WMRiceman

I’ve been looking really hard at the “Smart Strings” and “Smart Camber” alignment tools offered by Smart Racing (Excellence Ad). It would be really nice to be able to make wheel adjustments in your garage to set up for track or street use. What do you guys think? Worth the money or should I just leave wheel alignment to the professionals. Have any of you bought these alignment tools? I have some H&R springs and bilstein shocks to install so I’ll have to have the car aligned. I’m thinking of going with the RS alignment set up. Any comments on that set up for some street and mostly track. Thanks Mark

garrett376

If wasn't such a cheapo (and if I didn't figure another way), I'd get the smart-strings and their camber thing; those are sweet!

I do my own alignment on my 65 911 for racing. I use a $25 laser level sold at Costco - it projects laser cross-hairs that I mark either the wall in the garage, or the floor using the crosshairs, and take measurements from. It works really well for what I need, since I frequently reset and change things for different conditions- mostly I just disassemble the suspension so frequently I need to be able to do it on my own or I'd go broke paying the alignment folks at $200 a shot.

The Smart Strings seem very convenient - they're kinda expensive, and you can do the same thing with a laser level and a protractor (from 8th grade geometry) as I do.

For my C4, I plan on taking it in for alignment! Mostly because I don't know how to do it, and most importantly and the main reason, it is something that should not need to be done frequently.

Hope that helps somehow!

jchaley

i have been dong my own alignment like garret 376. I use a camber gauge and a laser or strings (depends on what I am doing). I do this for track set up. Because I am mainly interested in adding more or less of something rather than setting absolute settings. At the track I take tire temps and can work on dialing in the settings for best tire temps and handling. Alignments are more a matter of relative settings than absolute. The best settings for me may not be the best for you (depending on car suspension, setup, weight, use etc.) I say give it a try.

john

john

WMRiceman

Thanks for the replys. I think I'm going to give the alignment tools a try. I'll let everyone know how they turn out and if they are worth the money. Mark

garrett376

John, you said exactly what I was thinking, but could not type at the time - the reason I will have my C4 "professionally" done, is because I want the settings to be exact. On my race car, it's always a game to get the right setting. Thanks for clearing up my thoughts, John!

Matt Romanowski

One thing to make sure - that you have a level area to do it in. If the car is not level, than all the settings will be off.

Matt

Bill Gregory

And if you get scales to corner balance, get weights to put in the drivers seat.

Dennis Kline

I can say that I've used my Dunlop Toe and Camber Gauges for many years for both the race car and street cars. The most important part of alignment, at least for me, is the necessity of rolling the car back and forth to settle the suspension to check the repeatability of the measurement. I've even seen people tie strings to jack stands to provide parallel measuring points for toe alignments.
By all means, give it a try.

Jeff Curtis

Agreed, I only take measurements after just pulling in the garage after a drive home from work, running errands, etc. - figuring that the shocks and everything are nice and "warmed up" and the supension nice and relaxed when I pull in.

I use the Longacre caster/camber gauge with the Dunlop adapter, the Longacre toe plates/measuring tapes.

I go off the fact that my car is aligned professionally ~once a year and being that the steering wheel is centered during that procedure, I have a decent (used loosely) alignment to start with.

I am not a fan of rack alignments as the car is unsettled whilst going up the ramps, jacked up and relaxed, etc.

It takes SEVERAL measurements and adjustments to get camber and toe correct, but overall I think it's worth it. Owning the tools and gauges to do so makes it convenient to check settings at my leisure.

I went to the track with a less than desirable toe setting last weekend, just ran the damned car and resolved w/myself that there was more work to do when I got home.

Little did I know how much work there was to do as I had a slight "oopsie".

Okay, so MA Shaw is kept in business by Mr. Curtis once again.

Ruairidh

Jeff - a slight "oopsie"????????????

Jeff Curtis

Yup, ran off at turn 9, the "pasture" was a bit uneven, think of like the slope up to a golf green...smooth but elevated.

I didn't have my "DIXIE" horn ready for the airborne launch!

(referencing the Dukes of Hazard episodes)

Video shows car leaving the ground for approx. 1 1/2 ft. and landing, only to do the same thing again.

Bye-bye front spoiler and broken camber ball mount for front shock.

A relatively uneventful, but still pricey "agricultural excursion".

...and YES, the alignment is most certainly NILL...back to the drawing board.

RSAErick

Post the video!!!

Jeff Curtis

I don't have the neat little "toys" that would be required to do so.

Kelly Moss Racing has graciously offered me a deal I can't refuse on a new monoball cartridge housing...go KMR!

Now if I could just get a deal on an alignment.

Seriously, will recheck everything when I get the new housing in and will probably only have to reset the camber.

RSAErick

Jeff,
With as many "agricultural events" as you seem to have, you need to get some of 'dem 'dern little toys. Yeeeeeeee Haaaaawwwww!

And maybe you should change your license plate to "GNRL LEE".

Jeff Curtis

Thought of making it "TUO KOOL" - imagine seeing that in your rear view mirror.

You're right, I could be on the "Thrill of Victory, Agony of Defeat" intro. to ABC Sports or whatever that was...I need to pickup my fire-wire hookup from Best buy tomorrow!

Here's a picture of some carnage:



KMR says they've NEVER seen this happen before...ah, c'mon guys.

I kept looking in the rear view for Sheriff Roscooooooo Pico Train..."Geh geh geh, I got dem Duke boyz!"