Couldn't get Wheel Alignment because of Modifications? Options

[DIONYZUZ]

The modification I have gotten were KYB GR-2 Struts and Tein lowering springs with 225 45 17" wheels. I tried getting a wheel alignment today but the mechanic said my suspension and wheels were "unsafe" on my celica. He went on stating that the wheel alignment machine could not align the wheels because of the lowering which affected the camber and caster. He said it requires a new bolt for the caster , but the caster is so so far off that the replacement wont even help the caster. Then he suggested to go back to OEM suspension and said "I owned a Celica GT before and those suspensions are already a sport suspension." Then he said the tires will rub and thats the main reason why there is a pull on the vehicle's steering which is what I believe is the reason it needed an alignment, but it doesn't even feel like theres rubbing. Should I get the new bolts and try another alignment? From what the mechanic said, it seems like nothing will help the alignment.

[BonzaiCelica]

He's right but also wrong. It is not necessary to get camber bolts with lowering springs. Tein springs only lower the car about 1 inch all around, which is basically like stock height. It really does depend on the angle of camber after you install the springs. If the computer cannot align the suspension to factory specs then you suspension, then it is probably way off like he said.

I have a set of KYB gr2 with Tanabe DF210 2.2 inch drop in front and 1.5 inch drop in rear. I never needed camber bolts. You should try another shop, but I have the feeling he's just wanting to suck some money out of you just as all businesses today are doing.

This post has been edited by BonzaiCelica: Oct 21, 2011 - 4:44 PM

[Needles]

I have a set of KYB gr2 with Tanabe DF210 2.2 inch drop in front and 1.5 inch drop in rear. I never needed camber bolts. You should try another shop, but I have the feeling he's just wanting to suck some money out of you just as all businesses today are doing.
[/quote]


comfirm that, if u need to align your vehicule, you need nice equal tred tire and balance wheel and thats all, dont worries about what he said, if the tire didnt rub your inside wing, its all ok

[DIONYZUZ]

I was looking for the 'cheapest' wheel alignment in my city, but it turns out, I should have stuck with firestone and had gone with their lifetime wheel alignment service. I didnt feel a good vibe when he was trying to explain to me that its not right when your able to push up the whole strut when pushing up the wheel as the car is elevated. I was like " I lowered it on purpose to have better corning and a sporty suspension and it should be normal to do that, it's at that state when the car is on the ground isn't it?" He went on stating " Yeah but your car is not going to handle bumps correctly and you are going to have to get more alignments more frequently." I told him the suspension feels alot better to me, it not all wobbly like a stock suspension and the bumps feel alot less intense. It felt like I was trying to tell a little kid that his imaginary friend does not exist, but still being polite about it. I am going to see what firestone has to say about it. I still let him adjust the toe on it for $70, even with that it felt like my pocket got raped. I kinda regret that >.< ,but ah well at least I got a free tire rotation. And now instead of a pull to the left, it's to the right.

[trdproven]

go somewhere else, these are couple scenarios

1. your setup right now is not even that low so they should be able to align it assuming, you don't have worn suspension parts/steering parts. < ideal
2. Some places charge more to do lower cars, they remove warranty, and they'll still align it but only get it as close as they can but not exact, if you get the camber bolts, etc. it would help but then you would have to have really bad camber, or slammed on coilovers.

This post has been edited by trdproven: Oct 21, 2011 - 6:28 PM

[xrav22]

go somewhere else, these are couple scenarios

1. your setup right now is not even that low so they should be able to align it assuming, you don't have worn suspension parts/steering parts. < ideal
2. Some places charge more to do lower cars, they remove warranty, and they'll still align it but only get it as close as they can but not exact, if you get the camber bolts, etc. it would help but then you would have to have really bad camber, or slammed on coilovers.

Your camber should not be off, I lowered mine 1.5(more like 2) and it just brings the strut together closer no angle change. Now on the other hand my car was pulling left when i bought it and I had an alignment which didn't work. I found my strut bottom and top plate were twisted throwing off my wheel angle o the pass side. After I changed shocks and got everything in order I was going straight as an arrow. Keep in mind I had to put the rear tires up front to go straight as the fronts were worn at an angle
from the shock problem. What I am saying you need to use new tires to see if it is fixed. Or at least good ones.
Good luck

[DIONYZUZ]

go somewhere else, these are couple scenarios

1. your setup right now is not even that low so they should be able to align it assuming, you don't have worn suspension parts/steering parts. < ideal
2. Some places charge more to do lower cars, they remove warranty, and they'll still align it but only get it as close as they can but not exact, if you get the camber bolts, etc. it would help but then you would have to have really bad camber, or slammed on coilovers.

Your camber should not be off, I lowered mine 1.5(more like 2) and it just brings the strut together closer no angle change. Now on the other hand my car was pulling left when i bought it and I had an alignment which didn't work. I found my strut bottom and top plate were twisted throwing off my wheel angle o the pass side. After I changed shocks and got everything in order I was going straight as an arrow. Keep in mind I had to put the rear tires up front to go straight as the fronts were worn at an angle
from the shock problem. What I am saying you need to use new tires to see if it is fixed. Or at least good ones.
Good luck

I forgot to mention I did get the tire rotation before the wheel alignment, I asked the mechanic if he would think the tires were unevenly worn and he said they definitely weren't. The tires have about 15,000 miles on them so they're are kind of new... idk they look good to me. I will definitely try Firestone. I remember when I got my new tires back when I had the original OEM struts and springs, the wheels were PERFECTLY aligned. I was able to drive with no hands for a long time without swirving lol but thanks a lot everyone for the advice. Hopefully Firestone will just do it right, and I am waiting for a coupon for the lifetime wheel alignment service to be released

[808celica]

just be happy they can get you car up on the alignment deck

[chacha]

don't take the shortcuts to finding a cheap auto shop for alignment. If you can find one for a cheap price and could work on your lowered car....GREAT. if not, like your prime example and they want to say this and that....making it hard for you...go with your gut and go elsewhere. If you can, find a frame and alignment shop which would be a little more costly, but they should know what to do and fix your neg, camber...etc for your purpose of taking corners.

save up...do it the right way

[DIONYZUZ]

just be happy they can get you car up on the alignment deck

Is your car too low? lolz

[DIONYZUZ]

don't take the shortcuts to finding a cheap auto shop for alignment. If you can find one for a cheap price and could work on your lowered car....GREAT. if not, like your prime example and they want to say this and that....making it hard for you...go with your gut and go elsewhere. If you can, find a frame and alignment shop which would be a little more costly, but they should know what to do and fix your neg, camber...etc for your purpose of taking corners.

save up...do it the right way

Yup I learned... but the hard way $$

[smkr3w]

just be happy they can get you car up on the alignment deck

Is your car too low? lolz

[trdproven]

go somewhere else, these are couple scenarios

1. your setup right now is not even that low so they should be able to align it assuming, you don't have worn suspension parts/steering parts. < ideal
2. Some places charge more to do lower cars, they remove warranty, and they'll still align it but only get it as close as they can but not exact, if you get the camber bolts, etc. it would help but then you would have to have really bad camber, or slammed on coilovers.

Your camber should not be off, I lowered mine 1.5(more like 2) and it just brings the strut together closer no angle change. Now on the other hand my car was pulling left when i bought it and I had an alignment which didn't work. I found my strut bottom and top plate were twisted throwing off my wheel angle o the pass side. After I changed shocks and got everything in order I was going straight as an arrow. Keep in mind I had to put the rear tires up front to go straight as the fronts were worn at an angle
from the shock problem. What I am saying you need to use new tires to see if it is fixed. Or at least good ones.
Good luck

His camber should not be off so much if any at all with a 1.5" drop. again you must be slammed or slammed on coilovers, those with full coilovers know when it is slammed what it does to our camber. for the rears especially, its not about the strut going together closer with no angle, with the new coilovers with the bottom adjusting nut, it shortens the strut way more than a stock one that there is no tolerance of the angle, it must stretch and angle no matter what thats why you have camber bolts. you are just talking minor drop height or just drop spring setup. I had both. My coilovers are dropped over 3" for sure. BUt you also cannot assume what camber is just by eye-ing it. thats why they have computerized alignment down to the exact.

This post has been edited by trdproven: Oct 22, 2011 - 6:12 AM

[BonzaiCelica]

or that is....

unless you installed suspension and you hit a hit with your front left tire on the way to the alignment shop and your camber/alignment would then be way off. just a thought

[Stambo]

I use our alignment machine at work often, atleast once a week. You won't be able to change the caster on our cars because there is no adjustment to be done for that. I've adjusted toe and camber on lowered cars just fine and made them straight as an arrow going down the road. I assume the guy just doesn't wanna disappoint you in doing an alignment

[Needles]

I use our alignment machine at work often, atleast once a week. You won't be able to change the caster on our cars because there is no adjustment to be done for that. I've adjusted toe and camber on lowered cars just fine and made them straight as an arrow going down the road. I assume the guy just doesn't wanna disappoint you in doing an alignment

off topic...
i got alignment last years , cause mine was seriously offset,
and looking at the guy doing the alignment on my car and looked at the number, i did ask why did he put my front wheel just a little inside... ???
he say that for best grip and stability,,, and that original, all the car have that...
since, my cay steer sometimes i bit to the left side and second after i drive on some different road (i mean waVE, little wave on the road) its steer right side..
should be better to have a normal front wheel alignment whit the 2 wheell at the same degree than having them a bit by inside ?

i forget to mention that i have some slick super soft, 280 km/h tire



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This post has been edited by Needles: Oct 26, 2011 - 9:07 PM

[DIONYZUZ]

I use our alignment machine at work often, atleast once a week. You won't be able to change the caster on our cars because there is no adjustment to be done for that. I've adjusted toe and camber on lowered cars just fine and made them straight as an arrow going down the road. I assume the guy just doesn't wanna disappoint you in doing an alignment

Yea that makes sense now the mechanic only adjusted the toe and didn't even align the cambers. The car should be just fine with those being aligned and they would just work according to the caster, correct?

[Stambo]

After lowering my car and doing an alignment on it the caster was pretty even at 2.1 + caster on both front wheels. Since the springs are an equal drop for the front the caster will usually end up being close to even. As long as the toe and camber are even as possible you should be smooth sailing from there.

You always want a little bit of positive toe for the front and rear of the vehicle.

[lagos]

The modification I have gotten were KYB GR-2 Struts and Tein lowering springs with 225 45 17" wheels. I tried getting a wheel alignment today but the mechanic said my suspension and wheels were "unsafe" on my celica. He went on stating that the wheel alignment machine could not align the wheels because of the lowering which affected the camber and caster. He said it requires a new bolt for the caster , but the caster is so so far off that the replacement wont even help the caster. Then he suggested to go back to OEM suspension and said "I owned a Celica GT before and those suspensions are already a sport suspension." Then he said the tires will rub and thats the main reason why there is a pull on the vehicle's steering which is what I believe is the reason it needed an alignment, but it doesn't even feel like theres rubbing. Should I get the new bolts and try another alignment? From what the mechanic said, it seems like nothing will help the alignment.

Sounds like a clueless know it all mechanic.
Hopefully you ended up going elsewhere.

[Lenny]

i'm a mechanic and i gotta say he's wrong and trying to get the most money out of you. i lowered my car on tenzoR 1.8 lowering springs and was able to align my car with no problems. well except for the tie rod ends being a little rusted and using a torch to heat it up and get it to turn. lol also i have 17in wheels too and they don't rub at all. and the reason i have camber bolts on mine is because i need the adjustablity just in case. but yeah hopefully the next shop doesn't try to pull a fast one on you.