warrior front wheel alignment

[jcizzo]

Hey guys... this one has me stumped..

i had to replace the tie rods and ball joints on my '03 warrior. the manual says to lift the front wheels up so there isnt any weight on them, then do the subtract B-A thing after rotating 180 degrees, yadda yadda... which i get..

the part i don't get is that the specs in the manual call for ~.5-1.06" of toe IN.. while the front wheels are up...??

this doesn't make sense to me because once i set the front end back down, i'd get even more toe-in... and it would only get worse once i sit on it..

i just triple checked the manual because i would think that with the fronts up in the air, i should be measuring for 0.5-1" of toe-OUT... so that once set back down and i'm on it, the tires are relatively straight ahead..

any ideas?

 

[Warrior1996]

The manual is correct. You need the front end to be slightly toe in when the front end is lifted off the ground (uncompressed suspension). As the suspension compresses, the tire's will gradually toe out slightly. The most amount of toe out will happen when and after the a arms pass the parallel with ground point of travel. Ideally, when you are sitting on it and riding over normal riding conditions, the front wheels should be parallel with each other, as this situation yields the best handling characteristics.

For future reference, this gradual progression of toe change is referred to as bump steer. The warrior frame/suspension geometry unfortunately has a relatively large amount of bump steer, compared to newer sport quads on the market.

 

[jcizzo]

well actually, as the suspension compresses, the toe-in increases.. the ball joints that actuate the spindles sit below the centerline of the joints attached to the steering shaft. as the suspension is compressed and the outter ball joints are brought closer to the centerline, the wheels will turn in, thus toe-in increases..

if you check out your own, you'll see what I mean..

 

[Warrior1996]

Unfortunately, I wont have access to my quad until the weekend. However, I have done some extensive suspension mods and aftermarket part installs, so I've worked with the front end geometry a good amount. I also went and did some research on the internet, and it appears that what I have mentioned is correct. I will check again this weekend on my own quad. Anyway, a slightly toe-in or parallel running set of front tires handle the best. You do not want your tires to be toe-out, as it makes for poor handling characteristics.

I may draw up a diagram later to demonstrate the bump steer of a warrior, because to explain it adequately, I would need to write a book, and I don't feel like doing that lol.