TA_Freak

Just got the TA aligned and wheels balanced. They wrote on the reciept that it requires a special tool to adjust camber and caster (no duh) so it looks like I paid 69.00 for them to adjust the toe. i didn't realize that until I got to work and looked at the specs. I'll be paying them a visit tomorrow. I'm sick and tired trying to get a decent alignment. This is 4th alignment in the last 18 months or so.

Left
camber -0.8
caster 4.5
toe before .08
toe after -0.03

Right
camber -0.9
caster 4.1
toe before .09
toe after -0.03

Cross:
camber 0.1
caster 0.3
total toe -0.6

thrust angle -0.23

TA_Freak

So I put it on the highway ... and it was downright scary. I had lowered the tire pressure to 32psi and it felt more like I was on a boat instead of a performance car?

When I brake at highway speeds it's all I can do to keep it in it's lane. The steering wheel moves back and forth on the highway as well. I would say it's in the rack and I should adjust it but it's already very tight to steer.

Any comments on those alignment numbers?

After owning this car for 14 years, I've never hated it more than I do now. I wanted to blow it up when I got home.

joecar

Is negative toe toe-in or toe-out...?

Your alignment is ok... I think the problem is worn out or broken suspension parts.

leadfoot4

iTrader: (1)

"Negative" toe, is toe out.


I disagree about the alignment being "OK". The car should have more caster, to start with, and the right side should have about .3-.4* more caster than the left side, to account for "pull" due to road crown. When I had my '96 Z/28, I ran with 5.5* caster on the left, and 5.8* on the right. Secondly, if it were my car, I'd want about .02* of toe IN.

LilJayV10

iTrader: (39)

That alignment is OK and wouldn't cause the problems that the OP is experiencing. The thing that sticks out to me is "when I hit the brakes"

Normally when you hit the brakes and the wheel starts to shake like that it's either rotors, ball joints or control arm bushings. A loose rack can do that too however the car will feel "floaty", slow to respond or when you turn from one direction to the other even though you are turning the wheel the car is trying to go the other way due to the slop in the rack or bad bushings.

If the OP was describing was a hard pull or drift it would be alignment or tire related.


You don't need that special tool to adjust camber. All you need is a pry bar and some common sense.

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

With 280k on the car, unless you've already gone through it, it would hardly be surprising if you had many front worn out front suspension components. Also, what about your tires? What type and how worn are they? I had really bad trammeling and other effects when my BFG SS/AS got quite worn.

TA_Freak

I agree with you about the pry bar. Racheting straps work well too .... it's not only lack of common sense but lack of good work ethic. No shop should charge you 69.00 for an alignment only to find out that they didn't do all the work.

There is something loose or worn in the front. I think if someone drove this thing, they would tell me to park it until things are resolved. There is play and a lot of twitching of the wheel on the highway, the rack is also much tighter than I like, the rear feels very sloppy. I'll be under it tomorrow and will checking everything.

TA_Freak

I've been through all of it, rack, tie rod ends, bushings, ball joints, strano sway bars, panhard bar, end links, LCA relocation bracket (bolt on), shocks, springs, shock mounts. I may take off the relocation bracket and see if that's causing the boat like issues on the highway. The tires are pretty new, maybe 6k on them. They're BFG G-Force Comp-2s. Air pressure is 32 all the way around.

I've also double checked the intermediate steering shaft. Time to get under it and check everything.

TA_Freak

It's the rack. I had an assistant jiggle the steering wheel and first off the intermediate shaft was slipping slightly on the rack input shaft. After torquing that down I had the assistant slightly jiggle the steering wheel again and I can hear knocking at the inner tie rods. Thank God I've already done this once; I don't have to saw any bolts . Time to get with the Rack Doctor.