View Full Version : Question on my alignment.
Ok so I just got an alignment done at Tigard Alignment and I was wondering if this seems wierd to you guys. and Yes my car is lowered a little bit. and my car still pulls off to the right. It just seems wierd to me I would like some input on this. the one that gets me the most is the camber out of spec on 3 out of the 4 wheels. There are new tokicos and tech 5 springs all around! WTF!
The sheet says exactly as stated below.
4 Wheel Alignment
Checked Suspension and Tire Pressures.
Performed 4 wheel alignment
Car has been lowered. Pulls right and will
wear tires. Camber is out of spec on three
of the four wheels.
****Recommendations****
Needs front sway bar bushings
Heres a Pic:
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/6327/1212196imgec9.jpg
Estimated Prophet
05-07-2007, 04:48 PM
Those front sway bar bushings are $3 from the dealer.
Those front sway bar bushings are $3 from the dealer.
Why would that cause my car to pull to the right after an alignment though? :)
guaynabo89
05-07-2007, 04:50 PM
post up the part that gives individual camber toe and caster specs for all 4 wheels and you might be able to get more help
the only way it would still pull if you had like a -2.0 degree of camber on one side of the front tires and the oher side was like at 0.0 degrees. but really it could be fixed by adjusting toe some if its really bad.
unfortunately alignment places dont care about lowered cars and will not help you out.
your basicly left with what I do which is make my adjustments at home take it to get aligned just so i can get some numbers and if its something major they wont do ill take it back home and readjust.
then bring it back and let them do slight adjustments like toe in and out which is all they usually touch.
Estimated Prophet
05-07-2007, 05:16 PM
Why would that cause my car to pull to the right after an alignment though? :)
For $6 you'll know. :D
post up the part that gives individual camber toe and caster specs for all 4 wheels and you might be able to get more help
the only way it would still pull if you had like a -2.0 degree of camber on one side of the front tires and the oher side was like at 0.0 degrees. but really it could be fixed by adjusting toe some if its really bad.
unfortunately alignment places dont care about lowered cars and will not help you out.
your basicly left with what I do which is make my adjustments at home take it to get aligned just so i can get some numbers and if its something major they wont do ill take it back home and readjust.
then bring it back and let them do slight adjustments like toe in and out which is all they usually touch.
Thats the wierd part. He didn't give me the sheet. I have been asked for that sheet. and yes he said about all he could do was adjust the toe. Then he suggested I let him order a camber kit install it himself and then adjust it for a small fee or $1000.00 I of course said hell no. I like the slight camber that I do have. :gun:
For $6 you'll know. :D
HA HA as for you I just ordered some Polyurethane sway bar bushings. and in a little bit I will be installing my custom strut bar YUM!
MessyHonda
05-07-2007, 10:57 PM
yeah poly should last a bit longer.
frantik
05-07-2007, 11:39 PM
My car pulled to the left pretty hard even after an alignment so they rotated the tires and that helped out alot.. though I did have mismatched tires on the fronts which they rotated to the back
guaynabo89
05-08-2007, 06:01 AM
yeah
seriously mismatched tires will cause pulling also. like different model tires or having one really worn while the other is closer to being new
yeah
seriously mismatched tires will cause pulling also. like different model tires or having one really worn while the other is closer to being new
All the tires are worn well on each side. and I have falkens all the way around. My dad drove it and said that it felt ok and that I shouldn't worry about it because our roads are cone shaped. Ok but I still think they should have compensated a little bit. I will have to find a really flat straight road and test it there.
Oldblueaccord
05-08-2007, 09:07 AM
If they used an old machine there not going to be a print out or anything. If the toe was set to 0 it should handle pretty good. If they car is lowered the camber will be off. I dont know if its not even how it will handle. I would be looking for tire wear to tell you if the alignment is off or not. I run -2.0 front with little problems buts its pretty even side to side .
Checked the air pressure as well you want it even side to side.
wp
yeah my camber is off but just a little bit it is actually nice the way it is right now. The guy didn't mind checking that I put on all new Tokicos and Tech 5 and he started going off on me on how I will wear tires, Have a shitty ride, etc.
Then he told me that I needed a camber adjustment kit. OK so maybe I do but I like my camber the way it is and then he went off again on how the tires will wear, tires will wear, tires will wear, tires will wear, then he suggested I let him buy the kit, install it, adjust it, and that would only cost me $1000.00 then I told him no then the same old tires will wear. So I told him just to do what he could. ARGH! :rant:
Oldblueaccord
05-08-2007, 11:06 AM
Yeah the guy flipped at Firestone when I had mine done . Im -2 all around. They told me is was dangerous and all that bs mechanic shit they try to scare you with. I haven't seen any negative tire wear at all and I have fairly soft tires. I ran the rear like max negative camber for a while with no wear either. Its just what those guys are trained to say plus they prolly make commission on parts etc. every ones gotta make a living.
wp
86AccordLxi
05-08-2007, 11:46 AM
You guys need to find better places to align. My alignment guy here doesn't care how low the car is or any of that nonsense. I tell him the specs I want when I drop off the car, and it's all correct when I go pick it up. He charges $50-75 per alignment and I've never had an problems. I won't go to places like Les Schwab or Firestone since those guys will never do what you want, probably due to corporate policy or something.
Alex
Yeah the guy flipped at Firestone when I had mine done . Im -2 all around. They told me is was dangerous and all that bs mechanic shit they try to scare you with. I haven't seen any negative tire wear at all and I have fairly soft tires. I ran the rear like max negative camber for a while with no wear either. Its just what those guys are trained to say plus they prolly make commission on parts etc. every ones gotta make a living.
wp
Yeah he started saying how my torque was gonna be off and how bumpy the ride would be. <<Obviously I know that is why I dropped it in the first place. Its not like I just cut the springs and kept them on my blown shocks. Its exactly what you said though. Scare Tactics. The way he was talking to me made me angry also because I knew most of the stuff he was talking about and could see through some of his bullshit but talking to me like I was 8 explaining what was wrong is just....well WRONG. "Just be sure to go to a shop and have them rotate your tires around every 3,000 miles." HA my camber is just so off that it looks like there straight. and all work is done by myself and my dad.
You guys need to find better places to align. My alignment guy here doesn't care how low the car is or any of that nonsense. I tell him the specs I want when I drop off the car, and it's all correct when I go pick it up. He charges $50-75 per alignment and I've never had an problems. I won't go to places like Les Schwab or Firestone since those guys will never do what you want, probably due to corporate policy or something.
Alex
The thing with Les Schwab is they talk to you like you need them sure they are $10 less but we have been to the shop I went to twice with no problem but I might have to change now. Oh well. It only cost me $69.50 but I am unsure what I got out of it. :(
frantik
05-08-2007, 12:00 PM
My dad drove it and said that it felt ok and that I shouldn't worry about it because our roads are cone shaped. Ok but I still think they should have compensated a little bit. I will have to find a really flat straight road and test it there.
yeah i noticed since i got my car dropped the car is affected a lot more by the curve of the road. I think it's due to the negative camber which causes the car to want to turn all the time
Yeah the wheel is straight now so I will take it as a sign that something was done. I can feel a little bit of a difference in the way it drives and I agree with you frantik maybe it is just the negative camber. I don't know Figured I would ask and go from there.
cygnus x-1
05-08-2007, 02:45 PM
As for pulling to one side, I think you guys might be confusing camber with caster. A difference in caster from side to side will cause pulling, but camber not so much. However I've only messed with the alignment on my truck and it's a different design, so I don't know if caster is even adjustable on Accords/Preludes.
But before doing anything, try driving down the middle of a small neighborhood side street and see if it still pulls. Nearly all roads are crowned for water drainage and will cause a slight pull to the right, so you need to be at the top of the crown. Also make sure the tires are inflated evenly side to side.
Adjusting toe isn't going to have any effect on a steady pull to one side. Toe is mostly for even tire wear, but it will make the car feel more or less jittery depending on whether you have toe in or toe out.
Also, sway bar bushings will not affect side to side pulling either.
C|
Yeah the more I think about it I can't see the camber. But I can someway. I think you are right about the caster and as far as I know they would only do the toe. and I tested it today again and it seems not to pull as harsh as it did before so they did improve upon it.
guaynabo89
05-08-2007, 06:21 PM
You guys need to find better places to align. My alignment guy here doesn't care how low the car is or any of that nonsense. I tell him the specs I want when I drop off the car, and it's all correct when I go pick it up. He charges $50-75 per alignment and I've never had an problems. I won't go to places like Les Schwab or Firestone since those guys will never do what you want, probably due to corporate policy or something.
Alex
send him to Fl
lol
I only found one place that will work with me like that but unfortunately their machine is a little old.
AZmike
05-08-2007, 06:47 PM
As mentioned above the problem is more likely caused by uneven caster setting than camber. The caster is adjustable by turning the nuts on the radius rods ahead of the lower control arms to change their length.
Increasing caster will tend to decrease your negative camber. I set my caster to the highest setting I could get to match both sides and was pleased with the results: slightly more steering effort, but much better stability at speed without compromising turn-in.
86AccordLxi
05-08-2007, 09:26 PM
send him to Fl
lol
I only found one place that will work with me like that but unfortunately their machine is a little old.
Where do the scca guys go get aligned? Local autocrossers? There has to be a shop around that will cater to the roadrace-autox crowd.
Alex
guaynabo89
05-09-2007, 10:22 AM
Where do the scca guys go get aligned? Local autocrossers? There has to be a shop around that will cater to the roadrace-autox crowd.
Alex
agreed but unfortunately i have yet to find em :(
HondaBoy
05-09-2007, 04:22 PM
i'd be willing to bet they aligned the car into the specs that were original factory and not to what needed to be done to correct it with the lowered suspension. i just finished up my alignment and suspension/steering class which we did alignments in both. i saw how original specs usually didnt mean shit because old parts will make it necessary to go by readings that the machine is taking and so you need to understand what will and what wont make the car pull right or left. the way i usually did it was just by setting the car up on the alignment rack, did all the compensation crap and then set the suspension alignment by what was closest to correct. always had a strait driving car with no pull, even with old crappy cars that came in with loose steering and ball joints and what not. i dunno, but its not very hard to make a car drive strait.
cygnus x-1
05-10-2007, 10:02 AM
After I had my lifted truck aligned it pulled to the right worse than ever. I mean it was terrible. So instead of bothering with the bozos at the shop I just went and did it myself. It still pulls to the right a little but with the lift and big tires the alignment is kinda sloppy anyway.
C|
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