Things I Learned doing a String Alignment
 

I wanted to post this on the forum, since during this whole thing I’ve had trouble finding this information all in one place – and hopefully this helps someone that’s relatively new to this stuff.

A few years ago I did a full suspension refresh. Since an engine rebuild was in the offing and my tires were worn and I wasn’t driving it much, I aligned it to a sort of “good enough” point and lived with it. But after getting new tires and a rebuild, I felt it was time.

I tried the jack stand and strings method a while but I kept getting messed up results, those results were actually caused by things I didn’t understand (yet), but when I get frustrated I dig my heels in. So I bought a string kit and caster and camber kit just to remove my jack stands as a possible variable.

Here’s some stuff I learned I wish I had known before:

-Correct steering wheel placement – 3 turns lock to lock meant 1.5 turns to center, but driving, the wheel wanted to be at 1.5 turns minus one hand on the clock counter clockwise. That means if at 1.5 turns the bottom of the momo steering wheel “Y” is at 6 o-clock, I needed to move it one spline to the left – moving the bottom of the “Y” to 5 o-clock.

-Bad placement lead to bad alignment – I would center the steering wheel (1.5 turns) to align, but if the rack wanted to turn slightly right from that, 1mm right toe out would turn into 4-5mm and a strong right hand drift

-Aligning when you’re mostly there is probably simple, aligning after a full change is Iterative. There were threads that said to use turn plates or grease-filled bags, or roll the car back and forth, but all those things would lead to incorrect adjustments and over-adjustments that would throw me off. I could NOT get a correct reading after adjusting without a shakeout drive.

-Take copious notes. Every time I adjusted, I would write down all my measurements, so it was easier to reset the strings for the next adjustment. Especially in the rear with the cam lobes, I would note the direction of turn, and how far I turned. Sometimes a slight turn would cause the wheel to totally loosen and droop and I’d have to start over.

-Camber readings (again) only show up after a shakeout drive. Even loosening the shock tower, I thought I was only adjusting my wheel 0.5 degrees, when really I was going a full degree

Anyone that knows better can correct me here. The wheel center thing is strange – I don’t know enough about the steering rack to know if it has some kind of “return” to a position or if it’s offset or an issue with my turbo tie rod install. All I know is that even if the alignment drift was opposite, there was definitely a place where it felt like the steering rack wanted to be. I’m reading where this might be related to caster angle. Which is one thing I haven’t checked (yet) because I need turn plates. So let’s see I guess.

Greasy fingers on YouTube has a great video how to on doing a string alignment.

Centering the rack is a good thing to get full turns on either side, but it doesn't matter where your steering wheel ends, it's all asthetics at that point.

Getting the string box is very important. Try to center the string on your center caps and make sure your strings front and back are equal distance apart otherwise your lines will not be parallel.

With any alignment, you can get it perfect and your car may not track straight. Corner balance is crucial to ensuring that.

Luckily - after figuring all of that out. It’s tracking pretty straight and my steering wheel is centered. Probably one or two more small adjustments to go. But I’m close.

I used the jackstand and string method on the SUV, worked , measured toe in was a perfect 20' to the tirewall.

What's a string, caster and camber kit ?

I always try to center the rack by measuring how far the rack protrudes from the housing on each side. Then clamp the rack so it can't move in the housing wile you muddle around. Hose clamps, C-clamps, vise grips, whatever you can fit works as clamps.

After you center the rack, then remove the steering wheel and re-insert & center it on the proper spline.

The jack stand method works just fine. For me the issue was more that I hadn’t centered the rack correctly.

I ended up getting the string kit because it actually mounts on the car. It makes it easier to work with when I am adjusting and bringing the car up and down. I still would need to make minor adjustments but with the jack stands I would basically need to start over every time. Not to mention I used the jack stands to hold up the car safely while adjusting.

Here’s what I ended up getting.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/bgr-bgr200?seid=srese1&ppckw=pmax-tools&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0MexBhD3ARIsAEI3WHJmkg6Xe2gYy9 vNSDnpsINPQBYmJ6G1q5TrGKyRbbFBWqgrtJjd3jAaAlfEEALw _wcB


https://www.summitracing.com/parts/lng-78295

Likewise for the camber gauge I have used a speed square and a length of steel with some machine screws and a wixey angle finder but I just decided to invest in purpose built products.

When I did this way back, I learned too never do it again. :)

Sounds like sage advice :)

Like so many things.

Not gonna lie. Wanted to throw in the towel. But when I get to that point I tend to then dig in my heels. I wanted to understand what I was doing wrong and learn how it all worked.. All I can say is the more I do it the easier it gets.

That said. Probably easiest to just give it to the pros.

@kyngfish thanks for the links. This sounds an intriguing and fun challenge, congrats.

Do tell.

Of course, the ubiquitous Porsche pro shop just around the corner is always the best go to but the chain store alignment shops, I would think not.

When I rebuilt my suspension, I did initial alignment with strings, poles on jackstands, rulers, protractors, etc. Got it to what I thought was close enough to drive and take to the local Porsche alignment shop. When I went to pick up the car, they told me that I was very close and they didn't have to move things very much at all.

You can certainly get close with this method if you take the time and measure carefully.

You would think... I took mine to a place highly regarded as a vintage Porsche shop out in Utah for an alignment after a bushing refresh, and when I was called to pick it up, I was simply just handed the keys and bill. When I asked for a print out, I saw that just about everything was still wildly mismatched and way out of whack. The only thing they touched, was the toe on the fronts.

They eventually did get it correct, and as a apology didn't charge me, but it still irked me that they would try and pass off what they originally did as good.

One the other hand, I used to take my track rat Miata to a chain store in Arizona, and the guy there would ballast my seat with my weight and return me a printout sheet just absolutely nailing my called out desired specs. Really is just a draw of sticks these days it seems. I've decided when it comes time for an alignment again, I will be giving it a go myself.

Centering the wheel? No problem!

I once saw a well-known (at the time) mid-western shop owner and racer center one on a 914-6 by getting on the the road tracking straight, pull the wheel off (nut previously removed) and stick it back on in the correct position. Wheel centered, problem solved!

+1

Re centering the steering wheel: In other cars I've worked on, the center tooth on the steering rack or quadrant is just a little bigger than the rest of the teeth. This takes up slack and gives tight steering when the steering wheel is centered, while allowing a little tooth clearance when off center to take friction out of the steering, to enable the steering to return to center easily.

Do Porsche steering racks work this way too? I seem to recall reading somewhere that they do, but can't find the reference.

If so, then you always want to center the steering wheel in the middle of the steering travel, or it will be off from that center tooth.

The problem I found was your new settings take a little time to "seat" and compare, then when you drive and recheck something is not balanced. So you set up your rig and do it again, until..You settle for whatever.
I got a sand driveway that is a "paint shaker" so down and back and I can check for balanced settings. When all your bolts are cleaned and lubed making changes get fast and easy and you can see what YOU like not just what the book says.