Alignment advice

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Being a somewhat low-buck racer I'd like to do my own wheel alignments. Does anybody have any advice? I'm willing to purchase the proper tools if I need to, what tools will I need? Is it possible/practical to do this in my home garage?

 

[David Jenkins]

Chuck '98, to do the alignment correctly you should use an alignment rack for accuracy. There are tools you can purchase to do it, but the cost alone of the tools is probably more than it would cost to have it done by someone. When I do an alignment it is usually a 2-4 hr. procedure depending upon the vehicle and tolerances that are needed. Take it to someone who knows what they are doing and get a print out of the specs before and after adjustment. Alignment settings are a direct result of your driving needs.dj

 

[GTS Dean]

Chuck,

Excluding turn plates, you can put together enough equipment to do alignments for about $250-$400. If you buy new turn plates, they can cost between $400 and $800 per pair. If you check the want-ads, or pawn shops, you could stumble into a deal on used stuff when a garage sells out.

Unless you pop the rear toe links out of the sockets on the knuckles and do a caster sweep on turn plates, there is almost NO WAY to accurately set the rear caster without using the Viper Service Tools and a DRBIII. If the rear caster is off by very much, it can lead to very unpredictable mid-corner and corner-exit behavior.

If you are serious about a dual-purpose car, you can skimp on alignment and cost yourself $ with abnormal tire wear. Maximizing tire life means a before- and after-track trip to the alignment shop. Around here, the going rate on a 4-wheel alignment is $65. Alignments for 5 trips to the track = 1/2 a set of tires. What's your time worth?

I have found that my best deal is to cultivate and maintain a good relationship with my local Viper Tech so that I can borrow the right Viper tools to augment my own lo-buck tools when I need them.

Good Luck!

 

[dtittle]

Hey Chuck,

I agree 100% with Dave and Dean. I personally resolved to sacrifice tire life and go with a dual purpose alignment considering the rest of the car has so much "Race" stuff that it's always over the "only for street use" line.

I use the following specs:

Front:
5.9 Postive Caster
-1.7 to -2.3 Camber
+1/16 Each Toe Out (+1/8 Total)

Rear:
Factory Caster
-1.3 to -2.0 Camber
-1/16 Each Toe In (-1/8 Total)

Hope this helps.

 

[Acatala7]

Can someone translate what Dean GTS just wrote?

 

[GTS Dean]

If it doesn't make sense, then don't try this at home. Leave it to trained professionals, or deeply afflicted car guys.

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Acatala7:
Can someone translate what Dean GTS just wrote?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think he is saying I can prolong the life of my tires by getting them aligned before and/or after a race. Since I use my GTS almost exclusivly on the track I would only need alignment before the race.

He's also saying that your Viper Tech may let you borrow his tools if you're nice to him (or "her" for you feminist).

I like to do as much of my own work on my Vipers as possible. It's a spiritual thing.

 

[John Moore]

An easy way to jump back and forth between a good track alignment and an acceptable street alignment is to get a good aggressive track alignment done and then use the shims in the upper A-arm. Once you have a track alignment you like (without the shims) you simply replace the shims when you're ready to go back to street tires and driving. Interestingly enough much of your toe out also comes out along with a full degree of camber when you put the shims back in. Castor remains the same as long as you don't mess with the cam adjusters on the lower A-arms. If you have a little extra time or are going to spend awhile on the streets it's very easy and with simple tools to adjust the toe to 1/16th inch "in" to minimize tire wear and the inherent twitchiness of a zero toe alignment. The key to this is the "good" track alignment (before the shims) that will require the special equipment from the dealer and someone knowledgeable and experienced enough to use it. Thanks GTS Dean! As a side note it is very worth while to have a complete front and rear alignment for corner weights, castor, camber and toe done early in the history of your car so you can "know" how things are really set up. Dean helped me find a gross alignment error in a rear castor setting that was essentially undetectable in all but throttle down left corner exits with warmed up racing tires. At speed, "squirrelly" is not a good thing. Much "home" alignment can be done accurately and inexpensively to save tires and play at the track too. Very worthwhile for snake fun.

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[GTS Dean]

Lo-buck update!

I went to a large swap-meet today at the fairgrounds here in New Braunfels (30 miles from San Antonio). Lo and behold, I found some turn plates - along with a few extras (like the entire rack and a static wheel balancer) that had been auctioned off by the public works department of a neighboring town.

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$250 delivered! When I get it all cleaned up and installed in the garage, I'll have about $800 invested in alignment equipment.

 

[RoyV101621]

GTS Dean,
If you thought it was tough to be the only man on the block with a pick-up truck...
You're going to find you have a lot of new friends.

 

[GTS Dean]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by 1BADACR:
if you want an accurate alignment...you need a system that capable of measuring not only in degrees, but also measures in 1/100 or 1/10 of a degree. it only takes about a quarter turn on that tierod to have your steering wheel at 11 oclock or even 1 oclock. i'll guarantee you one thing, your alignment is gonna be off by a few clicks

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remember the saying goes, you get whatcha pay for!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Oh, something like this then?

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Smart Camber + Handsfree adapter - $250
rotating laser - $200
Custom laser adapter plate - $25

...and that Sun Interrogator w/4-gas exhaust analyzer in the background? - $7.50 (school district auction - auto shop)