Alignment

Topic: Alignment (Read 2402 times) previous topic - next topic

Alignment

January 11, 2008, 07:40:55 PM

Well the eagle ultra grip on the front passenger side of my car is all worn down on the outer edge, and theyve only been on the car a month and a half or so. The car got balljoints before that and I never got it aligned, so I think Im gonna go ahead and have the shop I work at align it.

Ive heard there are certain specs our cars should be aligned at to help wear tires more evenly, what would be best for my car?

Alignment

Reply #1 – January 11, 2008, 08:28:48 PM

Tire size? Suspension mods?

Alignment

Reply #2 – January 11, 2008, 08:42:49 PM

Its all stock. Stock 225/60/16, and stock suspension except new balljoints. I believe they are moogs.

Alignment

Reply #3 – January 11, 2008, 09:56:25 PM

For street driving, I'd suggest as much positive caster as the alignment shop can manage (usually 0-1.5+), -1* camber, 1/16-1/8 toe in.

Alignment

Reply #4 – January 11, 2008, 11:42:51 PM

I recently had mine aligned at the local firestone store and it seems to pull slightly to the right. I've never had a car with an alignment so I dont know if this is normal or if I should go back and make them redo it or what the deal is. sorry for the hijack

Alignment

Reply #5 – January 12, 2008, 12:59:25 AM

Assuming it was intentional, having it pull to the right is really old school. The idea is if you fall asleep or otherwise become incapacitated while driving, the car "safely" leaves the road to the right instead of into on-coming traffic.

Alignment

Reply #6 – January 12, 2008, 10:01:58 AM

thats the answer I was looking for. thanks

Alignment

Reply #7 – January 13, 2008, 01:54:59 PM

Quote from: t3skidoo;197255

For street driving, I'd suggest as much positive caster as the alignment shop can manage (usually 0-1.5+), -1* camber, 1/16-1/8 toe in.

Anyone else?

Alignment

Reply #8 – January 13, 2008, 05:00:30 PM

generally a light drift to the right is acceptable due to the crown of the roads.

there are no adjustments for caster that a "normal" alignment shop is gonna make on a stock suspension setup. just get a stock alignment for your stock vehicle....

Alignment

Reply #9 – January 13, 2008, 10:30:04 PM

Quote from: gumby;197539

generally a light drift to the right is acceptable due to the crown of the roads.

there are no adjustments for caster that a "normal" alignment shop is gonna make on a stock suspension setup. just get a stock alignment for your stock vehicle....

x2 stock specs will be fine for it.

Alignment

Reply #10 – January 15, 2008, 10:12:25 PM

Anyone else? Ive heard I should go for -0.5* camber for more even tire wear. I dont know what the stock specs are...

Alignment

Reply #11 – January 16, 2008, 01:35:34 AM

this is by no means complete

+caster causes the wheels to angle properly when turning (better cornering and reduced wear on the tires shoulders), helps return the wheels to straight ahead (stability), and increases turning effort (no biggie with PS)
-camber would do the opposite of every thing listed about +caster, and (I'm guessing here) make the steering more responsive.

+toe, or toe out, increases steering response and makes the car corner more aggressively, also makes the "twitchy" in a straight line
-toe, or toe in, stabilizes straight line driving and helps the car corner. Zero toe reduces tire wear, increases gas mileage, and increases on-center vagueness

+camber tends to help gas mileage and makes a car plow like a pig in the corners
-camber helps cornering by counteracting body roll

Without CC plates, there isn't much that can be done with alignment. Maybe a little caster if you're lucky (I believe factory says "not adjustable"), a little camber, plenty of toe.

Alignment

Reply #12 – January 16, 2008, 06:34:05 AM

for general alignment info, try this
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=4

positive toe is toe IN.

Gumby's right

Reply #13 – January 16, 2008, 05:48:34 PM

Quote from: gumby;198063

positive toe is toe IN.

I wasn't paying enough attention.

Alignment

Reply #14 – January 17, 2008, 07:50:32 AM

Well everything looked within spec, except it was toed wayyyy in, like 1.3 total, and the specs call for .38 total.

He got the camber to -0.3 and -0.8. The caster was already good at +0.8 both sides, he said he couldnt really adjust that anyway.

It seems to drive a little straighter, but we will see how the tires do. I only paid $30 anyway.