Suspension setting up

[John L]

When a 4wheel alignment is done, what should be the height to the underside of the chassis be?

I have seen that it recommends that weights should be put on the seats, but at what points on the front and rear of the chassis should you measure up/down to the ground, and what is the best height to get it setup at?

Should the chassis be flat all the way from the front to after the tee shirt bit in the middle , I know that then the rear members do rise a bit, but its more the front part I'm concerned with, any help would be appreciated. I just want to make sure this isnt a bit bent first.

Regards John

[Andy K]

When a 4wheel alignment is done, what should be the height to the underside of the chassis be?

I have seen that it recommends that weights should be put on the seats, but at what points on the front and rear of the chassis should you measure up/down to the ground, and what is the best height to get it setup at?

Should the chassis be flat all the way from the front to after the tee shirt bit in the middle , I know that then the rear members do rise a bit, but its more the front part I'm concerned with, any help would be appreciated. I just want to make sure this isnt a bit bent first.

Regards John

Hi there.

You seem to be chasing two items.

Four wheel alignment is to do with setting the geometry of the wheels (camber, toe-in etc).

Alignment of the chassis doesn't involve the wheels, ony the relative positions of all the chassis components and its straightness as assessed by measuring between various points and the ground as well. The repair operations manual does have all these dimensions and drawings of the chassis. I'm not sure without looking whether this is on the parts/workshop manual CD as well.

[Richard Crawley]

Ground clearance is 6 inches 2 up but in reality this is going to vary front to back, side to side depending on the car any accidents it’s had or the accuracy of any work that’s been done on it! Chassis alignment will affect the wheel centres & suspension settings but these can be adjusted to counteract, within reason, chassis misalignment; hence the various shims & notched brackets. It’s the wheel & suspension settings that are important to the handling of the car, not weather or not the chassis is level & at the stated height. All wheel & suspension settings are listed for 2 up so in theory the car seats should be loaded accordingly during alignment checks.