MjRocket

Hey guys

Where does everyone take there 928 for the Best 4 wheel alignment? Porsche dealership?? Ive heard to look for a place that utilizes a laser setup...Post em up.

Thanks

Mj

Rocco Gibraltar

I take mine to Sears - $69.99

MjRocket

Happen to know what kind of setup they use?

Thx

Rob Edwards

+1 on Sears, until I started going to Greg Brown's guy. But they both use a Hunter DSP-400.

MjRocket

My next question is...Say I take it to sears, I assume they look up the correct camber/toe in and such that Porsche recommends the car be adjusted to. But this info would be for factory wheel and tire sizes, I run much bigger wheels and tires then Porsche intended for the 928, how will they compensate for this? Or doesn't it matter?

Thx

85euro928

I use Sears as well. Just make sure you speak with the mechanic before he starts and let him know not to lift the front end. The Hunter machine they use has the ability to lift the tires off the ground while the car is on the roll-on lift. Also bring the pin to center the rack as they won't have one. Lastly, as soon as you get the car home lift it up and re-torque all the suspension bolts. Both times I used Sears the suspension bolts were left loose, the first time it cost me. I'd also like to know if the size of the tire effects the alignment? If you don't mind maybe later tonight I'll post my alignment report to this post so we can compare? I'd be interested to see other peoples results while using Sears.

85euro928

One other thing, you may want to bring an allen head socket for the front camber/caster adjusters with you and offering it up for the mechanics use. My guy at Sears uses his own tools and didn't have a metric allen wrench that fit so he wound up buggering up the adjuster:/

PC-85-928S

The porsche dealer in my area used a hunter machine, but was charging $300.00

85euro928

Sears does the sliding scale thing with regards to price; the longer the warranty, the more it costs. It seems to run anywhere from +/- $70 to +/- $150.

Landseer

Sears, but only the shops that will let me back under the lift and collaborate with the mechanics.
Have got three mechanics 'adapted' now here at Sears in the Elkhart area to do the 928. Always need to remind them to torque.
They have a Hunter 600.
Hardest part seems to be finding a wrench combo from their box that accomodates torquing the rear toe adjuster.
Bring the torque figures with you.

Andy Kay

NTW - My neighborhood Sears could not do it but NTW could. They had the flat lift (ie like a table lift) and lazer/computerized machine. $69.99 No problem what so ever!

FredR

Most of these operators of laser alignment machines such as the Hunter will simply ask you for your model number/year and look up the reference data base. If you do not tell them otherwise they will try to set the alignment within the allowable specs and probably somewhere mid range.

You obviously know that the suspension must be well settled but it seems pretty clear you do not know what alignment you want which in turn depends on what you want to achieve.

If you have front wheels like mine with 265 rubber on them and look for extreme cornering performance then I target 2.0 degrees front camber. Because the wide rubber increases the steering effort I elect to set the front toe-in at the minimum end of the allowable range -sometimes slightly less- it improves turn in as well but can be a bit twitchy depending on your tastes- if you want rock solid straight line performance go mid range. For caster I use 5 degrees- period. On the rear end [295's] I look for 1.5 degrees of camber and on toe I look for a mid range setting as less rear toe, although helping the car drive out of a tight bend, can induce less grip and you lose the perceived benefit. Perhaps most importantly of all the setting should be very evenly matched both sides.

Leave these decisions to the operator you get what you get.

I also find that such folks do not seem to have the right kit to torque up the rear end correctly and end up using spanners with extension bars- not very good.

Regards

Fred R

auzivision

Not sure why, but soon as one mentions Porsche, alignment guys get skittish. I've confirmed that Sears is will and has the proper equipment to perform an alignment, just haven't had them do one yet. SOmetime they offer "free Checks".

As other have said, the rule is... no lifting the vehicle because the suspension doesn't settle back down to normal immediately after setting it back down. The "By the book" way is to pull down the front and joist the suspension... more trouble than it's worth when todays racks don't need to lift vehicle.

I'm not an expert, but my guess is tire/wheel size has no overall effect on toe or camber specs since these are relative to vertical (camber) and horizontal/parallel (toe). For sure tire size can effect ride height which can also effect caster.

I wonder how much difference a full versus empty gas tank effects caster?

MjRocket

Yes, Definitely...Please post your report, lets get some comparisons going.

Thx

Landseer

The rack on the Hunter is wide, I think with a raised outer edge. The car is low. The rear toe adjuster has sides. You can't get any normal torque wrench, or a normal open end wrench even, onto the adjusters. That's the problem the alignment guys have. I bought a special wrench just to enable tightening them while on the rack.