this is kind of an odd situation i have. last year when i installed my air ride, i had no alignment issues at all. had my friend check it, and it was all good. so after last season i pulled all the air and put in the stock suspension for the car to sit on over winter. well this year, i installed the air again, but when i let the car down i come to find my 2 front tires are way out of wack. when the wheel is set strait, each wheel in front points outward. looks as if you are slightly turning in both directions. not sure if that is clear enough, but what could cause this, and how can it be corrected? if i take it in for an alignment will they be able to cure it? and why would it happen all of a sudden? nothing was changed in regards to setup, other than swapping in and out like last year.
i will try and make a diagram to explain it better, but does anyone have any thoughts??
any help is appreciated.
Built Not Bought
more than likely its the bolt at the knuckles. loosen them up and push the knuckle in more towards the car a bit.
For the sake of terminology, I believe what you're describing is commonly known as "toe out".
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Take it to an alignment shop and tell them to set your toe, nothing else since it would be a waste of time with air ride.
1983 Camaro Z28
is there anything i can try and do to fix it? or is my only option to take it to an alignment shop?
Built Not Bought
also, what could cause such a drastic change??
Built Not Bought
When my buddy did my alignment when i installed my air i watched him and he was adjusting 2 things, the 2 bolts on the bottom of the strut and the tie rod. I think adjusting the tie rod fixes the toe im not 100% sure on this but its the only thing i could think of that would fix the toe that i saw him do and mine didnt have this problem after the alignment...
01 cavi 4 door
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ling427ttvette wrote:Take it to an alignment shop and tell them to set your toe, nothing else since it would be a waste of time with air ride.
why would having air ride make it a waste of time to do a full alignment. they can set the alignment at whatever the ride hieght is and it will work out like it does when it was stock. so your comment is pretty much a more waste of time then them doing an alignment. thats the stupidest thing ive heard and on top of it dont you work somewhere where they do alignment iirc.
joe since they are going to have to do the toe just have them do a full alignment at whatever your ride hieght is. helps alot and you wont burn through tires.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Wednesday, August 29, 2007 4:40 PM
well my big fear is i assume they would have to put my car on a rack, which i highly doubt it will get onto at max height, let alone ride height.
god this car is nothing but problems
Built Not Bought
I do alignments everyday, and if all you're worried about is the toe, then my suggestion to you since you're trying to avoid going to a shop and on a lift (which btw I myself cant even get on the rack with my own car without taking the front of the rack off), I would do the following:
1) Somehow get the car in the air enough to where you can get under it while having all the weight on the wheels. Maybe jack the car up and set the tires down on cinderblocks.
2) Set the steering wheel straight, and use something to lock the wheel in exactly that position so it can't move at all (not just let the column lock). We have a tool for this, so you're gonna have to get creative or have a friend hold it tight.
3) Losen the outer tie rod nut, (should be a 7/8 if not then its a 3/4).
4). Get some vise grips and clamp onto the inner tie rod shaft (it should have splines, if not then a 13mm wrench will work)
5) Turning the inner tie rod will adjust the toe of each wheel, and since you arent going to have the proper alignment equipment, you're just going to have to eyeball it until it looks straight and even with the other side.
6) Tighten the tie rod nuts and you're done.
If you notice that the steering wheel is off center while driving, then you can make the necessary adjustments by turning the inner tie rods in the same fashion as above by giving it a quarter turn or so in the necessary direction. If the steering wheel is off to the left, then that means when its straight like its supposed to be, the tires are actually pointing to the right. Therefore, you'll have to push the passenger tie rod out a half turn or so and also bring the drivers tire in a half turn.
I hope that helps, I wrote this kinda in a rush but if I notice any mistakes or if you have more questions post it up and I'll correct myself.
-- John
John, wow! thanks alot for that post!! its beyond appreciated!!
Built Not Bought
yellow22 wrote:ling427ttvette wrote:Take it to an alignment shop and tell them to set your toe, nothing else since it would be a waste of time with air ride.
why would having air ride make it a waste of time to do a full alignment. they can set the alignment at whatever the ride hieght is and it will work out like it does when it was stock. so your comment is pretty much a more waste of time then them doing an alignment. thats the stupidest thing ive heard and on top of it dont you work somewhere where they do alignment iirc.
joe since they are going to have to do the toe just have them do a full alignment at whatever your ride hieght is. helps alot and you wont burn through tires.
With the gauges not being that accurate its hard to just say i ride at 40 in front and 50 in back. i found out that my proper stance is when the wheel wells are 26" from the top of my wheel well to the ground. i can reach that setting at several diffrent air settings because of the way the car adjusts to the pressure.
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yea but for the most part if you move it around while up and adjust it to like say 40 you will have a kinda close stance that will help you save tires then say not doing it at all. you cant really say it wouldnt help at all. i cant do nothing about mine cuz i have one that i think is bent and sticks like crazy on the front and now i have no oil in the rear shocks. and they stick like crazy from being so dry. its really annoying. i wish i would have just went the custom route then the easystreet in the first place. cuz all the easy street bags will be coming out
You could measure the distance between the tires at the front and back while adjusting the tie-rods. Use a tape measure at the same tread groves front and back, like if you are looking at the car from the side, put the tape measure at 3 o'clock for front and then 9' oclock for rear. I've done my 88 t-bird like that, w/out probs!
yellow22 wrote:ling427ttvette wrote:Take it to an alignment shop and tell them to set your toe, nothing else since it would be a waste of time with air ride.
why would having air ride make it a waste of time to do a full alignment. they can set the alignment at whatever the ride hieght is and it will work out like it does when it was stock. so your comment is pretty much a more waste of time then them doing an alignment. thats the stupidest thing ive heard and on top of it dont you work somewhere where they do alignment iirc.
joe since they are going to have to do the toe just have them do a full alignment at whatever your ride hieght is. helps alot and you wont burn through tires.
If he doesn't have a digital air ride setup I can almost guarantee that he could have a certain "ride height" that he uses for driving, but he will never get it back to the same spot every time. And obviously when you lower or raise the car, the camber is going to change drastically.. Now, if he has digital air ride, then he probably could get by with getting a full alignment.
And, since he is afraid of having the car on a lift... maybe he should find a shop that has a pit for the alignment rack, just drive right on it.. I know they exist, we have one where I work.
1983 Camaro Z28
