How many turns of tierod needed to compensate for height adjust

[jwakil]

Ok, taking a wild chance on this: I'm trying to find a cheap way to raise the front of my car without having to do a realignment. Has anyone ever figured out how much to turn the tierods, for every turn of height adjustment so that the toe setting will be the same as before? Obviously camber will also change but maybe I can live with that. I have several things to do on my suspension over the next year (not at the same time) and if I align after every step I will spend more on alignments than the actual changes.

[Scott R]

Too many factors involved in doing something like that. You have wear on all of the associated parts that factor into those alignment measurements. someone maybe has a better answer but I can't see how you can get around an alignment in the end with a ride height change.

[ClickClickBoom]

Here ya go,
Measure the front of the wheel/rimwith the car at ride height, raise to desired height and adjust tie rods to original measurement. If you want to get fancy measure front and rear and adjust the toe to 1/8" to 0" toe in and call it good. If you are really good you can do a drive test and adjust to taste. Just did mine that way and it works just fine.
Eric

[jwakil]

Originally Posted by ClickClickBoom

Here ya go,
Measure the front of the wheel/rimwith the car at ride height, raise to desired height and adjust tie rods to original measurement. If you want to get fancy measure front and rear and adjust the toe to 1/8" to 0" toe in and call it good. If you are really good you can do a drive test and adjust to taste. Just did mine that way and it works just fine.
Eric

That's just too easy....duh! Thanks.

[Wil Ferch]

I'm confused by this exchange. There is a purposeful hex nut located on each side of the cross member where the front torsion bar "ears" are acted upon. This 11 mm head hex points down on each end of the cross member. I turn = approx 1/4" ride height change.

Now.....having changed your ride height this way....yes....any change in height affects toe-in. Lowering the car tends toward toe-out ( direction). A 1/2" drop has a very negligable affect on toe change but you can do as mentioned and do the "tack-and string" trick to measure toe and re-adjust toe as necessary.

My point?---> you raise or lower the car by the torsion bar adjustment screw with 11 mm hex head, not by any adjustment of the tie-rod ends. That comes later, and only if you feel you feel a need to readjust based on the amount of raising/lowering. It may be an imperceptible amount of toe change for (say) a 1/2" or less height change. I also don't think you can correlate the 2 adjustments as the change won't be a linear relationship that stays constant for all the different "starting" heights you initially had. Depends where you start for ride height and how parallel the lower control arms are ( or not) when you start..and also how parallel these are to the tie-rods. The amount that the toe changes will be *different* for a given amount of ride height change...depending upon how parallel the tie rod arms are to the A-arms when you start.

[KNS]

When adjusting the front end height with the 11mm hex nuts, does it matter if the car is up in the air on stands (or a lift, etc) or resting on it's wheels?

[jwakil]

Originally Posted by Wil Ferch

I'm confused by this exchange. There is a purposeful hex nut located on each side of the cross member where the front torsion bar "ears" are acted upon. This 11 mm head hex points down on each end of the cross member. I turn = approx 1/4" ride height change.

Now.....having changed your ride height this way....yes....any change in height affects toe-in. Lowering the car tends toward toe-out ( direction). A 1/2" drop has a very negligable affect on toe change but you can do as mentioned and do the "tack-and string" trick to measure toe and re-adjust toe as necessary.

My point?---> you raise or lower the car by the torsion bar adjustment screw with 11 mm hex head, not by any adjustment of the tie-rod ends. That comes later, and only if you feel you feel a need to readjust based on the amount of raising/lowering. It may be an imperceptible amount of toe change for (say) a 1/2" or less height change. I also don't think you can correlate the 2 adjustments as the change won't be a linear relationship that stays constant for all the different "starting" heights you initially had. Depends where you start for ride height and how parallel the lower control arms are ( or not) when you start..and also how parallel these are to the tie-rods. The amount that the toe changes will be *different* for a given amount of ride height change...depending upon how parallel the tie rod arms are to the A-arms when you start.

To be clear (and I think the others understood), I meant if you turn the torsion hex nut for height adjustment one turn, how many turns would you need to turn the tie rod to bring the toe back to where it was.

From the comments it sounds like there is no direct correlation between the height screw and tie rod adjustment, so I will do the wheel distance measurement before adjusting and try to hit the same dimension afterwards.

By the way, I'm trying to raise it back up because it is way below spec now and I get quite a workout turning the steering wheel, I almost think it will break. Hopefully the higher height will make it easier to turn.

[moneymanager]

I'm not following that. Why will raising the ride height affect ease of turning?

[nesslar]

Would being "very low" put enough pressure on the front end that effort to turn increases? Did you by chance install a smaller diameter steering wheel as well? Too low without fixing toe-in (thereby eliminating excessive "toe-out") sounds like it would increase effort noticeably, no? Finally, are (were) the tires perhaps rubbing a bit in turning on the fenders at the low height?

[jwakil]

Lowering the front introduces more negative camber, and more positive caster, and more toe out, and more front weight. All make steering harder, especially if you can't correct back to specs.