Vancouver BC S2000 Owners Meet fellow owners in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

alignment problem

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Old Jan 8, 2009 | 04:41 PM
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I got an alignment done yesterday and everything is done to factory spec except for the front left cast which is only at 5.2 degrees rather than 5.8

They said that's the further it'll go. Will I have uneven tire wear issues? I've read some post saying if they do the camber first, then my caster will have more wiggle room. Any suggestions?
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Old Jan 8, 2009 | 04:52 PM
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Caster creates dynamic camber, so it shouldn't affect tire wear. Incorrect toe angle (too much in or out) is what really kills tires. Camber should always be set first, then caster maxed.

Who did your alignment?

I honestly don't know what my caster settings are, I just know they are maxed (they are probably not be the same right to left) and the car drives just fine.
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Old Jan 8, 2009 | 05:05 PM
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I went to firestone to do it since they have life time alignment for a one time fee of 160 as long as you own the car.
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Old Jan 8, 2009 | 06:57 PM
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is it laser sighted?
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Old Jan 8, 2009 | 07:34 PM
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everything is completely adjusable on the S. unless something is bent or its been hit you shouldnt have a problem. the only S i couldnt get in the green was a car that was hit and not fixed properly.


and all shops use alignment machines that are lazer sighted. i hope!
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Old Jan 8, 2009 | 08:06 PM
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Originally Posted by S2S' date='Jan 8 2009, 08:34 PM
the only S i couldnt get in the green was a car that was hit and not fixed properly.
or slammed... I can't remember what my original goals were for my alignment specs... but Don at PDM couldn't get the caster to where I wanted it since my car was so low

ChineseDelivery: Are you on lowering springs or aftermarket suspension?
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Old Jan 8, 2009 | 09:16 PM
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Originally Posted by ChineseDelivery' date='Jan 8 2009, 06:05 PM
I went to firestone to do it since they have life time alignment for a one time fee of 160 as long as you own the car.
How good is the alignment at Firestone?
The price is good but I'm always wary about you get what you pay for places.

Would they let you custom the alignment?

Anyone else here with experience with Firestone?

thanks.
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Old Jan 9, 2009 | 01:52 AM
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no, the car isn't lowered. I wonder if it has been hit then. They said that VISUALLY it doesn't look bent. But of course that's visually. I don't think it's been hit. When I bought the car, carfax says it hadn't had any accidents. The dealer (for what it's worth) told me no accidents either. When I took it to two third party mechanic, they told me there's no frame damage or look like it's been in an accident.

It's laser at firestone. How good is it? Well...they can't seem to get the left one. Like I said, I've read a post where some guy did the camber first, and then was able to get more caster as a result. It's possible, and hopefully the problem and not because it's been in an accident. I think I might have read that s2000 coming from factories not aligned properly either.

The guy at firestone says if I get a new caster he'd be able to make it 5.8 degrees. But if it's not going to cause uneven wear on tires, I'm not super concern about it. I would like to get to the bottom of it though nonetheless.

Should I just leave it?
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Old Jan 9, 2009 | 12:04 PM
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I have no experience with this, but is it possible to take your car to another Firestone?
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Old Jan 9, 2009 | 12:24 PM
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I had the same alignment issue, not getting as much caster on the left. I was getting it aligned at a top place so it wasn't the shop doing it. It turned out to be my lower control arm. Earlier I had a car crease my fender and left wheel in a parking lot.
I had it like that for a few months and didn't notice any change in the handling.
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