So recently I replaced one of the front tie rods due it's knuckle buckling. Afterwards, I took the car to several locations in order to get it aligned, but none of them (apparently) have the special tools required to fix the camber and castor of the car, and a limited to just the toe. Every one of them told me to take it to the dealer in order to get the car aligned. So my questions are:

-What special tools/alignment machines are required to fix camber/castor?
-Are there any "chain" tire centers that are capable of aligning my car?
-Is there any way around the dealer in order to get this bad girl aligned in the San Luis Obispo CA area (if there are no "chain" tire centers that have the required tools) that any CA residents may know about?

I'm and Architecture student in San Luis Obispo so I'm limited in both time and funds. If there is any way that I can avoid the hundreds of dollars that the dealer quoted for an alignment (like, are you serious?!?), I would greatly appreciate the info/direction.
Thank you for your time,
Eric

 

You can do a toe in check yourself. If camber and caster aren't to far off you should be OK.
How to do it yourself. See this.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...ome_toe_in.htm

Clifton

 

A special tool is needed to align the rear of the car; not the front.

Take it to an indie Porsche specialty shop and they'll be able to do it for you. Expect to pay $150-$250.

I don't mean to be blunt, but money on an alignment is well spent. These cars are rewarding to drive when set-up correctly; plus they'll wear tires better and even get better gas mileage. If you're too cheap to do it right, then perhaps Porsche ownership isn't for you.

 

Perfect timing for this question as I am about to get an alignment next week myself on my 84 944. Original suspension with koni shocks and turbo sway bars. what is a good alignment suggestion.I am eating the outside of my tires quite rapidly on the track. I am going stiffer springs and torsion bars next year but for the rest of this year what do you guys suggest?

Don't mean to thread hijack but haha I imagine you would be curious about a proper setup also.

I am looking for more of a track alignment but still semi streetable to get me too and from the track,it's usually an hour and a half to 2 hour drive.

Going to buy new tires this week also I am looking for as even treadwear as possible. Tracks it will be used on is Shannonville,Mosport,and Cayuga.Shannonville and Cayuga being a traditional tighter,tire eating kind of track.

Once again haha,total thread hijack but you would probably be looking for a proper alignment also to get the most enjoyment out of your car!Hope I haven't offended.

 

Dave, if your street driving is limited, I'd probably suggest:
Front camber -2.5 degrees
Front caster 5 degrees
Front toe 0 degrees
Rear camber -1.5 degrees
Rear toe-in 0.25-0.5 degrees

My rule of thumb is that the rear camber should be about a degree less than the front.

Another rule of thumb, the softer the suspension, the more negative camber you need to compensate for body roll. However, the more negative camber you have, the more likely you will wear the inside edge of the tire (straights, braking and unloaded side).

Another rule of thumb is to have a little toe-in in the rear for stability on the straights, and zero toe in the front - to a little toe-out - to help initiate turn-in. However, remember that with stock bushings the toe will change the most under braking.

 

You can buy the tool on eBay for about $20. (ZDMax). Buy it and take it in to the alignment shop. I set mine as a track/street alignment.
Front camber -2.0 deg.
Front caster 5 deg.
Front toe 0- .10 deg.
Rear camber -1.5 deg.
Rear toe 0-.15 deg.

 

Or invest in a good set of camber plates. And have your two alignments set and switch between the track and street

 

Thanks Guys.Picked up new track tires today and going for alignment next week.Hope this helped you also hahaha251251.

 

Looking into the ZDmax tool. That would be a great option for future and for taking it to a "regular" shop! I managed to find a Auto shop called German Auto that will do it for around $160 too.