alignment problem... HELP!

[nicholas421]

i recently lowered my car with H&R springs.
today i went to get a 4 wheel alignment.
they said that the caster and camber settings were maxed out already so they could only adjust the toe. they said it is impossible to get the alignment to spec.
they did the best they could and my car is pulling to the right and the steering wheel is off center. what can i do?

 

[Larry Bastanza]

It is probably correct that they cannot get it into stock spec. This is pretty common. However they CAN get it the same on both sides.

Most of us that have done suspension mods are aware you will always end up with a compromise. I have my car lowered with Eibachs(NOT as low as yours), I am at .8 negative camber (front) since that was the best they could get one side. (actually if you want to be picky, the spec is .3 negative +/- .5 degrees so it actually is on the edge of spec)

My alignment guy took the time to make sure both sides were the SAME. The car tracks perfectly straight and the steering wheel is centered.

Maybe you need to find another alignment guy who is better at modified cars. Although is they can use the machine correctly this is not a big deal to get both sides even.

You will sacrifice tire wear. With H&R's you will have quite a bit of negative camber,(more then mine), not so great with OEM tires, but if you are using another brand probably not too bad.

I pay $65 for a FULL 4 wheel alignment for my lowered NSX. My guy never had a problem with getting it "even".

HTH,
LarryB



[This message has been edited by Larry Bastanza (edited 11 October 2002).]

 

[sjs]

I concur with Larry and add a few points. I have the H&Rs as well and no way will you get near factory specs, especially on the rear. I’m at -3 degrees in the back. I could have gotten to -1.5 on the front but decided that considering the rears I’d just leave the front at -2. Now one front set last just about the same as two rears.

I like the fixed rate of the H&Rs and of course the car looks great that low, but I’ve decided that they really are too short. Besides a bit more negative camber than I’d like for a daily street car, the front suspension geometry suffers badly from being so low. So I’m thinking about having aluminum spacers made to slide over the shock and sit on the ring that supports the spring perch, raising the perch itself. I’d probably lift the front about 3/8 and the rear ½. If you’re interested in doing the same perhaps I’ll see about making several sets. I’ve got a guy with a nice shop that works pretty cheap.

BTW, what shocks are you running?

Ah, forgot to say that the pull to one side and the off-center steering tell me that your alignment tech it totally clueless. Totally.

[This message has been edited by sjs (edited 11 October 2002).]

 

[PKim]

I have lowered my car with eibach and running oem shocks. I've driven with it for a week to let the springs settle in and just had the 4 wheel alignment done with the hunter system. With the car being lowered it is going to be hard to get it to original specs, your going to get some negative camber no matter what. The fronts camber was set to -1 and rears are -2. the castors are 7.7 degrees and the toe in front are -3/64". I had them do the alignment with me sitting in the driver seat. My car drives dead straight and the steering feels crisp.

Paul

[This message has been edited by HPV100 (edited 12 October 2002).]

[This message has been edited by HPV100 (edited 12 October 2002).]

 

[nicholas421]

thanks for the replies folks. i took it back to the shop and they told me that the pull is because they can't adjust the caster.
they said the steering wheel was off because of the pull. they said setting both sides to the said degrees will not change things. i think you're right.. they are clueless. i'm going to get it done somewhere else. i'm wondering if i should seek a refund.


[This message has been edited by nicholas421 (edited 12 October 2002).]

 

[sjs]

Take it to someone with NSX experience, or at least patience, and take along a copy of the alignment pages from the factory manual.

The front alignment is a bit trickier than some cars because changing one parameter has a significant impact on the others, so it is important to follow the recommended sequence closely. They will of course not be able to follow the part about measuring exact ride height since you lowered it, but other than that it just takes patience. The good news is that the rears are dead simple.

 

[LJSB]

My car is lowered too (Comptech Sport Springs and Konis)and I do my own alignment.
No problem with the front but the back will never be in spec. with these suspension components.
I get about 9000-9500 miles on a rear pair of Toyos Proxes TS1 before the inside edge starts to get thin.(I don't like to drive them until I see the air inside)
The fronts wear nice and even across and I expect to get about three sets of rears before they'll need replacing.
I switched to the Toyos after two sets of the Rear OEM Yoko's went.(The fronts on those are still good!) I use the suggested air pressure on the door jamb label.

------------------
www.vincesautobodyworks.com

 

[Larry Bastanza]

nicholas421,

Obviously you have heard enough on this thread to get the car to another alignment shop. When I mentioned the cost, It was to bring to light the fact that the NSX is VERY EASY to align.

The shop I brought my NSX to NEVER saw one before. They are a Porsche shop. The guys there are very competent and they told me the car was a real pleasure to align.

There is no doubt all suspension settings interact, but since every setting on the NSX is done using eccentrics it is very easy, if you are systematic, to dial out the interaction.

My car and HPV100's is about the same in the front +/- .2 degrees, same springs and shocks, my caster numbers are just like his. The only challenge with the - camber in the front, is if you use OEM tires (I do), the wear rate is higher on the inside edge. I do about 5-6K miles per year, so I am fine with it.

Good Luck with a different shop, I am sure a competent alignment guy with get it right very easily.

HTH,
LarryB