MongoZ06

For those do-it-yourself'ers, what are you using to hold the steering wheel straight when you are adjusting your alignment?
No matter what mine always moves a little when setting toe. Ive been using some bungee cords to hold it but they arent doing the trick. Its always when i adjust the passenger side for whatever reaso that it moves.

DK83

I don't do my own alignments, but if you google "steering wheel holder for alignments" a couple of them show up. I remember a shop using one of the holders that hooks onto the seat or the pedals.

Good luck!

phipp85

I roll the car forward a good ways to let it self center or hold it to where I believe center is and then adjust accordingly. Of course you need a relatively flat surface to do that.

Erik L

I have a cheap set of ratcheting straps that most use to hold light things in the back of a pick up. They have plastic coated hooks on the ends. My car has a rear (4 pt) roll bar I hook the ends to the bar, one end on the drivers side, one passenger side so the force is spread wide. Loop through the steering wheel and use the ratchet to apply tension. As long as I have the ends on either side of the car it works well. Dont use too much tension - might bend steering wheel.

Kubs

Maybe I'm the odd man out, but I have never had the steering wheel move when doing alignments...

Do you use slip plates under the tires?

phipp85

I thought we were talking about the initial centering of the wheel......

juanvaldez

I get the toe where I want it then center the wheel adding turns to one side and subtracting the same amount from the other.

MongoZ06

As for slip plates im using some floor tiles with grease between them.
I like the idea if the tie down strap, i might have to give it try

Supercharged111

How are you guys measuring individual toe? I only do total toe and end up taking a **** load of test drives before it's right.

Kubs

I just measure total toe as well and only usually need 1 or 2 test drives at the end to see if the wheel is centered. I count the turns and make equal adjustments side to side.

woody6244

I use a ratchet strap looped around the bottom of the steering wheel and hooked to the front of the seat adjustment rails.

froggy47

Actually the (built in) column lock works pretty good if you have one that has not been bypassed.

Final adjustments are made after test drive of course.

Joshboody

My steering wheel always moves and I just recenter it after turning each rod. I use strings so can adjust each side.

Bill Dearborn

As long as I am adjusting the tie rod ends and not pushing/pulling on the wheel I have never had the steering wheel move while setting toe.

Bill

c5racr1

6 foot painters pole. Put both windows down fold the mirrors forward. Zip tie the poles to the left and right spolk of the steering wheel. No movement

Joshboody

I like this... i will try it.

I don't know how the wheel does not move for others unless you have super slidey plates. I've used various slidey methods which wheel easily turns with no power for caster but always moves (instead of tires) when doing toe.

Poor-sha

I had this same problem setting toe last weekend. I eventually asked one of my kids to hold the wheel but he still let it move. Lots of crawling out from under the car and looking through the window to recenter the wheel.

v10climber

Once you've got total toe set put the steering wheel straight and then use something long and straight (I use a 5ft level) and put it up against the middle of the front tire parallel with the ground. Sight down it and see where it hits the rear tire. Then check the other side. It's not super precise but it's good enough that I've never had to reset toe settings because the steering wheel isn't straight.

jw1

There is no need to hold the steering the wheel. The toe is set by adjusting the tie rods to get the 'total toe'.

Once that is done drive the car a short distance and note the angle of the wheel and then adjust the tie rods an equal amount of turns to compensate. You can't just hold the steering wheel straight while adjusting the tie rods and expect the steering wheel to remain straight.

naschmitz

That's true for both ends of the car, by the way. If you are adjusting rear toe or thrust angle and make different adjustments left to right, the steering wheel will have to be held is a different position to drive the car straight.