Is an alignment REALLY needed after a lowering spring install?
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Joined: Jan 2002
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From: Picatinny Arsenal, NJ
Is an alignment REALLY needed after a lowering spring install? I've searched posts on this and all of the answers to my question is yes--an alignment should be done so that your front tires don't wear out or wear unevenly in x,xxx miles. However, I know people offline who used Eibach Prokit lowering springs with stock shocks on an LS1 f-body and have never experienced uneven or premature tire wear. I have also been to a personal website where an LS1 Z28 owner swapped out the factory springs for the very stiff Suspension Technique springs and was surprised to see that the front suspension had maintained its factory alignment. With that said, is an alignment REALLY needed after a lowering spring install? Thanks in advance for the info.
Yeah, when the car is lowered, the tires that were sitting flat are now turned inward which is going to put most of the weight on the inside which in turn will give greatly reduced tire life. As for me, I had an alignment done after my lowering but had them set to semi race spec for more grip so mine are still turned in somewhat.
Let me show you a picture:
On the left is the passenger side front tire, on the right is the passenger side rear tire. These are BFG KDW tires, in case you're wondering. Both tires were purchased on the same day. At 10K miles, I rotated the tires front to back. I'd estimate there is about 20K miles on these tires. You can clearly see that the inside tread is VERY worn compared to the rest of the tire. I installed Hotchkis springs and didn't get an alignment done until right before I pulled these off to get new rims and tires.
I'd say an alignment is necessary. It's not that expensive.
-Mike
On the left is the passenger side front tire, on the right is the passenger side rear tire. These are BFG KDW tires, in case you're wondering. Both tires were purchased on the same day. At 10K miles, I rotated the tires front to back. I'd estimate there is about 20K miles on these tires. You can clearly see that the inside tread is VERY worn compared to the rest of the tire. I installed Hotchkis springs and didn't get an alignment done until right before I pulled these off to get new rims and tires.
I'd say an alignment is necessary. It's not that expensive.
-Mike
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From: South Jersey (15 miles from Atlantic City)
Damon you're right. When I had the 99 Z28 I didnt get it aligned right away. That is when i had the regular SS wheels. When i got the Y2K C5's and panhard bar I went to Deltona and had it aligned. I still even have the receipt for it.
