Pre alignment check sheet

[SteveTheTech]

If you guys are like me than you will find this interesting. Alignments are not a DIY type thing and require someone with knowledge and the right tools to keep your G driving correctly. I am personally very picky about my alignments but I know that some of the techs out there are not. If you bring this to them and request they fill it out of do it yourself you will be ensured that your alignment number are as close to accurate as possible.

I have come up with a simple Pre alignment check sheet that you can print and bring to whomever you have perform your alignment. This addresses some of the commonly overlooked checks that should be made before any quality alignment is performed.

When I get some more time I will add to this thread with information pertaining to the specifics for all model Gs including ride height and alignment specs in both minutes and degress.

Enjoy,

[SteveTheTech]

Date-________RO#-_________Tech Id-______

Pre Alignment Check

Year/Make/Model-_________________________________

Mileage In-__________ Mileage Out-________

Tire Pressure:

LF-_____ Spec FT-________

RF-_____

RR-_____ Spec RR-________

LR-_____

Tire Size- All The Same (Y) (N)- Note: Select (Y) for factory staggered tires

Tire Wear Pattern- Irregular (Y) (N)

Shoulder Wear (Y) (N)Note Location- (LF)(RF)(RR)(LR)

Feather Edging (Y) (N)

Ride Height- Note: measuring wheel arch to floor with properly inflated tires

LF-_______ Spec FT-_________

RF-_______

RR-_______ Spec RR-_________

LR-_______

Steering Wheel Position (Verified During Pre-align Road Test)- Center (Y) (N)

If (N) To which direction (L) (R)

Tie Rod,Ball Joint, Suspension Bushing Tightness Verification- Within Spec (0.00" Lateral and Axial) (Y) (N)

Additional Remarks-____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[awdjdmtalon]

Good Lord. I hope that all techs do those checks. That is Alignment 101. How can any tech think that they can get a proper alignment w/ out checking/adjusting the tire pressure?

On thing you need to add. Check Tie rods (inner and outer) for play/damage, as well as Ball Joints.

Also all suspension bushings should be checked for wear/damage.

[SteveTheTech]

Thanks for the useful addition Jerry

I was working on that today because I feel many fundamental and basic steps are overlooked. If it were up to me I would add this to our alignment machine and make it mandatory to proceed with the alignment.

I gave this to my writer today and he passed it along to service director and he will be requiring that one is completed in order for the tech to get payed for the alignment.

It should not have to come to that IMO.

[Fish man]

Steve, how about posting the updated alignment specs for an '04 G35 Sport Coupe 18" wheels? I'm on my 4th set of tires.... cupping, noise, wear, and it's making me nuts (but I love the car). Just put on a new set of Michelin Pilot Sports, and am going over to the local Nissan dealer that has the new alignment rack to do the GTR's, with the hope that maybe I can finally get it dialed in correctly. Thanks in advance.

[SteveTheTech]

Welcome to Nico!

The noise you are hearing from the tires is not going to be fixed by an alignment, regardless of what rack it is on. I am not trying to rain on your parade but the G calls for ~1* of negative camber to handle correctly. The issue I see with your statement is that you went with the Michelin P/Ss, the directional tread design does not allow them to be cross rotated to prolong life and wear pattern. There are many tires with very good traction and wear ratings that are not directional.

EDIT- I don't have the alignment specs right now but I have G coupe ride height if your interested. (When I get a chance I will put up the alignment specs)

[Fish man]

Thanks for the comments and info, I'll have to manage it and live thru it.

[SteveTheTech]

Since you already have the new set of P/Ss I would think about having them dismounted and mounted in the reverse direction at least every 10K or so, it's not the cheapest way to do it but hopefully it will help with your cupping. Also if you have not had an alignment recently it is a good idea just for maintanence to at least have the rear camber and toe and front toe set (only adjustable angles).

[Fish man]

There was a Nissan bulletin with different alignment specs for this car that I heard about probably a year ago. Are you familiar with this?

[SteveTheTech]

There is no bulliten in regards to alignment issues on your car. There is one alignment related one but that just states the warraty requirements. I would say have the thrust angle set to as close to zero as possible with slight toe in and that will be the best compromise of handling and tire wear.

[Fish man]

I have a copy of the bulletin in my car. I'll scan it and send it to you. thx

[SteveTheTech]

That sounds fine also if you would not mind send me the vin too and I can look it up by that for you. My email is in my profile.

[Sentientbydesign]

Won't reverse mounting the directional tires cause safety risks?

They didn't make them directional for the hell of it.

[SteveTheTech]

The tires are not sold in left and right tires they are all the same numbers they just have to be taken off one wheel and move to the other in the opposing direction. It is a PITA but it is the best way to prolong the life of them.

The Potenzas are designed to be mounted inside/outside and are non directional. So they can just be cross rotated and there is no need to dismount them.

[Sentientbydesign]

The Potenzas are designed to be mounted inside/outside and are non directional. So they can just be cross rotated and there is no need to dismount them.

How is this beneficial? The inside will still be wearing more than the outside whether it's on the left or right.

[SteveTheTech]

Yeah but if you want your car to ride correctly you need to keep the pre-determined negative camber.

[Fish man]

OK, the alignment was done at the Nissan dealer yesterday as previously discussed. I have to tell you..... the local Infiniti dealer gets $145 for a 4 wheel alignment, the Nissan dealer (who has top notch equipment and is GTR certified) was $69 (with a coupon). We discussed the issues, I showed him our discussions, and the net result is the car drives extremely well now, and is dialed in right. The Michelin Pilots are very noisy, more than I remember from the previous set. The Potenza's that I had on the car a few years ago were quieter, but they didn't last and got badly cupped and loud after 10K. Is moving to 19" wheels an improvement? I've owned a variety of exotic sports cars over the years, and have never had this bad an issue in the tire noise department and cupping. Tire life overall seems typical. Thoughts?

[Sentientbydesign]

Th 19s will probably wear worse and cost you more per tire.

Steve,

I just got an alignment done and the to was 1/16 on front left and right. Should I get them to lower this? I have a lifetime alignment policy, so doing so won't cost me anything.

If it makes a difference, I have the forged 19s with Bridgestone RE01-R 245/35/19s.

[Seas05g35]

Hey guys, i'm pretty new to most of this kinda stuff. I know how to put air in tires obviously, but I mean down to the certain numbers of camber and when to get an alignment and such. For some reason I can't get an exact answer on how much psi should be in my tires. I have proxes on the front,and potenzas on the rear, both 245/40 r18's. Ive seen 37, 35, 32.... I beleive I need an alignment pretty bad. When im making a turn, and hit a bump, the steering wheel stays in the direction I was turning
Very slightly, but I know it shouldn't do that. Maybe something is loose, but idk what to look for. The front end shakes slightly when I'm at higher speeds(70+)as well. I'm getting ready to make a drive to Florida from Ohio and back, so I wanna make sure Im not having any problems.

[Seas05g35]

Got it aligned, balanced and rotated. Took most of the noise and vibration out, but there's still a bit of pulsing. Tires are not worn enough to give any problems. When taken to the alignment shop they said everything up front was tight. So, after the 24+ hour trip both ways, we all made it safely back, but still confused on what could be making that noise/feel.