madmaninshed

Camber at front is approx 1.3 degrees negative, and nearer 1 degree at the rear.

I will check tomorrow.

Well I took the plunge and got an initial reading, and did a repeat test to check it. The front is 25" toe in at the moment, and although I heard that the Trackace system is only for front wheels, I couldn't see why it wouldn't work on the rear, so did the same for the rear. That came out at 35" toe in. At least the wheels aren't pointing in vastly different directions. I haven't done a squareness test yet. For general road use, is it worth adjusting from those figures please, or are they acceptable?

It looks to me as if I do have camber adjustment after all, so I will try to set it up with very slight toe in or parallel. There seem to be about 6 threads visible on the drivers side for the toe in/out adjustment, and about 12 on the passenger side. The steering wheel is slightly off straight when the car drives straight. This seems to have changed since I raised the rack, which concerns me. I have a steering wheel clamp. Should I start by taking the steering wheel off and putting it back on straight in the position the car drives straight, or should I get the steering wheel straight by turning the adjusters please? Sorry to be so thick, but I'd rather ask and learn.

Hi Rob, That's really helpful. Thank you. I will get to work. Cheers, Paul.

Hi rkeywood, Thanks for your post. Here is a picture of the front suspension setup. I think you are right. Perhaps someone can confirm. Anyone want a cheap unused camber and castor gauge? Is that 1/8" total toe in please, or 1/8" per side, and excuse ignorance, but how do you convert to degrees please? I'll get there in the end. Really appreciate the help.

Thanks Jonathan, you kindly sent those to me already. I'm so confused. The 1996 spec says front 0 deg 20" toe in, and the 1986 spec says 0 deg 25" toe out. The1991 spec that my car was set up to says between 0 deg 01" and 0 deg 15" but doesn't say if toe in or out. I have to set it somewhere. I'm guessing that for road use it probably doesn't matter, as long as it's roughly correct, and not tearing the tread off the tyres.

Hi, I have all the gear now to do my front wheel alignment. I was kindly sent the alignment spec for a 1986 de Dion Supersprint, but mine is a 1989 de Dion car. Please can anyone confirm if that will be correct? The car was last set up to a later k series spec, which is different. Many thanks, Paul.

Trackace, camber gauge and steering wheel clamp all on their way for under £150 from Amazon.fr so at least the front wheels should soon be pointing the right way, if I have the correct tracking spec?

Thanks James, that is very informative - great pictures, that make understanding easy. Having looked at Trackace videos, I feel fairly confident that I can do the front tracking, and also the camber, with a gauge. I simply don't trust most garages out here. We have a great English mechanic, but he doesn't do tracking. I have the results of the last time the tracking was done in the U.K., which I will try to upload. It was 10 years ago, but the car has only done 1000 miles since. I also have the Supersprint de Dion tracking spec from 1986. My car is 1989, which I hope is the same....however, I think the spec used, according to the result sheet was for a K series 1991 to 2011, so it looks to me as if it was probably set up completely wrong anyway Any comments on the report or whether the 1986 spec is correct for my car would be much appreciated.

Just a thought - is the rear wheel alignment adjustable on a de Dion Caterham Supersprint please?

Thank you 7 Wonders. I could buy the same camber gauge, sold as manufactured by EMVANV by Amazon.fr for only 21.99 Euros delivered, and the same alignment system for 109 Euros odd (again sold under another name) - so not a problem. 2 years ago, tracking here was 75 Euros. I believe this alignment system is just for the front wheels though, and then do I need a castor gauge, and a steering wheel clamp, or will the wife do? It would be good to do it myself. Thanks 22 Daz, that's very good to know.

I do understand what you are saying 7 Wonders. TBH I am a bit out of my depth. In the U.K., I would have gone to a recommended professional, but out here, wheel alignment is a joke. I have now found a company with a laser set-up, so I plan to go there soon. I used masking tape to indicate the precise position of the steering rack before removing it, and marks to show the top, in case it rotated in the clamps when I added the spacers. The first time, it didn't move, so when I went back and added an extra spacer, I didn't use tape. The rack rotated a fraction, causing the column to just touch against the engine. I loosened the bolts, rotated it back a tad, and all seems fine. There is a shoulder on the rack that fits snugly to the clamp on the passenger side, so I am sure the rack is positioned correctly left to right, but I am not 100% certain about the rotation. The column clears everything. Is this critical please? The car corners beautifully now over the bumps. I have to drive it for 20 mins to the tracking place, and hope there are some front tyres left when I get there.

Hi Jonathan, They are brand new, but only Toyo Proxes CF2's at 40 Euros on offer.

A very big thank you for all your input. I raised the rack by just under 8mm, using shims made from ally I had, and the result is quite simply amazing. I had this same problem with several previous cars, and particularly with a 2007 car we took to France. I find it hard to believe that Caterham never informed people of this (obviously well known) problem. My current car has been bouncing around for 34 years, with steering that was inferior to our ride on mower. This is the best modification I have ever done on any Caterham, and it was free. Presumably I now need to have the tracking adjusted. Is this very urgent please, or can I drive the car for a while as it is? Once again, thanks.