Alignment Question

[Old Guy]

I recently bought tires all the way around. The rears were getting worn from, um, well, they were just getting worn. When I was painting the calipers last week I noticed the fronts were worn from toeing in.

I definitely need a front alignment, but nothing indicates the rears need any work. A friend told me I should do them all at the same time, but I don't know why I should.

Maybe a silly question, but anyone with an opinion?

[turbosix]

i've never heard of a 2 wheel alignment...

i went to an NTB location that is used to doing race miata alignments and picked the unlimited alignments for 1 yr plan

$120

[desmo4]

The rear should be toed in and will wear on the inside of the tread and you always need to align the front and rear on this car.

Jonathan

[Swingle1]

Originally Posted by desmo4

you always need to align the front and rear on this car.

Jonathan

Agreed. Don't be a tight-wad, OG. You got it up on the rack anyway-- pony up and take care of her!

[turbosix]

you dont need a lot of toe in the rear if you know how to drive a rwd vehicle

[Old Guy]

Originally Posted by Swingle1

Agreed. Don't be a tight-wad, OG. You got it up on the rack anyway-- pony up and take care of her!

That's why I asked, thanks.

[mlc]

I would do a little searching for the specs on want in the car. If they are the factory settings I think you can find them pretty easily. I would print them out and bring them with you and ask them to put this alignment in the car. I would also ask for a before and after sheet from them so you can see that it was done correctly. Any good shop should be able to do this no problem.

Good luck.

Kevin

[Old Guy]

Originally Posted by mlc

I would do a little searching for the specs on want in the car. If they are the factory settings I think you can find them pretty easily. I would print them out and bring them with you and ask them to put this alignment in the car. I would also ask for a before and after sheet from them so you can see that it was done correctly. Any good shop should be able to do this no problem.

Great idea. I pulled some specs from past postings and I'll do a little on-line research for more. Getting the before and after sheet is a good idea. My problem is actually knowing what the hell the numbers mean.

Remember, I'm just an Old Guy with a bitchin car, still learnin' what it's all about.

[mlc]

Here is a good basic explanation of what the numbers mean.

http://www.familycar.com/alignment.htm

Kevin

[bresne61]

The firestone shop will do unlimited alignments for as long as you own your car for $150. If you're ocd like I am, This might be a good bet. Most places do a one time alignment for around $70. I've actually checked with goodyear and they said they wouldn't separate the front and rear. They had one price of $70ish across the board whether they touched the front at all. (I had just lowered my car, and I wanted to put adjustable ball joints on the rear and take it back to them). Another thing, Goodyear will do an alignment check for $35, and if you need an alignment, they will wave the fee. Your total would be $70 + tax if you need one or $35 + tax if you don't. Just my 2 cents. Hope this helps

[Old Guy]

Originally Posted by mlc

Here is a good basic explanation of what the numbers mean.

http://www.familycar.com/alignment.htm

Kevin

Thanks Kevin - Even Old Guys can learn new stuff.

[js1]

The same thing happened to my factory set of tires. The rears had about 5k to go but the inside of the fronts were gone. It is caused by the toe in. The car is set up pigeon toed and the inside fronts just get eaten up. I got about 20k out of them and when I talked to my alignment guy he recommended getting it done twice a year. He specializes in S2k's and NSX's and said that the S2K's suspension is very taut and gets shaken loose more often than other cars, depending on how hard you drive. The alignment is for all 4 wheels and it cost about $75. You can do a custom set up for the car because the suspension is fully adjustable which is one of the coolest things about the S2K, other than the engine of course... Good luck.

[Old Guy]

So I took the roadster in for an alignment with the specs provided in this thread. When the car was ready they told me I may feel a pull on the highway at high speed due to the specs and the highways in Oregon typically have a slight dome for rain run off.

I jumped on the road to see if it was the case, but didn't feel anything.

[mbrunner]

What specs did you end up going with?

[Marrk]

Originally Posted by js1

. . . You can do a custom set up for the car because the suspension is fully adjustable . . .

Huh?


I don't think so, bubba.

[takeshi]

Originally Posted by js1

when I talked to my alignment guy he recommended getting it done twice a year.

Got the same recommendation from the guy who works on my S (and on many S's in our area).

[Old Guy]

Originally Posted by mbrunner

What specs did you end up going with?

These are specs posted in a previous thread by gomarlin for an AP1

Factory alignment spec
Front
Camber -0.5d +/- 0.17d
Caster +6.0d +/- 0.25d
Total Toe In 0+/- 2mm
Rear
Camber -1.5d +/- 0.17d
Total Toe In 6mm

[turbosix]

Originally Posted by Marrk

Huh?


I don't think so, bubba.

huh?

my car has a custom alignment, bubba.

[mlc]

Originally Posted by turbosix

huh?

my car has a custom alignment, bubba.

I think what he is referring to is the "fully adjustable" part. Not just the alignment but being able to adjust shock damping, rebound, ride height, etc. etc. etc. as fully adjustable not just putting in specific alignment specs.

Kevin