MY04 Alignment
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Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Madison
MY04 Alignment
I went today to have my car aligned to correct the front tire understeer problem.
If you have an 04, have the alignment checked by someone other than the dealer. The Toe settings, both front and back, where all over the place.
The alignment shop (computer alignment with laser) did not have the numbers for the 04 yet. Thanks to Annie I was able to approach something like her autocross settings, but tuned down slightly. I did not have factory starting specs to start with that I could be certain of, so please tell me if anything here looks like it needs tweeking to you. In particular, the toe settings were more like educated guesses given no solid starting point:
Front
Camber - 1.10
Caster + 5.95
Toe - .07
Rear
Camber - 1.90
Toe + .06
I took the car for a drive in the country. Here are my thoughts:
Steering response is more immediate, more like an 03. In big sweeper curves handling feels a little more delicate on the front tires. I may get more used to this with time and not notice it any longer. In tighter turns, I do feel more able to direct the car. I had to avoid an object in the road. It caught me off guard initially how much more quickly the car jumped to the left for me. I felt just a little resistence bringing it back in line. It was stable, though. No rear end problems in that maneuver. This happened on a slight sweeper at high speeds, not on a tight curve.
As to the slight increase in camber in the rear (from - 1.8) I can feel the car being a little more planted, a little less eager to slide out. For those who miss the sliding nature of the 03, keep the setting at 1.8 or 1.7. Just my thoughts, not mechanical advice in any legal sense. Consult a professional. Etc.
If you have an 04, have the alignment checked by someone other than the dealer. The Toe settings, both front and back, where all over the place.
The alignment shop (computer alignment with laser) did not have the numbers for the 04 yet. Thanks to Annie I was able to approach something like her autocross settings, but tuned down slightly. I did not have factory starting specs to start with that I could be certain of, so please tell me if anything here looks like it needs tweeking to you. In particular, the toe settings were more like educated guesses given no solid starting point:
Front
Camber - 1.10
Caster + 5.95
Toe - .07
Rear
Camber - 1.90
Toe + .06
I took the car for a drive in the country. Here are my thoughts:
Steering response is more immediate, more like an 03. In big sweeper curves handling feels a little more delicate on the front tires. I may get more used to this with time and not notice it any longer. In tighter turns, I do feel more able to direct the car. I had to avoid an object in the road. It caught me off guard initially how much more quickly the car jumped to the left for me. I felt just a little resistence bringing it back in line. It was stable, though. No rear end problems in that maneuver. This happened on a slight sweeper at high speeds, not on a tight curve.
As to the slight increase in camber in the rear (from - 1.8) I can feel the car being a little more planted, a little less eager to slide out. For those who miss the sliding nature of the 03, keep the setting at 1.8 or 1.7. Just my thoughts, not mechanical advice in any legal sense. Consult a professional. Etc.
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,877
Likes: 1
From: Omaha,NE
Didn't quite a bit of all years come with out of whack alignments? I took my MY02 in and the aligment was off, too. BTW, I took it to the dealership and they fixed it for free under warranty. This should be the case for anyone that has not passed their 12month/12,000 mile mark.
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 819
Likes: 5
From: Seattle, WA
Actually, I took it to a race shop that's done a lot of work for me on both my autocross & road race cars.
The shop owner can look at a car, look at the stock alignment, hear from the customer what it's doing (and what they want it to do) and get it done... gotta love it!
He's a multi-time national champion for SCCA autocross, and crews for Grand American Sports Car Series, Alex Job Racing ALMS Porsches, set up the Saleen S7 that ran Grand Am in '01, etc...
The shop owner can look at a car, look at the stock alignment, hear from the customer what it's doing (and what they want it to do) and get it done... gotta love it!
He's a multi-time national champion for SCCA autocross, and crews for Grand American Sports Car Series, Alex Job Racing ALMS Porsches, set up the Saleen S7 that ran Grand Am in '01, etc...
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,877
Likes: 1
From: Omaha,NE
I'm a little leary to take it to someone else besides the dealership around here. There are quite a few alignment shops, and one guy in particular is supposed be good. Is the stock "camber kit" easy enough to work with that he shouldn't have a problem figuring it out? I am lowering my car this weekend with KG/mm race springs, and I will need the alignment fixed again.
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