :nice:

thanks for posting that Tex . . . I need to bookmark this thread so I can find it again when I want to check my alignment

back to the OP, it can only be one of two possibilities:
1) your eyes are wrong
2) the dealer's alignment rack is wrong

so you can either check your eyes with Houtex' set-up, or check the rack by checking it against a different rack

Yep. Of course, one could acquire this thing:
https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pr...asp?RecID=4714
(not a sponsor, not an endorsement, suggestion only)

or this thing:
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speed...-Tool,241.html
(ditto)

or the plethora of other contraptions, devices, and systems out there to do it, but mine is kinda cheap I figure.

For what any of that's worth, probably a 'savings' of $79.99 plus tax for not taking it to your local alignment shop, give or take, your locale may vary, conditions apply, see shop for details.

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