Ken

So tonight I will be finish the upgrade to my front end. I got: new tie rods, new A-arms and bushings, new ball joints, new upper strut bearing, and new Koni yellows. I'm looking for tips on how to do an alignment at home, just for the ride to the shop.

I marked the spindle so i know approximately where to put the strut back in. I also marked the tie rods so i know the approximate length to make the new ones. Is there any easy way to eyeball the tire and see if my measurements are way off?

I assume taking the car for a quick ride might expose problems in the tie rods lengths(that's toe, right?) if the car pulls in a direction bad. I can't think of a way to check the camber though. Any help would be greatly appriciated.

Perry 951

You can set up a perfect square around the car with string and some 2x4's on end. The string should be at a height that is at the middle of the wheel.

Set the string to be sqare to the rear wheels, measuring from the rear lip of the rim to the string, and the front lip to the string. When the distance is even on both sides, repeat on the front tires. This will give you the diffrence that the front is out. Make the front of the rim match the rear and they should be almost straight. (or enough to get you to the shop)

I wish I could do up a diagram for you, but I am at work and have no time now.

Perry 951

It's quick and crude, but you get the idea. Measure where the lines are to the string, and you will get the diffrence. To square the string, wrap it around a nail that is attached to the 2X4 at each corner.

Good luck!

Ken

Ok, that sounds pretty good. This is just for toe, right? Should i be worried about the camber at this point? I was reading some old posts and i believe that i can use a level placed vertically on the side of the tire to determine what the camber looks like. I don't think its accurate enough to make changes, but i can at least check if they're wayyy out of alignment.

Also, what's a good price for a 4 wheel aligment? Two dealers quoted me 250 and 275(without the corner balence i believe). I called some independant places(race shops) and i got quoted 5-600 for a 4-wheel and corner balence and one. 400 for a 4-wheel and corner balence at another. I checked an old post, and these number appear VERY high. I seems more like 150-300 is a good range. My biggest problem is I need the car ready to go for an autocross next weekend. So i need to get the alignment done this week. I guess i'll need to call the place back and play hardball with em.

Perry 951

I paid $225 for a full 4 wheel, weighted, corner balanced alignment. You need to shop your area, and find someone with some backgound in racing. They know what setups work for an AX/Street combo.

[quote] I was reading some old posts and i believe that i can use a level placed vertically on the side of the tire to determine what the camber looks like. I don't think its accurate enough to make changes, but i can at least check if they're wayyy out of alignment. <hr></blockquote>

This will work well enough to get you there. Even if they are quite a bit out, you will be ok for a few miles before they get too hot and cause damage to the tread.

Ken

Hmmmm, the problem is the car is in the middle of nowhere. The only thing within a few miles are local gas stations. Any of the race shops or dealers are at least 30-50 miles away. I guess i might have to get a cheapo one done at the gas station and then a better one done when i get the chance.

I've been shopping around today. The two private places were Autohaus and Performance Plus for those nearby to me. Autohaus seemed to be the most competent of the shops i called. Although they were the one that quoted me 5-600 for the job for 5-6 hours of work. From the past posts it seems like its really more 1.5-3 hours of work. Hopefully i can talk to them and they'll be more resonable. I'm also checking out some other places, hopefully they'll work out better.

Thanks for the help Perry.

Thaddeus

I got quoted 3-400 for alignment with cornerbalancing at Carousel Auto. Authorized Porsche dealer. FWIW.

SoCal Driver

Ken I think I can get you close but it is going to take an alignment machine and someone that knows how to really use it to make it right.

First don't take off the steering wheel to recenter it. If it was centered before it's centered right now.

There is a locking bolt for the steering rack to keep the rack centered while an alignment is performed.

You should have done a few things before taking the suspension apart. One is to mark the center of the rear pin of the a-arms. This is the caster setting. If you haven't then you just might be able to line up the u-cups with the marks on the chassis. Next you should have painted or scribed a line across the camber eccentric -- one of the two bolts that hold the spindle to the strut.

Putting these two back to where they started from should get you very close.

The next and last part of the front alignment is the toe in. You can get close and keep the car driveable by using a tape measure and a helper.

On most tires there are now circumferential grooves in the tread. Using the same grove on each tire you can measure as high as you can in front then in back. With the cars weight on the tires and the tires "unloaded" (roll the car back and forth a few feet) you should see 1/16" to 1/8" of an inch less in the front than in the back.

Now measure from the same tread to a fixed part of the chassis that is the same for both sides. This will tell you if you are off to the right or left. You can unlock the steering rack and drive it to see also. I use the drive test.

Camber, the tilting of the tire in or out at the top, can have an affect on the car darting off in it's on direction. This is most noticeable on the way a tire wears especially the rear tires where there is usually less tread depth on the inside than the outside. Negative camber is desirable. Camber adjusting will not have a major impact on the toe in.

Excessive caster is what lets the car dart on and off different pavement surfaces. Ever pushed a shopping cart with a bent front wheel? That's caster. By forcing the back of the a-arms in toward the center of the car you decrease the caster. Less caster is what the road racers like. Caster adjusting DOES have a major impact on the toe in. The more you push the trailing pin in the more toe in you will get.

A proper alignment is paramount to the performance handling of the 944's. What I've briefly explained is to get you back on the road and to a decent alignment facility.

Ken

Hey everybody, thanks for the detailed ideas. I managed to get the car realigned fairly well. At least within a resonable tolerence. It still pulls alittle to the left, but not any more than my parents old taurus used to. I feel comfortable getting the car to the alignment place now.

Performing this job really helped me to learn alot about the suspension, and allows me to throw around the terms 'camber' and 'caster' with alot more confidence. If i get the time, i'll do a write up and post it on here. Thanks again guys.

Dave

Sounds like you got it all back together, bet it made a big difference! Don't ask how I know <img src="graemlins/oops.gif" border="0" alt="[oops]" />