THSCC Forums

Thanks again, Mike. I DO feel a difference! (though not like I did with the caster bushings) I used to get bounciness over undulations on I-40 if the struts were set at anything above full soft, and I didn't feel it on the way home last night. The rear feels like it responds a little quicker to changes in direction, too. Definitely worth all the pain and suffering.



edit: wanted to add this - Cary to Four Oaks is a long drive at 12am when you've been replacing bushings for 4hrs. When I got home, I put the car up on the ramps and got underneath to make sure everything was tight, and I actually dozed off on the garage floor for a few minutes!

So who was on the pad, you or calvin?

We were sharing it -- but I was there first!

Just got the alignment done; it was way off in every category. Toe-in at both ends, -2.2 camber on left front/ -1.5 camber on right front, thrust angle was off, but don't remember exactly how. Funny how I couldn't really tell when I was driving to work and then to the alignment shop in Raleigh.

Ended up with zero toe, -2.2 camber each side in front, and -1.2 camber each side in rear. Caster was 3.5 on each side (I don't know exactly how good that is, but it feels pretty nice!).

Gotta give a recommendation to the Firestone on Glenwood Ave in Raleigh; great place to go for alignment, especially if you bought a lifetime alignment a couple of years ago and don't want to pay for one now... The guy was actually interested in setting the specs the way I wanted them, instead of going by their specs! Oh, and they have a Hunter whiz-bang model DSP600 (or something).

That alignment shop rocks....

Last time I went the guy at the counter said "you want WHAT specs???? " while the guy in the shop walked out and said "yea just tell him to pull around I got the specs"

-Tom

Yeah, I didn't bother talking to the guy at the counter this time. Last time he kept telling me "Well, we can't guarantee that it's gonna be within the specs when it's lowered like that." Even though I told him like, 3x that it wasn't lowered, it just had different springs and struts. And all I wanted them to do was zero the toe...

There was a different alignment guy this time - a lot friendlier than the last one (although he wasn't an ass or anything; just not very talkative). He was really interested in the car and the fact that I raced it. He was still a little freaked out by the camber, though...

Do you guys know the name of the guy I should talk to there?

Sorry, can't remember his name - although it may be on the printout? I'll check and see...

He was the younger guy, think he had light-colored hair.

Bill is the service manager if I remember right. I asked them to do an alignment with custom settings. He gave me some corporate BS line about not doing alignments to customer specs and must be factory specs only. Even after shelling out well over a $1000 on tires for 2 cars. So he lost my business.

I used Mike Mack at Automasters in Cary. He has the fancy Hunter machine and will setup the specs to anything you want. No hassle at all. But you can't get a lifetime alignment deal. So it's $80 a visit! He does really good work though.

Graham