alignment problems (can't get to the spec i want)

[han0355]

Hey guys

I am running into some problems with my alignment setup and I couldn't figure out why.

I bought the car last month, the car got into small accident but it's not frame damaged (only cosmetic and alignment was off). I then put on a set of Ohlins DFV and camber plates and took it to alignment and fix it. However, I ran had problems dialing it to the spec I desired.
P.S Car is a 08 MT with 92k miles, and the previous owner spun out a few times on track

1) My front right camber only goes up to -2.8, while my front left goes to -3.4 (my friend who i bought this setup from can max out his car at -3.9)

2) My rear right toe only goes to 0.08 while I was aiming 0.18.

Also, my steering wheel position did not get properly aligned after alignment.
My question is, is it because my bushings/control arms/toe links are old? or is it simply because the guy didn't do it right?

[admranger]

Ok, silly question but are you sure you put in your camber plates correctly (and the same each side)? You can rotate them by 120 or 240 degrees inadvertently during install...

As for toe in at the rear, why do you want 0.18 (are we talking inches or minutes or ?) on each side? Isn't that more than the spec calls for? This isn't an old trailing arm suspension that benefits (stability) from a lot of rear toe.

At 92k miles, you could have bad bushings, ball joints, etc. contributing to the alignment issues.

[lutfy]

Originally Posted by han0355

Hey guys

I am running into some problems with my alignment setup and I couldn't figure out why.

I bought the car last month, the car got into small accident but it's not frame damaged (only cosmetic and alignment was off). I then put on a set of Ohlins DFV and camber plates and took it to alignment and fix it. However, I ran had problems dialing it to the spec I desired.
P.S Car is a 08 MT with 92k miles, and the previous owner spun out a few times on track

1) My front right camber only goes up to -2.8, while my front left goes to -3.4 (my friend who i bought this setup from can max out his car at -3.9)

2) My rear right toe only goes to 0.08 while I was aiming 0.18.

Also, my steering wheel position did not get properly aligned after alignment.
My question is, is it because my bushings/control arms/toe links are old? or is it simply because the guy didn't do it right?

Also keep in mind your readings are only as good as the machine its on. I got a 3 year warranty from NTB which allowed me for (yes unlimited) adjustments. Different machines read differently to the point even when the rear tires were aligned to be -1.8 both sides, you can tell the left had more camber (through tape measurement after) and I had to visually align at the track through the eccentric bolt. Later tested at another rack and the camber for both sides were spot on.

Bottom line, either have it read manually or take it to the race shop who will do corner balancing and proper alignment. These machines can be off calibrated.

On our cars, the bushings are SUPER stiff and wont allow for flex (off alignment) unless something is bent (I did bend the rear trailing arm or whatever its called with a bunch of holes in it).

Good luck and try not to worry much ask me how I know.

Cheers,

Lutfy