Tracking, What is the correct tracking for an XM?

I shall be getting some new tyres at some point soon, and will be having the tracking checked as I have some telltale uneven ware. What should they be setting the tracking to? I presume it should be slight toe in, but how much?

I am not convinced they always look up what a particular car should be, but just put it to something close to 0. If I know what it should be then I can ask them what they are setting it to and check it is correct.

According to both Haynes and Peter Russek it should be 0 to 3mm toe out.

Derek

Hi Rowanmoor.

Don't forget to check before you go if they will actually do the job. One or two of my local places won't do the XM because of its 'funny' suspension. (I wonder if they turn away umpteen Xantia owners as well ?). If I've got the chance and the willpower, I always try and free off the adjustment points before taking it to a tyre place. I just don't fancy the lack of finesse you see in some of these places.

Mike.

The tyre depot-an Indy- that I use shy away from the tracking on my Xantia 'cos of it's 'unusual' suspension-but this has only been around for 50-odd years!!

I was just wondering about this the other day. I've never taken the XM to have it's tracking checked, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt.
I have heard some horror stories of hydraulic cits being all over the place after some pleb who doesn't know what they're doing adjusts the tracking.
I hate to ask about the likes of Krap Fit, but are there any of the 'big names' renowned for not trashing Citroens?

Hi Ciaran.

I'd be guided by the state of the tyres. If there's no apparent uneven wear, I'd leave well alone. I don't think any particular chain is better or worse than anyone else -- it does seem to be on a place by place basis. What I look for is the attitude -- if they say they will do it, but then start moaning about it -- walk away.

Mike.

Thanks Mike.

I've only had the car on the road since late August, and put four new tyres on it for the test. It's only done about 5k since then, so no massive amounts of wear yet, however will keep a close eye on the front just to be sure. A real case of 'if it ain't broke' more than likely!

Cheers.

Ciarán.

I'm surprised to hear they should tow out! I have always set mine just towing in and have just changed a pair of front tyres at 30+ k which were worn almost perfectly symetrically.

I track mine with a high tech electronic piece of threaded rod slid into a piece of conduit!

Peter.N.

Hi all,

According to the manual they should tow in. However, if you don't look closely I can see how you would end up believing they tow out. The little diagram shows the leading edge of the wheels further apart than the trailing edges ie towed out. The leading dimension is called B and the trailing dimension is called A. The next line says that A<B ie it still looks as if they're towed out. Then the sting in the tail. The specification for the amount by which its towed out is minus 3mm or minus 0deg27min, in other words Towed In !!

Talk about a double negative, more like a double entendre.

Hope that helps.

cheers

noz

Phew! Thanks Noz.

Peter.N.

The threaded rod - was that Metric or Afghanistan Fine Bicycle thread?

noz

Yes, confusing and I'm still not convinced as you can read it as A is less than B, the amount is 0 to -3mm etc.. My two references obviously read it that way and I have known of other cars which toe out.

However, the figures in the manual are 0 to -3mm for non hydractive cars and 0 to -27 minutes for hydractive cars. How's your trig Peter? Safest bet seems to be to set them parallel with no toe-in or toe-out.

Were any non-hydractive cars sold in UK?

Derek

Hi. Noz.

I don't have your insight into how Citroen write their manuals. so please don't take this as me being just awkward, but having looked at the section you mention, surely another way to view it is that it clearly states A is less than B and the figures quoted simply refer to that relationship. I.E. --- A is less than B by a factor of 0 to 3mm (hence the minus sign). In that case, then in the conventional way of describing it, we are back to toe out ?
For what it's worth (which is always open to question), Autodata also have it as a toe out setting, but only zero to 1.5mm.
If it's to be egg on my face, then I'm standing by !!

Mike.

Hi Derek

Looks like we were doing our thoughts at the same time. Why oh why couldn't Citroen do what almost every other manufacturer does and simply write down in plain French or English toe in or toe out ? Strikes me in trying to make the explanation diagrammatic they've spread some confusion.

Mike.

Hi all,

DerekW, If you look at the column where the A<B info is you'll see that it has no horizontal line. By convention in the factory manual this means that the spec in that column applies to all of the models covered by the extreme left hand column for the size of that box ie non-hydractive and hydractive alike. The spec is given in metric units ie mm and in old money (for TOG's) ie degrees and minutes. Its the same spec. It applies to both models.

Mike, no offence taken I can assure you. Lets assume for a minute that there was no minus sign. Then A would be less than B by 3mm ie towed out. However, If A is less than B by minus 3mm then A is actually 3mm greater than B ie towed in. This is pure logic. Having said that, if Citroen had applied anything close to pure logic the XM wouldn't exist.

The prospect of a towed out car has me concerned. Does anyone have an Autodata book to give us an idea of the percentage of cars overall towed out or towed in? In my, albeit limited, experience towed in is far more common. However, that doesn't rule being towed out out (!gr).

It is important to get this one right because tyres are not cheap and thats the price of getting it wrong. Any other views?

cheers

noz