Alignment FINALLY done!

[elwesso]

Most of you remember all the crap i did to my suspension back in the summer... Well I had been having a heck of a time finding someone to do my alignment for me... Dont know why, but whatever!!!

My alignment was ABISMAL when I took it in there... They actually had to charge me extra because the rear control arm lock nuts were not lubed before install (in my car and the car that they were on before, i bought them used)... REMEMBER TO LUBE THINGS WHENEVER YOU INSTALL...

The car pulled hard to the right as you will see in the picture below that shows my diagram... Alignment was done on a hunter laser alignment machine, pretty cool stuff!!!

all i can say now is that the car handles great, much better than before as far as I can tell... Have only driven the car just from the alignment shop..

Anyway, heres the specs... The top shows how it was before, and the bottom shows how it was after..... My front camber was pretty much right where I wanted.. rear camber was way off, sorta.. now that i only have -1* camber i think im going to see more severe rubbing issues with my rear wheels.. May have to rent a camber gauge and bump that rear camber to like -2.5 or so... Im planning on only running 255s in the rear since ive got to replace my rear tires come spring...

[ceningolmo]

I am glad you were able to find a place willing to do the work. Where did you end up going?

Does the improved alignment help in cornering, or will it simply improve driving on a straight?

[CrimsonQ]

Nice, The local Meineke (sp) around here has a Hunter machine as well. Thats something Ive never done to the Q

[RobertsnewQ]

Those look like bitchin' specs to me. Any more camber and it'll follow road imperfections more than you want.

[elwesso]

Just drove the car a little more.....

I wasnt able to push the car due to it being dark + rain! However I can tell the car feels much more planted... sometimes the car would feel squirrley (not a word I know)..... Whats amazing to me is that the alignment is so precise that I can tell how slanted the road is just by how it drives! So far im thrilled by how well the car handles, i may have them toss it up on the machine so i can see what the specs are come spring.....

Not sure how my bigger wheels will effect it but i doubt it will make any difference.....

[lino]

Congratulations, you're in the green zone!There's nothing like a good alignment. I get them done at least once a year. When you're driving your car on the highway at 100 and you can let go of the steering wheel and the car stays exactly where it is...that's a great feeling.

[tkd_q45]

Any tips for aligning an Active? I'm sure mine is way out of spec but being that the suspension is different when the engine is on vs off do I instruct the alignment shop to have the car running?

[elwesso]

unfrotunately on a standard Q you can only adjust the toe... HOpefully when you adjust the toe it will put camber back where it shoudl be.

[maxnix]

Those look like bitchin' specs to me. Any more camber and it'll follow road imperfections more than you want.

Exactly! Keep it at OEM specifications unless you want to decrease performance or wear.

[chinaonnitrous]

I just had mine done....

50 bucks

all 4 wheels... Lazer, cordless wheel attachments.

My buddy just opened a new shop with new equipment. =D

I am now all within spec, with a slight amount of toe, and camber inward.

[RobertsnewQ]

Wes - set up the way you have it with more neg front camber and less front toe than stock, it will tend to "turn in" faster. That's the "squirrely" feeling - the car wants to turn more at the beginning of steering wheel movement.

Rear toe looks to be about the same as stock, so that should not make much difference.

Having more front camber will tend to make it more neutral also - since the car tends to understeer stock, it will be a BIT more likely to lose rear traction in a hard corner if you aren't light on the gas at corner exit.

Take it easy until you get used to the way it feels now.

[Jesda]

Nice printout!!! When I first bought my Q, the alignment was so bad that my new tires barely lasted a few weeks. Under hard acceleration the tail would fly out.

[elwesso]

Im considering having the camber bumped to like -2 just because i wont run into rubbing problems in the rear with my 265s...

Right now its perfectly fine because I wont drive the car hard during the winter, especially since im running spacers.

[xmateo]

Nice printout!!! When I first bought my Q, the alignment was so bad that my new tires barely lasted a few weeks. Under hard acceleration the tail would fly out.

My tires don't look too bad, but the misalignment may be taking its toll. Do alignment shops redo alignments for free after replacing tires? Will new tires make much difference to a previously aligned car?

[DrewQ45]

Running down the highway, you should be able to release your steering wheel for a quarter mile or so and have the car track perfectly straight. That's my layman's alignment test. I had mine done by Gran Turismo here in ATL. The part-owner has been doing alignment since the 70's. Eighty bucks but worth every penny since my tires now wear evenly... highly important when running expen$ive 18".