LAT

I was just informed by my dealer that although they have a Kinematic adjustment tool from Porsche they could not set my car because it has been lowered.

My car has stock Euro M030 suspension set at stock Euro hight. How can it be too low for the tool to set?

Anyone else experience this?

TheOtherEric

The shop manual describes the procedure for RS cars, which are lower than euro M030. Basically, you jack up the rear until the arms you're mearsuring are roughly horizontal, then take your kinematic toe measurements with the standard gauges. Maybe somebody will chime in as to whether or not that really works.

LAT

Eric

Could you direct me to what page, I have the books and must have missed it.

Thanks

LAT

TheOtherEric

It's somewhere around chapter 44-14, at page 630 of my 1481 page book. Just after the section on kinematic toe adjustment on standard cars.

LAT

Eric,

Thanks, much appreciated.

LAT

kkim

LAT,

Find a good independent in your area instead. The dealer is most likely telling you this cause they don't want to work on your car... plus, they obviously haven't done it before, so why would you want them "learning" on your car?

The experienced local alignment tech I worked with was very helpful and willing to work with me once he knew that I had my own KT tool.


Good luck

LAT

I have had my KT tool with bolts shipped to them, if they still don't get it then I will have no choice and take your advice.
Thanks

tj90

Couple questions - can a typical alignment shop do alignments on the 993? It sounds like they cant since you guys are talking about KT tools etc. If the tool is required, where is a good source? Does it allow DIYers to do it themselves?

LAT

Thanks to KKim I bought mine from Autometrics, they are out of stock at the moment but should have some soon. I got lucky and got the last one.

I don't know enough about alignments to comment on the DIY aspect.

kkim

KT= Kinematic Toe tool.

The tool is needed so the alignment shop can set the Kinematic toe setting correctly. I don't think you would be able to set the kinematic toe without having it on an alignment rack as the setting of the KT affects the toe and camber settings which need to be "worked" into the desired specs when you monkey with the kinematic toe adjuster.

Only source of aftermarket KT tool is Autometrics, that I know of, right now.

tj90

Thanks for the info - I have not actually had to do an alignment yet. I thought that it was straight forward like any other car. I guess its not - another excuse for the shop to charge double. Thanks for the information!!

Flying Finn

Good way to know whether the shop in question know how to do it or not is to ask whether they have a bubble gauge or just talk about kinematic toe and if they have this face on their face, just walk away.

TheOtherEric

Yes, typical alignment shops do alignments all the time; they just don't set the kinematic toe. Risky, perhaps, yet many people do it. I'd bet that 80% of our cars didn't have KT set properly at our shop. I'm not saying this is acceptable, it's just the sad reality. Many shops that lack gauges have their own procedures for KT, which would take a while to explain.

I'm convinced that you can do KT without the porsche tools by using a simple angle measurer. The official procedure simply calls for adjusting one eccentric bolt until two particular control arms are parallel within x markings of the porsche gauges. Since the tools are special, we don't know what x is unless we analyzed the gauges. But one could do it, then use simple angle measurers from then on.

SPeaking of the Autometrics gauges, I've never understood how those could possibly emulate the official procedure since they don't measure the angles of any control arms, much less two independent arms. They seem to me like more of a caster gauge, but perhaps Autometrics calibrated them somehow against the porsche KT specs.

LAT

Eirk
I spoke with Gord Friedman of Kinematic about the gauge prior to purchase. Autometrics does not make the gauge they are the distributor. This gauge is a copy of the Porsche Motorsports gauge and it is a simplified version of the one the dealer is supposed to use. The idea behind this gauge is not the absolute number ie. 1.5 units but rather that both sides are set a close as possible to the same angle.

I have my car at Carousel in MN at the moment and they had a problem with setting the KA "because the car was lowered" I explained and proved to them that the car is stock ROW height and thus not outside the adjustment parameters in the manual. I faxed them a copy of page 44 as we discussed and they are going to put the car back on the rack on Monday and check it with both their OEM gauge and my Autometrics unit. I should have the outcome late Monday.

Keep in touch.

LAT