Alignment

[Joeyy]

Ok, going to call C&C in the morning for an alignment and possible corner balancing. Sorry for asking again but what was the name of the fellow on that end that I should ask for?:oops:

[cody]

Rusty

[eggeegg]

i think i'll get an alignment there too. my car drifts very slightly to the right when i drive (doesn't shake at all at high speeds though). i had an alignment done at lithia a week after i installed springs a couple months ago. but the drop is even lower since then. also i still have a stripped camber bolt in one of my front struts that lithia seemed to think was alright.

[cody]

...also i still have a stripped camber bolt in one of my front struts that lithia seemed to think was alright.

Sounds par for the course.

[wrxkidid]

yea.
btw your car is actually supposed to drift to the right if it is alligned 100% straight.
roads are crowned.

[MPREZIV]

yea.
btw your car is actually supposed to drift to the right if it is alligned 100% straight.
roads are crowned.

A good alignment tech knows how to compensate for this, without wearing tires.

[Joeyy]

Finished the alignment today. Rusty was very nice.

[cody]

Cool. Did you get it corner weighted too?

[Joeyy]

Cool. Did you get it corner weighted too?

Nope, I'm not ready to start moving batteries around and stuff like that. I'll be happy with the alignment for now. It may be just what the doctor ordered.;)

[cody]

I hope my new front sway is just what the dr ordered.

[Dean]

Nope, I'm not ready to start moving batteries around and stuff like that. I'll be happy with the alignment for now. It may be just what the doctor ordered.;)Corner balance <> move battery. It is about adjusting your coilovers so that the total weight on each diagonal is as close to each other as possible.

Think of it as spinning the height adjusters on the bottom of an office desk or dining table so it doesn't wobble...

[Kevin M]

Corner balance <> move battery. It is about adjusting your coilovers so that the total weight on each diagonal is as close to each other as possible.

Think of it as spinning the height adjusters on the bottom of an office desk or dining table so it doesn't wobble...

What he meant was "I'm going to move the battery and maybe do some other weight-related stuff, so a cornerweight would be wasted right now." I think.

[AtomicLabMonkey]

When you have a shop do corner weights on your car, keep an eye on them and make sure they're doing it correctly. The car must be rolled off the scales several feet and then rolled back on after each spring perch adjustment. If they don't, the readings can be incorrect. The car should also be sitting in its race condition - driver inside, fuel level where you want it, spare tire removed, or whatever else you do to prep it.

Ideally you would also do corner weights before the alignment, because all the spring perch adjustment changes the corner ride heights, and can affect the alignment.

[Dean]

Ideally you would also do corner weights before the alignment, because all the spring perch adjustment changes the corner ride heights, and can affect the alignment.I always heard it was a back and forth thing. Do the alignment, do the corner weights, check / adjust the alignment, check / adjust the corners, etc. until both are right on.

[AtomicLabMonkey]

Corner weighting is the really iterative process that usually requires lots of rolling off/on the scales. Jack it up, turn the perches a bit, set it down, roll off/on, check weights, and repeat X times until you get the weights where you want them. Once the corner weights are set, alignment can generally be done in one shot if the adjusters are in reach when the car is on the pads.

I haven't had a problem with alignment changes affecting my corner weights. Of course, that's doing track alignments consisting of camber & toe adjustment. Caster adjustment could affect corner weight, because it changes the front corner ride heights a bit.

[Dean]

I would think depending on where the pivots were, camber might change ride height as well.

[AtomicLabMonkey]

Perhaps in theory, with high camber angles and very wide tires, but I've done a lot of work on a lot of different Mustangs (and their McStruts are not much different than Subaru McStruts) and I've never had a problem with it.

[van]

Joeyyyyyyy, mind telling me how much the alignment cost? feel free to pm me. Thanks