DIY alignment worked great!

[lilbrudder]

Ever since i bought my car serveral years ago it's alignment was always off,really annoying. i took it to numerous shops(spent several hundred$$$) to have it corrected but i was never satisfied until i decided to do it my self.....

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=1093484

this great write up did it for me, easy to understand, easy to do, it was free, and kinda fun too(i like math). it took me a couple hours to fine tune but she's strait as an arrow now, i guess those previous mechanics just didn't want to put the time in. lazy!

FYI. i used water jugs instead of jack stands.(was cheaper)
SVX front track width is 1,501mm and rear track 1,481mm.

good luck

[It's Just Eric]

very intresting read

[Trevor]

You have done exactly the correct thing. I have had the same experience with fancy wheel alignment, the more lights, screens, read outs and other BS to impress the customer, the higher the fee. But not disclosed is the greater possibility of malfunction and error. Very few of these gadgets are regularly checked and ever fully calibrated. Installation is often hit and miss. The operators are usually underlings capable only of following the user manuals and diligence is not usually a virtue.

There can be nothing inaccurate in a measure, a piece of string and a plump bob. Calibration and variables are not involved. Having done it properly and understood what you are doing, the outcome must be accurate.

[Crazy_pilot]

A lot of the local guys use this a couple times a year when they swap out their summer/winter suspensions. An alignement in a shop costs $80+, so you do the math.

[teal one]

Like Trevor said, a lot of the newer alignment equipment costs big bucks and requires calibration (which also costs money) every so often. Many shops don't spend the cash to do this, so a lot of cars go out mis-aligned. We had one in our shop that had been aligned by someone else that put 65psi in the right front tire(32psi in the other front tire) to make it drive straight. Not saying all shops are guilty of this, but something to consider.

[lilbrudder]

Originally Posted by teal one

Like Trevor said, a lot of the newer alignment equipment costs big bucks and requires calibration (which also costs money) every so often. Many shops don't spend the cash to do this, so a lot of cars go out mis-aligned. We had one in our shop that had been aligned by someone else that put 65psi in the right front tire(32psi in the other front tire) to make it drive straight. Not saying all shops are guilty of this, but something to consider.

man kinda makes you want to find a way to wreck your car in a way that points the blame on the over inflated tire so you can sue the crap out of that shop, at least when you end up owning that shop you can make sure it is done right. shops like that really shouldn't be in business.

on topic: after getting all zeroed(toe) yesterday with the string she was driving strait but kinda sluggish in the turns so i went to put some toe in to get some oversteer and adjust for natural road slope and found it a little confusing. it all seems kinda backwards...toe IN on right front made the car drift RIGHT and vise versa. is that normal? if this is normal someone should expain why so when one of us DIYers tries this we don't go the wrong way first and mess up our mesurements. anyway, i got it where it feels right but i'm going to string it up again tomarrow to see where she's sitting now.

[Trevor]

Originally Posted by lilbrudder

man kinda makes you want to find a way to wreck your car in a way that points the blame on the over inflated tire so you can sue the crap out of that shop, at least when you end up owning that shop you can make sure it is done right. shops like that really shouldn't be in business.

on topic: after getting all zeroed(toe) yesterday with the string she was driving strait but kinda sluggish in the turns so i went to put some toe in to get some oversteer and adjust for natural road slope and found it a little confusing. it all seems kinda backwards...toe IN on right front made the car drift RIGHT and vise versa. is that normal? if this is normal someone should expain why so when one of us DIYers tries this we don't go the wrong way first and mess up our mesurements. anyway, i got it where it feels right but i'm going to string it up again tomarrow to see where she's sitting now.

Toe-in is a measurement only definable as between two wheels. If one or the other is out it can only be with reference to the straight ahead position of the steering wheel.

Toe-in is a mainly a means of providing for possible play/flex in the steering and suspension components, as they come under load when the vehicle is in forward motion, at which point the wheels should be near parallel.

[lilbrudder]

maybe i'm missing something, so is there a way to factor in and counter act the natural slope of the road? camber?

[lilbrudder]

oh, wait gears are turning up there. so, toe in from the right front side actually makes the the left front pull to the midline causing the right drifting affect. that makes more sense, but i'm still missing how to combat road slope with out sacrificing a tire.

[Trevor]

Originally Posted by lilbrudder

maybe i'm missing something, so is there a way to factor in and counter act the natural slope of the road? camber?

Only by creating what amounts to an error in the alignment.

However if all is correct you should not be able to feel only a very slight pull to one side, on a steeply cambered road. Test the car on a flat road when all should run true.

[lilbrudder]

oh, in that case it sounds like i'm not going to be happy when i measure up again tomarrow cause i got it to drift slightly left making it drive straight on sloped roads(all of ours) i take it that amount of error is pretty bad for the tires?

[YourConfused]

Luckily I have a friend w/ a shop just a few miles away that does great work. I go to him for alignments and he goes to me for driveabilty issues.

I did the old eyeball alignment when I did the Koni/G.C. and 18's swap. Took it to him and he found all the specs in the green or yellow. Basically not that bad. They have the machine serviced every 4 months and is only one of a few machines in town that a lowered car can fit onto.

Automotive scum are out there, at almost every shop. Basically they just want your money, at any cost.

[lilbrudder]

must be nice to have the hook up. i don't know too much about cars, but a million times more than all my friends, makes it hard to have an intelligent conversation with them.

[SSSVX]

cool info.

how long it took you to get it done?

[lilbrudder]

the first time about 2-3 hours(had to break loose some bolts with heat). once you have it down you can do it in under an hour easy. this might not seem worth your time but i don't make $33/hr so it is for me

tips:
1. do the camber first, i don't think there is anything in the write up but make some sort of plum bob and get your camber correct (don't just assume it's right, really check this)or you'll end up doing it twice like me. pretty simple to set up a plum, i used a trash can to tie a tread on and a bolt as the weight. using the same concept as the write up measure the highest part of the rim and the lowest then do the math.
2. i used a sewing thread instead of string(the second time) found it to be more accurate and easier to work with(cheaper too).
3. make a mark on the edge of the rim with a dry erase maker to ensure you are measuring from the same point every time(helpful if you want it dialed into a 1/4 mm)
4. remeasure to the center cap often just to be sure it hasn't been bumped or anything.
5. recheck all dimensions after test drive.
6. don't leave a cresent wrench on the tie rod lock nut as you take it for a test drive, it will fall off 1/2 around the block.

i did this on my 05 leggy gt lim today too, turned out even better. took about 30-40 minutes and saved about $100 and extended the life of my tires at the same time.......it's a TWOFOR!!!