23 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Only if you tip the car onto it's side first

Spirit levels are able to check verticals you know, Tom

18 minutes ago, mjt said:

Spirit levels are able to check verticals you know, Tom

Correct, but toe angle requires laterals.  You could check the camber with one if you really wanted but not the toe angle.

I do see where the idea came from, but it just won't work for this I'm afraid.  

57 minutes ago, mjt said:

Spirit levels are able to check verticals

That would be to check Plumb, if checking vertical. 😉

 . . . . which comes from the use of a Plumb line. The ancients were pretty smart, using a Plumb line and square to check horizontals.

On 10/5/2023 at 1:32 PM, madman said:

Thanks everyone.

I looked at few videos got make a string box around your car and measure from rim to string 

Could u put a spirit level across a wheel to see if the wheel is straight. 

the world moved on about 6 trillion fold since the days of playing with homemade solutions - when you are using accurate modern laser 4 wheel alignment, you see adjusting camber and toe on one wheel actually changes how all the other three wheels are sitting - at times enough to take from mid spec to out of spec

13 hours ago, mjt said:

 . . . . which comes from the use of a Plumb line. The ancients were pretty smart, using a Plumb line and square to check horizontals.

With respect Mike, I'm not sure you're fully understanding the measurements needed for toe angle, which is the only thing that can be adjusted on the front of a Mk2 Focus.

The plumb line would have to be horizontal for this.  Gravity obviously doesn't work that way, but we can get around that by making a string box around the car at centre cap height, using perfect 90 degree angles at each corner to make sure the lines are perfectly parallel along each side of the car.  Then that string can be used as a lateral fixed point to measure from the front and rear of each wheel rim at exactly half way up the rim.  The difference in length between the string at the front and the string at the rear of the same wheel is what gives us the toe angle.  There is no way that a spirit level is of any use for this process.

You could check camber using a spirit level, as that uses the same process but vertically instead of horizontally.  However camber isn't adjustable on the front of a Mk2 Focus.

Tom, you're taking this much too seriously. I'm well aware of the characteristics of steering and suspension alignment .

Just spend the money and get it done properly or you will be spending even more on tyres. Like on another thread about lower arm, aftermarket are sometimes a false economy. O.e and the tracking will stay virtually spot on. 

as already suggested these days you need decent 4 wheel kit - but I did spot these the other day which might get you close enough to do 50 miles to get it done properly

 

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/gunson-g4008-trakrite-wheel-alignment-gauge/

Thanks for all update guys.

When I said about spirit level preferably a digital one and i thought u could get like 2ft level and put it across the whole wheel left to right and make sure wheel is straight.

Now I found a vid on you tube of a Mondeo in a garage using a string trick. He tied the string onto the back wheel and then onto a lose wheel laying on the floor about 1ft in front car.  He moved the string to when it barley touched either left or right side the wheel to check if it was out. 

Now I've done this on my mk2 focus on my car tied it on to back wheel along bodywork and tied into a stepladder with the string just touching whatever side of tyre it does first. Now looking the the wheel example passengers, the string is touching the left of rim tyre, but on right it's about index finger gap.

Is this trick going to work and is my tracking off 

Cheers guys