my car can't seem to keep its alignment
10-26-2005, 10:47 AM
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my car can't seem to keep its alignment jump right in here if you think im being an idiot and its something stupid, but i think ive had my car re-aligned by two sep places , 4 times , in the past year, i havent hit any curbs or anything, never wrecked, for like a month after its aligned its wonderful, but out of the blue one day itll be shot again...any suggestions?
10-26-2005, 01:39 PM
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How do you know it's shot? Does handling change
somehow? Or is it every time you get on a lift, there
just happens to be something wrong with the last
guy's work? Maybe just the "babe tax" (if the user
name is any indication)?
I have a beater that changes alignment depending
on whether it's gas or brake. But that's missing the
upper control arm bushings entirely along with one
of the keeper nuts.
How is it that you can tell, in driving, that it's gone
out?
somehow? Or is it every time you get on a lift, there
just happens to be something wrong with the last
guy's work? Maybe just the "babe tax" (if the user
name is any indication)?
I have a beater that changes alignment depending
on whether it's gas or brake. But that's missing the
upper control arm bushings entirely along with one
of the keeper nuts.
How is it that you can tell, in driving, that it's gone
out?
10-26-2005, 01:49 PM
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well its been done by seperate ppl , and i dont trust mechanics but i also cant do my own alingment, i'll take it in , they'll show me the test , they'll align it , and like a month or two afterwards i can't keep it in the lines, the wheel will rock back and forth without touching it on a straight road. everytime i take it somewhere to have it tested ,the test shows its way outta alignment , but i didnt do anything to mess it up.
10-27-2005, 08:47 AM
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These cars are known to "groove walk" or follow
pavement features. The front setup is pretty
neutral, and will wander if you leave your hands
off it and the pavement is the right kind of
wrong. On clean pavement my car tracks dead
straight but when there are seams or other
irregularities it will follow them.
I had my car aligned to the "Trackbird" specs
and it's been steady and unchanged for about
10Kmiles now. I don't think there's any reason
mechanically for alignment to drift although an
extremely worn component could play. If you
can find an alignment shop you trust then you
might want to try this on (note there is some
"slop" even in the specifications that various
sources recommend; this is what I've collected
over the years):
GM Specs - Page 3-10 of 2000 manual
Caster: 4.5 to 5.5
Front Cross Caster: -0.7 to 0.7
Front Camber: -0.1 to 0.9
Front Cross Camber: -0.7 to 0.7
Front Individual Toe: -0.1 to 0.1
Front Total Toe: -0.2 to 0.2
Steering Wheel Angle: -3.5 to 3.5
Rear Camber: -0.6 to 0.6
Rear Cross Camber: -0.6 to 0.6
Rear Total Toe: -0.3 to 0.3
Rear Thrust Angle: -0.15 to 0.15
Note that these are GM "minimum common denominator"
specs and some may have more prescise or different
specs for specific applications.
Trackbird's setup:
I am running:
-1.3 camber
4.5 caster
1/32nd inch toe out (yes, out)
+4 caster, -.7 camber, and probably 1/32" toe in
Performance Alignment
-0.5* camber will give you crisp turn in
+4.0* caster will give you good high speed align, "hunt" @ slow speeds
1/16" toe in will offset some of the hunt
pavement features. The front setup is pretty
neutral, and will wander if you leave your hands
off it and the pavement is the right kind of
wrong. On clean pavement my car tracks dead
straight but when there are seams or other
irregularities it will follow them.
I had my car aligned to the "Trackbird" specs
and it's been steady and unchanged for about
10Kmiles now. I don't think there's any reason
mechanically for alignment to drift although an
extremely worn component could play. If you
can find an alignment shop you trust then you
might want to try this on (note there is some
"slop" even in the specifications that various
sources recommend; this is what I've collected
over the years):
GM Specs - Page 3-10 of 2000 manual
Caster: 4.5 to 5.5
Front Cross Caster: -0.7 to 0.7
Front Camber: -0.1 to 0.9
Front Cross Camber: -0.7 to 0.7
Front Individual Toe: -0.1 to 0.1
Front Total Toe: -0.2 to 0.2
Steering Wheel Angle: -3.5 to 3.5
Rear Camber: -0.6 to 0.6
Rear Cross Camber: -0.6 to 0.6
Rear Total Toe: -0.3 to 0.3
Rear Thrust Angle: -0.15 to 0.15
Note that these are GM "minimum common denominator"
specs and some may have more prescise or different
specs for specific applications.
Trackbird's setup:
I am running:
-1.3 camber
4.5 caster
1/32nd inch toe out (yes, out)
+4 caster, -.7 camber, and probably 1/32" toe in
Performance Alignment
-0.5* camber will give you crisp turn in
+4.0* caster will give you good high speed align, "hunt" @ slow speeds
1/16" toe in will offset some of the hunt
10-27-2005, 09:04 AM
#5
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thank you , i am taking my car to a performance specailty place today or tommrow im gonna print this up and take it with me, this is a big help , once again thank you