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Going straight / 240 steering "wander"

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Lets play nice now, kids...can't let this thread turn into a usual day on VolvoSpeed.
 
In case you wanted some TSB info:

NEW ALIGN SPECIFICATIONS

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN

Reference Number(s): GROUP 64, NO. 122, Date of Issue: March 1991


ALIGNMENT SPECIFICATIONS


Model Volvo 200

Group 64

Bulletin No. 122

Date March 1991

NEW FRONT CAMBER SPECIFICATION


The camber specification listed below should be used for all 200 series cars with power steering. Note that the upper range of the camber has been increased to +1 degree. However, observe the listed restrictions.

CAMBER .............+1/4 to +1 degree

RESTRICTIONS:
•The difference between left and right camber should not exceed 1/2 degree.
•If uneven tire wear, or if "feathering" of the tire is observed, the camber should be set as close to the lower range (+1/4 degree) as possible.


NOTE: This Specification is considered to be retro-active for all 200 series cars.

Cars that have been set up to the previous specification, and remain within the previous specification, need NOT be re-adjusted to the new specification.
 
KeizerBrickGuy said:
What's so funny Ben? lol I was just perusing the TSB's on Mitchell and saw that.
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Nobody in their right mind would set their camber to positive 1 degree. That's what is funny about that. :) I don't care what the bulletin says.

Also, I would never set the front end of a 240 to zero toe. They always wander when they do not have a small amount of toe in. What the car is set to on an alignment rack is not what it will actually be doing when driving down the road. The parts all deflect under load. Zero toe static becomes toe out when the car is moving forward. Guaranteed to climb the ruts in the road surface.
 
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LC4CARL said:
See first post:

The car ('87 245 N/A) has the following mods: 2.5 coils off front, 1.0 off rear, Bilstien Touring shocks, adjustable rear track bar, 16.5 mm rear wheel spacers, upper and lower front braces, Hydras with new 215/55R16 tires (32 psi), 23mm / 19mm swaybars, manual steering rack, new ball joints, tight tie rod ends, original bushings.
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Ok, so you've said it....twice then. Your car has 30 year old rubber bushings.





Nah....gotta be something else...
 
Carl,

You make no mention of any work done on the rear suspension. A broken bushing in the rear of a 240 will make them wander all over the place no matter what you have done with the front end. The upper torque rod bushings are always broken on a 240 with as many miles on it as yours has.
 
2manyturbos said:
Nobody in their right mind would set their camber to positive 1 degree. That's what is funny about that. :) I don't care what the bulletin says.

Also, I would never set the front end of a 240 to zero toe. They always wander when they do not have a small amount of toe in. What the car is set to on an alignment rack is not what it will actually be doing when driving down the road. The parts all deflect under load. Zero toe static becomes toe out when the car is moving forward. Guaranteed to climb the ruts in the road surface.
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That is true about the camber, but zero toe? :omg: Talk about stability issues. So maybe it would boil down to bushings now....
 
Jack said:
I can't take the credit. A group of us got together in OT and greatly discussed why people most often crush their Volvo around here. Extensive research by 17 members discovered that
97% of the time it starts with cut springs
the stats go even higher when car is an 85+ 240 to a 98.7% probability of crushing
99.9876% if belt line trim has been removed



fix your suspension and steering and quit trying to reinvent the wheel
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I have cut springs on several Volvos, and haven't crushed even one.
You haven't cut springs on any Volvos, but you have crushed several.
Something doesn't add up with your logic.
 
slammed145 said:
I have cut springs on several Volvos, and haven't crushed even one.
You haven't cut springs on any Volvos, but you have crushed several.
Something doesn't add up with your logic.
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I saved move Volvos then 99% of people on here



also stats never claimed 100% because we actually counted people like you into our survey
 
KeizerBrickGuy said:
That is true about the camber, but zero toe? :omg: Talk about stability issues. So maybe it would boil down to bushings now....
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It was Tuff240 that suggested starting with zero toe. He likes his cars responsive. When you want your car to change direction quickly, zero toe to positive toe is what you want with a RWD platform. It will make them climb the groves in the road is the drawback. Hence, "wander".
 
LC4CARL said:
It's probably me, but the camaraderie of a shared enthusiasm in Volvo's is nil around here sometimes. I have put hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars into my ride. I have been supportive and respectful of others on the forum. I need to take a break from this place.
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It's not just you. I don't like the way certain people constantly talk down to other members either.

2manyturbos said:
It was Tuff240 that suggested starting with zero toe. He likes his cars responsive. When you want your car to change direction quickly, zero toe to positive toe is what you want with a RWD platform. It will make them climb the groves in the road is the drawback. Hence, "wander".
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I like to set my toe at 1/8" in, and usually I just jam the camber to as much negative as I can get with the stock strut mounts. I think that usually ends up at just under 1 degree.

It is key to measure toe after pushing the car forward 5-10 feet. That way, whatever bushings or mounts that might be loose or worn will be tensioned in the direction that they will be tensioned while driving down the road. I've heard of people having someone sit in the driver's seat when they do this too, but I'm usually working on my car alone so I skip that step.

The use of a toe measurement bar makes the procedure a lot easier, and you can make a cheap one yourself:
DIYToe2.jpg
 
That's what I set 240s to, 1/8-3/16 inch toe in, depending on how the car tracks when I take it for a test drive. I try to get away with as little toe in as possible.


With all the FWD cars on the road these days one of the first things I suspect with a wandering car is whether the alignment guy realized the car was RWD. I have corrected a few 2/9 cars that came to me with their front wheels towed out, including a long time customer that has a 93 245. The shop had set it 1/8" towed out. The thing was all over the place even though the suspension is in top notch stock condition.
 
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2manyturbos said:
It was Tuff240 that suggested starting with zero toe. He likes his cars responsive. When you want your car to change direction quickly, zero toe to positive toe is what you want with a RWD platform. It will make them climb the groves in the road is the drawback. Hence, "wander".
Click to expand...
I set mine to just a touch of toe out. Like a 1/16th. Depends on what I'm doing with the car overall, but generally all of mine are set up for very spirited if not track driving.
 
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