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Alignment Questions - Interpretation of Data?

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Old 12-11-2008, 08:11 PM
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Default Alignment Questions - Interpretation of Data?


Set-up:

Took Monte in for New Rubber all-around.
Tire Company offers Alignment as Purchase Incentive. OK.
Monte hooked-up to State-of-Art Laser Beam Alignment Machine.
Alignment Tech busy making a few adjustments ... gets done ... tells me: "This is the best I can do. It's not perfect. But, there's no way to make it perfect."
I have no clue about what he said when he handed me this Print-Out. But, he said: "The degree is so slight you won't detect it and it will not harm the tires."


 
  #2  
Old 12-11-2008, 09:00 PM
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Default RE: Alignment Questions - Interpretation of Data?

ok that guy really sucks. there is always a way to make it perfect. that is to factory specs.
i have doen 4 alignments myself all were into factory specs. one was myne which is lowered with bigger wheels and that throuws off alignment a bit and even then i have them back at factory.
you wont notice any of the differences but that is because the are so slight but the tech was lazy and it was a free alighnment. so its proly better than before.
minmm all thos red areas should be green.
 
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Old 12-11-2008, 10:10 PM
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Default RE: Alignment Questions - Interpretation of Data?


Do I need to go back and complain?
What do you see in the Print-out that might be something I could point-out and say ... THIS is adjustable and I'd like it put to Factory specs?

Can I live with this set-up? Would you?

If it ain't right ... could be ... and, IS adjustable [but, probably labor and time consuming] ... should I have them "Retry" getting my alignment right-on?
 
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Old 12-12-2008, 11:03 PM
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Default RE: Alignment Questions - Interpretation of Data?


Do they just have to loosen something and move it ... or, ... does something that is solid have to be bent on a frame machine?
 
  #5  
Old 12-13-2008, 05:26 AM
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Default RE: Alignment Questions - Interpretation of Data?

The only alignment adjustment that can be made on your Montewithout modifications is the front and rear toe. It looks like he has got that correct according to the printout. Front and rear camber can be made adjustable by removing the strut and filing the lower stut to knuckle mounting hole so that it is oblong horizontally. This modification will enable camber adjustment.This filing procedure is a GM recommended procedure,not just some hack way of doing it. As far as caster goes there is no way to make that adjustable.If the caster is outside of specification it is an indication that something is bent.Unless it is grossly out of specification I would not spend money replacing parts.If your car drives straight with no drift to one side or the other I would not be concerned.Caster only affects handling and has nothing to do with tire wear.A vehicle will drift to the side that has the more negative caster reading.Typically you want to have about 1/2 to 1 degree less caster on the drivers side versus the passenger sideto compensate for the crown that is built into most roads for drainage purposes. The printout shown in your post is from a Hunter alignment machine which is exactly what I use on a daily basis to do alignments.It is a very good machine limited only by the expertise of who is using it.
 
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