DIY alignment worked great!

lilbrudder · #1 02-29-2008, 10:33 PM

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 · #2 02-29-2008, 10:58 PM

very intresting read

Trevor · #3 03-01-2008, 01:35 AM

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 · #4 03-01-2008, 05:22 PM

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 · #5 03-01-2008, 06:05 PM

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 · #6 03-01-2008, 10:24 PM

Quote:

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.