Re: RE: Aligning a quattro

[Orin Eman <orin@wolfenet.com>]

> Phil writes:
> > >Does Audi "align" a new built vehicle, or just assume that manufacturing
> > >tolerances will make it "spot on"?  
> >I suspect they stick to the specifications they give in the service
> >manuals.  There's a 'suspension and alignment check' in the 1500 mile
> >service.  I don't think road camber (crown) and the driver's weight
> >play a major role - when the car is experiencing a significant sideways
> >G, the angle of the road surface will contribute very little.

> Maybe Michael Sheridan Williams can share with us, how much petrol is in a 
> quattro tank at predelivery inspection.  When I sold cars in the mid 80's, we 
> were lucky to make it 5miles.  My thinking would be:  What happened to the 
> 1/4 tank Phil?

> I'm getting a vision of the alignment "lead pillow".  You know, the one that 
> simulates audis 1/4 tank of gas, that you throw on top of the spare tire.  
> Wouldn't that screw up the alignment if you couldn't put the pillow directly 
> over the tank?  

Why on earth do you assume they use the same alignment specs during
manufacture?  They _know_ the camber/toe curves, so they could look up
the corresponding camber/toe numbers for the position the suspension happens
to be in at that stage in manufacture and use those.  Though I would
think they would simply use some form of jig instead.  After all, the
alignment specs are merely distances from various points on the chassis/subframe...
One end of the jig goes to known point on the chassis/subframe, adjust
such that wheel/hub/whatever is there at that point just touches the
other end.

In addition, the manufacturing specs can also allow for initial
settling in.  They have a good idea of how it settles in, so my
guess is the manufacturing setting is such that after 1k miles or
so, it will have moved towards the end user specs.

I fail to see how the manufacturing specs or methods, both of which
are unknown add to this discussion.

Orin.