Wheel Alignment

[joneblaze]

Hey all,

I was just at "Benny's" last wk when my friendly master mechanic informed me of the fact that i was running - if anything - positive camber. eg. the outer edges of my tyres were wearing.
I've also been told that i should balance and align after playing with suspension. I've lowered my DC2 at least 2" and have been driving around with only balanced wheels for the last few months. I take it I should really get an alignment to fix any weird toe or camber issues.
I popped into my local Bob Jane hoping to jump onto their $38 alignment bandwagon but apparently this job is more timeconsuming fixing the camber etc, and will cost $66 dollars.
Basically I would like to know:

a) Is Bob Jane a decent place to take it, or should i bother going somewhere else (and paying more) like Whiteline, etc...

b) Is $66 a fair price

c) Anything else I might have left out or not yet stumbled upon that you tech gurus want to fill me in on


cheers,

jon :)

[MKI4EVA]

only a slight rip............shouldnt be more than 50 bucks........i had steer rack centralised camber and toe set up for $48 6 months ago from pedders livo.

sus the ppl out b4 u use them......we treat settings a tad more serious than most ppl out there and some place dun really give a hoot.

[joneblaze]

So where you recommend Dung? There's a Pedder's in my area too - Hornsby. I suppose it really comes down to the actual service and staff there...but recommendations would be good. :)

[Redteg]

Ye be careful, I went to a place just after I got my rims and they managed to scratch one of them slightly. I got the mark out but I shouldn't have to do that.

I'll be going to Tempe soon for a new toe eaten tyre and a wheel alignment.

[McChook]

You already know I would send you to whiteline, to go get the alignment done, and enquire about a castor kit while your there. I always say get as many things done at the same time as possible

[totti]

Tempe Tyres are the last place id bring my car to :roll:

worst service with out a doubt, aswell as being total ****wits...*rant over*

[McChook]

Tempe Tyres are the last place id bring my car to :roll:

worst service with out a doubt, aswell as being total ****wits...*rant over*

If your a wog, your story is different

[Rowie]

last time i was bob jane about 2 weeks ago it only cost me $38 for 4 wheel allignment / balance / and rotation.

[joneblaze]

Yeah I know rowie... i went there cos u told me bout it...
but he goes "well we'll have to play with ur camber settings blah blah, so that'll be $66"

Hmm...pays to know what you're talking about...

C'mon, someone give me recommendation and prices please. :)

[Rowie]

it doesnt matter, they played with the camber on mine aswel, and the toe. I have the print out of the before and after settings aswel....

[Rowie]

Hmm...pays to know what you're talking about...


what do you mean by that comment?

[joneblaze]

as in I would do better going around from place to place and getting quotes if I knew more bout sussy/adjustment. Right now I have to ask everyone else cos i got no idea... lol.
I wasn't taking a stab at u man! lol..sorry, jus reread my post....

[Rowie]

lol...

I just grabbed the print out I got, and I have been liying to you man.... It wasnt Bob Jane at all, it was Bridgestone Tyre Centre. My bad :oops:

In any case, the wheel allignment I got done there included everything (Camber, Toe, and Thrust angle) Plus a nice print out of all the before and after values all for $38.

They have coupons in the papers and the back of shopping dockets sometimes, which also makes it cheaper if you can find one. Have you grabbed the yellow pages and rang around to find the best price?

[wynode]

Jon, if you are serious about handling (ok we know you are!) Then like Mat said, ring up whiteline and get a quote for just a normal alignment. Then add onto that the caster kit (i'm sure benny and I can even do that for you) and if required the camber kit.

Speak to Woijtek.

[joneblaze]

LOL@Rowie... u dodgy bastard.... "go to bob jane..." :)

Hmm...Bridgestone Tyre Centre huh... ill check where my nearest one is.

Would you all recommend going to Whiteline over Bridgestone if the prices are similar? And if there is a large discrepancy, would the Bridgestone alignment be ok?
I'm just trying to gauge the difference in "service" or "quality" for the average wheel alignment.....

[wynode]

If its just a normal alignment, then don't bother going all the way to whiteline (although they will choose something better for spirited driving if you request it).

But if you are going to do camber kit or castor kit, then GO WHITELINE.

[Rowie]

LOL@Rowie... u dodgy bastard.... "go to bob jane..." :)



sorry man :oops:

:x

[MKI4EVA]

anyone seen what a castor kit looks like?..........all i saw were washers on a friends car when it was put on.

if all your getting or interested in atm john is camber, toe and alignment then most places can do that for you.......just make sure you tell/talk them
about how much or what settings your after.......like find out whats average and whats agressive

im not sure how agressive your able to set your car up as camber plates/kits maybe needed.

what im getting at is if your not going to go all out atm theres no need to go to whiteline..............(how much does whiteline charge anyhow?) but if there cheap then by all means go there.

and when you set it abit more agressive.......say bye bye to tyres wearing evenly...... :D

or betta still ring around and have a chat to them on the phone b4 u go there..........if their not interested in talking to you about settings then their service most probably isnt good.

play around with tyre pressure for the mean time john..........i've got 60 thickness profile so tyre pressure makes a huge diff for me.....(no, tyre pressure has nothing to do with what i've been speaking of above)


hope it helps.

[joneblaze]

Hmm... thanks man.
Atm im running 195/50/15 GIIIs on those stock VTiR rims... run bout 34 PSi... is that ok?

I goT NFI bout camber settings... HELP. lol
i dun wanna walk in there and get mandhandled and for them to do shit to my car ive got no idea about... hehe

[ginganggooly]

whiteline charge around 60 bucks from memory. at least, thats waht i payed last time i had a wheel allignment from them.

[joneblaze]

Camber and toe "settings" Mike.... help. :)
I don't wanna be a race driver... or have shit tyre life span... Just want decent handling... atm the moment it looks like positive camber..or funny toe, whatever you call it... :roll:

[ginganggooly]

depends how much it's lowered by... i've always been under the impression that, due to the suspension design of our cars, lowering actually increases the ammount of negative camber.

i think i'm running around 1.3 degrees negative camber all around (without a camber kit)... the tyre wear is ever so slightly uneven, nothing too bad though.

toe really depends on how you want the car to feel. no toe in/out is the best for tyre wear.

[Rowie]

okay, from the print out I got from my allignment last week heres is settings.

:::::: PREVIOUS SETTINGS ::::::

FRONT TOE LEFT / -10.3mm
FRONT TOE RIGHT / +13.4mm

FRONT CAMBER LEFT / -01.30 degrees
FRONT CAMBER RIGHT / -01.40 degrees

--

REAR TOE LEFT / +1.5mm
REAR TOE RIGHT / +0.5mm

REAR CAMBER LEFT / -01.02 degrees
REAR CAMBER RIGHT / -00.40 degrees

THRUST ANGLE / +00.04 degrees


:::::: SETTINGS AFTER ALLIGNMENT ::::::

FRONT TOE LEFT / +1.2mm
FRONT TOE RIGHT / +1.2mm

FRONT CAMBER LEFT / -01.37 degrees
FRONT CAMBER RIGHT / -01.37 degrees

--

REAR TOE LEFT / +0.8mm
REAR TOE RIGHT / +0.7mm

REAR CAMBER LEFT / -00.40 degrees
REAR CAMBER RIGHT / -00.38 degrees

THRUST ANGLE / +00.01 degrees

[bizee_1]

am thinking, maybe when you get quotes, show them where your tyre wear is, ask if it is good or bad, if it should be more even, what can they do to correct it etc etc.

Places like Whiteline, i'd have more faith in, as they specialise in 'suspension'.

Not saying that regular run of the mill tyre/wheel/suspension service centre's don't do a good job. [ie: Bob Jane, Bridgestone Tyre Centre, Pedders, Australia's Best etc]


The way i see it though, let's face it.
Moosst of us are spirited drivers, and we could do with a wheel alignment reset. standard or [moreso] modified suspension.


Off topic, is Gary Cook from Whiteline, the same Gary Cook from HCCNSW ?


BTW :


LOL@Rowie... u dodgy bastard.... "go to bob jane..." :)

sorry man :oops:

roflmao now that's some funny shite, even though it was accidental.

[Rowie]

Off topic, is Gary Cook from Whiteline, the same Gary Cook from HCCNSW ?


Send McChook a message and he will tell you.

[McChook]

No need for a PM now, its all out in the air

My father is Gary Cook. Dad is a life member of the Honda Car Club of NSW. He used to work at Whiteline whilst they were introducing springs to their product range. My father no longer works there, and hasn't for a good 5 years.

[stoned1974]

evening all

i have got negative camber, i e front wearing out on inside. car (civic 92 si) has been lowered by previous owner, by how much i don't know.

anyway time for new front tyres, asked at bob jane, haberfield about camber kits and he said (not bob ;)) waste of money!!??!

so can someone recomend some cheap decent tyres and tell me where to go for someone to tell me camber kits are good !!

cheers

paul

[joneblaze]

Hi Paul (bloody hijacker ;)),

what size rims are you running, and what's your definition of "cheap" rubber? To some hardcores, "cheap" is $250 for a single 195 tyre.... to me it's like $110 .

[stoned1974]

lo

rims are 16, width i am not sure, bloke in bob jane is saying simex, at $140 a tyre. any good, or are there any other tyres for around that price or a bit more that are better.

and about camber/castor kits, do they work?

cheers

paul

ps, feels good to hijack ;)

[wynode]

Jon, if you are interested I'll post some info from my whiteline alignment.

As for the camber kit, I suggest runing a little negative camber at the back but not more than 1 degree. For a daily driver its probalby not worth it for you to run too much negative camber and get uneven tyre wear.

The castor kit is essentially a few washers and a longer bolt :) And for castor, the more you have the better because it effectively gives you negative camber on both the inside and outside wheel while cornering (as opposed to getting a camber kit where only the inside wheel get the effect of the negative camber).


HTH

[Redteg]

Tempe Tyres are the last place id bring my car to :roll:

worst service with out a doubt, aswell as being total ****wits...*rant over*

If your a wog, your story is different

I am very much a wog :)

Nah, I trust them to be able to swap a tyre without stuffing up my rim 100x more than some yobbo out here in the west with a smoke hanging out of his mouth.

I remember going to a Yokohama dealer out here with a mate's s15 to get new tyres, the dude doing the work was rolling one of his rims around on the ground WITHOUT the tyre. We went apeshit at him.

(He was wog too, which has nothing to do with it anyway)

[McChook]

I got treated like shit, my friend Wasim was treated like a god.

[McChook]

Anyways, on a totally different Subject.......
I have a lot of answers to a lot of your questions. Finally a suspension tech article for you guys to refer to. Please pass comments about anythign you want me to add. It is pretty techo, but it is explained simply.

[joneblaze]

Matt pls provide info on alignment settings I should fiddle my car to. As Win mentioned I want something for daily driving and not hardcore speedracer styles. :) Uni does not allow the luxury of multiple tyre changes every year.

[McChook]

OK, I'll do that next, try and have it done tonight... someone should sticky the bloody thing though

[Rowie]

As I posted before jon.



okay, from the print out I got from my allignment last week heres is settings.

:::::: PREVIOUS SETTINGS ::::::

FRONT TOE LEFT / -10.3mm
FRONT TOE RIGHT / +13.4mm

FRONT CAMBER LEFT / -01.30 degrees
FRONT CAMBER RIGHT / -01.40 degrees

--

REAR TOE LEFT / +1.5mm
REAR TOE RIGHT / +0.5mm

REAR CAMBER LEFT / -01.02 degrees
REAR CAMBER RIGHT / -00.40 degrees

THRUST ANGLE / +00.04 degrees


:::::: SETTINGS AFTER ALLIGNMENT ::::::

FRONT TOE LEFT / +1.2mm
FRONT TOE RIGHT / +1.2mm

FRONT CAMBER LEFT / -01.37 degrees
FRONT CAMBER RIGHT / -01.37 degrees

--

REAR TOE LEFT / +0.8mm
REAR TOE RIGHT / +0.7mm

REAR CAMBER LEFT / -00.40 degrees
REAR CAMBER RIGHT / -00.38 degrees

THRUST ANGLE / +00.01 degrees

[joneblaze]

But dude wouldn't my car's characteristics be different? i can't just walk in and direct them to set it like your car right?

[Rowie]

lol... probably man :D

[wynode]

My EG sedan is closer to your integra than Rowie's civic.

Infact the chasis is very similar.........so do u want it JoN?

[joneblaze]

YES. please. :)

[wynode]

OK i'll do it when i get home tonight

[wynode]

Click here (http://members.optusnet.com.au/winodh/stuff/settings.jpg) Jon.

[EuroAccord13]

That price seemed about right, when I hit a pothole doing 188km/h in my old ride, my front wheels were +1.1 Degrees Toe In(Vertical Movement)... rectified it at a local tyre shop for 60 bucks on all for wheels..

CHEERS

[MKI4EVA]

No need for a PM now, its all out in the air

My father is Gary Cook. Dad is a life member of the Honda Car Club of NSW. He used to work at Whiteline whilst they were introducing springs to their product range. My father no longer works there, and hasn't for a good 5 years.

daaammm..........all that experience and knowledge of honda's and you went out and got a prelude???...........was that your first preference?

[McChook]

Well, we got a prelude, and decided, because it would be a no-modification car.... oops. Dad was the one who made me drive it.

My first preference was not a Prelude, it was a civic vtir hatch (we were in the process of getting bits for it and doing a B20vtec conversion) but I couldn't find a decent one of each for 6 months of looking, and was about to go S14 200sx/180sx/Skyline until I found the prelude, then thought forget it, I need a car, this one is immaculate, it won't be a turbocharged money grabber (I'd be continuously chasing horsepower) and it won't get stolen... So, I bought the prelude

[wynode]

My first preference was not a Prelude, it was a civic vtir hatch (we were in the process of getting bits for it and doing a B20vtec conversion) but I couldn't find a decent one

If you were planning on swapipng the engine out anyway, i find it hard tobelieve you couldn't find a decent vti-r hatch!

[McChook]

We looked for AGES. Found one which was a decomissioned race car even. We wanted one with decent kays, under 100, or close to, decent body, and decent price. We refused to be $20K for one. If was impossible to find one with a stock exhaust - we hanted everything stock really, and every one we looked at was modified in one way or another. I was 1 day off putting a deposit on one, a white Hatch VTiR which was a race car _ had a roll cage and the holes and scratches to prove it... Until on the way home, on a whim ulled into the local dealer, saw the lude, and there we have it, took it for a drive, loved it, bought it. I was sick to death of abused civics, found a nice, clean, well maintained prelude instead. A much better buy for $5,000 more. And if everything goes to plan, it'll be pretty damn quick.

[LatinoHatchCrap]

-1.3F/-1.2R is a good compromise3 for the street. Remmeber that a TRUE erace car will be tuned to race with as much negative camber as possible because when turning corners this increases the contact patch b/ween tyre/road thus increasing grip. DO NOT GET A CAMBER KIT UNLESS YOUR NEGATIVE CAMBER IS UNEVEN ON BOTH LEFT OR RIGHT OR YOU WANT NEGATYIVE CAMBER TO BE BELOW -1.0.
I wouldnt take my car to any of those bob jane, tyrepower places...they just seem to be going through the phases :thumbsdown:

[LatinoHatchCrap]

LOL mcChook you're a funny guy :P ;)

[McChook]

http://www.whiteline.com.au/articles/RH_Civic95a.htm

read and learn.