Godzilla83s

I find this rather interesting as I am about to replace the front shocks on my 928.

Removing the lower control arm will alter the alignment, even more so if I have to replace the lower ball joints.
So if you go with the 100 miles to settle drive, you are driving around for 100 miles scrubbing your tires with a crooked steering wheel? Let alone the problems of keeping the car straight as the wonky alignment angles pull the car all over the road. This doesn't seem like the way to go about it.

hacker-pschorr

No

Follow the factory procedure and pull the car down to ride height while on the alignment equipment:

https://rennlist.com/forums/11159541-post25.html

How many of you ever consider having ballast in the drivers seat during an alignment? Next time you have your car aligned, when it's all done (and the equipment is still attached) climb behind the wheel and see how much (if any) the numbers on the screen change.

MainePorsche

Mine gets done with me in the seat and a full tank of gas. Actually pretty impressive change in rear camber, but changes all around noted.
I did the same when aligning my front lights.

jheis

Here's a method I devised years ago to approximate your alignment so that you can drive the car to settle it before you take it in for a "real" alignment.

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...-carriers.html

James

littleball_s4

No it's not.

I have done it after a shop ruined my alignment (damage was done anyway) and every time minor adjustment is needed (mainly ride height changes) or to check periodically everything is in place.

If one suspect major misalignment, one has to align before road test; pulling the car down with a sling, which forces you to use an elevator and slip plates. No shortcut there other than what James suggests (that I never tried, but seems easy and accurate enough).

Or, you can align no matter what ride height you have, ensuring semi decent alignment in the first miles, take a ride and iterate. That's what I would do, probably.

Godzilla83s

Thanks guys, great info!

WallyP

If you hit some rough roads, you can check and correct the toe in ten miles.

dr bob

Plastic bags sprayed inside with PAM do the trick nicely. I do two wheels at a time on the bags or the car will slide off of them from garage floor slope or even the tension on wrenches while adjusting.

For the "turntable" function, I add a beam splitter to the laser, point it straight down, and tape a sheet of paper with plus and minus 30º lines printed on it. Attach the angle gauge, calculate caster, and subtract the garage floor slope for the final reading. Except for the caster measurement, you can forego the slippery bags and just roll the car a few feet fore and aft after each adjustment. It's not as fast as having the tires 'free', but in the end it works fine.


The DIY alignment thread probably needs some updating, lots of little refinements and new methods have been discussed in the years since it ws originally written. Many members have come up with elegant and ingenious ways to get the job done. Jim M. in Texas built a fixture that uses a rotary laser on each wheel, for instance. Lots of people still use strings and a pocket scale for toe setting. Some 'commercial' setups are perhaps more elegant in the bracketry, and one suggests that their lasers are better because they have sharper dots than "construction-grade" laser levels, but in the end the best method is the one that works best for you.

OTR18WHEELER

before my 4 wheel alignment, I had no problem breaking traction and launching slideways from a stoplight, got new treads and the alignment, tires wear even and last longer, no more slideways launches, better grip.