Discovery wheel alignment

[4X4V8]

My D2 V8, 1999 manual with 90,000km has always had steering a bit vague on centre since I bought it 6mths ago. It has nearly new Pirelli Scorpion ATRs on the Mondial 18in rims, but tramlines a bit (esp on roads where trucks have hollowed out 'tracks') and feels vague on centre plus gets a slight shimmy at 80km/h. When I replaced the steering wheel of course I got it one spline of so off centre so it's never straight.

Have been reading all the probs people have had with wheel alignment so was trying to make time to take it to a mob in Enfield who specialise in 4X4 and truck alignment.

It was hard getting an appoinment as they always seemed busy and I am often on-call for work, having to drop everything including wheel alignment bookings!

So one day last week I paid an impromptu visit to Jax at Five Dock and got them to give it a front wheel balance and wheel alignment. It was by far the easiest and most dramatic improvement to my car I have had done. It tracks much better and there is hardly any slop on centre compared to before, and the steering wheel is straight!

It feels like a different vehicle to drive - calling the steering razor sharp would be a stretch, but it's pretty good and I enjoy driving it more than ever now.

[Blknight.aus]

keep a sharp eye on your tread wear from now on...

AS SOON as you see any feathering developing on the tread blocks (or the grooves if you dont have distinct blocks on that tyre)

go back for a rotation and have them double check the alignment has "held" the way they set it up.

check your receipt and make sure that all the numbers they have on the setup is recorded on it and IF they used a machine to set it up get the serial number and model of it as well.

If after the check everythings as is record the distances between the feathering starting to develop and this is now your new tyre rotation interval.

[C H T]

D1s and all earlier coil sprung landies need toe out to steer nicely. I set mine at about 3mm toe out (2.4 to 3.2 mm toe out LR factory spec). Both my Defender and Disco are very stable on all road surfaces.

Christopher

[Hay Ewe]

I was thinking about this last night and the fact that your steering wheel is now straight when you know that you put it on one spline off was my concern.

My thinking is that if they did not remove and refit the steering wheel, they adjusted the steering mechanism to make it straight and then did the tracking etc.

What concerns me about this is that there is the threaded / adjustable section on one part the steering linkage and if that is adjusted too much then there wont be enough male threaded part in the female threaded part (or which other way it goes) and therefore, not as strong or proper installation as it should be.

I don’t have any manuals or more info to hand but wanted to pass on my concern that it might be good now but not nessecarlly right!

Cheers
Hay Ewe

[Beerdead]

I have a '93 V8 Disco that never needed wheel alignment in ten years. In the last 12 months it has needed several over the same driving conditions. According to the mechanic there is no mechanical problem, but I can't seem to hold an alignment for more that 1K.
Apart from wearing the tyres out, the economy is dreadful.

Any ideas?

[rovercare]

It would depend on which part of the alignment is going out - maybe ask them for the report from their machine.
Is your mechanic a LR specialist ? Also many of the tyre places have no idea about properly aligning 4WDs - especially LandRovers.

Especially land rovers? really? I mean all you can adjust is Toe, they're actually easier than most cars;)

[waynep]

Yes you are right I should learn to shut up when not fully conversant with a subject - I deleted my previous post.