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String Alignment

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Old 08-02-2009, 01:33 PM
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rzundel
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Default String Alignment

I would like to hear from anyone that has done a string alignment on their car? The shop I am getting my KW V3 coilovers installed from said they are doing a string alignment and corner balance. I would like to know how precise a string alignment is? I was told that while time consuming, it can be a better alignment than a machine. Fact or fiction?
Old 08-02-2009, 02:42 PM
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String alignment is what I have been getting on my cars for the last 4 years. Yes, it is time consuming, and yes it is better than a machine.

Most machines out there are out of calibration. I would take my car to one place with a state of the art Hunter alignment equipment, go somewhere else to get a reading, and the specs were way off. My gut feeling is that my cars drove better when the alignment was done with strings.

In the L.A. area I know of two highly praised shops to perform alignments.

I think strings are the only way to go. Race teams use the same method. The only painful part with the the 996/997 (and Boxster/Coxster) is setting rear toe and rear camber, almost an impossible job to get done with the crappy eccentric bolts, but this is a problem despite of the alignment method being used.

Fact.
Old 08-02-2009, 03:26 PM
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AllanJ
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I went to two different shops and even the caster was out by a full degree between these two different Hunter machines so I wonder what specs my car really has?

I keep thinking of doing the string thing myself. I've got ERP toe links and dogbones so the crappy eccentric bolt isn't an issue.
Old 08-02-2009, 03:51 PM
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springgeyser
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Where do you guys set the rear centerline of the car so the car track straight?
Old 08-02-2009, 05:32 PM
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rzundel
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Originally Posted by NJ-GT
String alignment is what I have been getting on my cars for the last 4 years. Yes, it is time consuming, and yes it is better than a machine.

Most machines out there are out of calibration. I would take my car to one place with a state of the art Hunter alignment equipment, go somewhere else to get a reading, and the specs were way off. My gut feeling is that my cars drove better when the alignment was done with strings.

In the L.A. area I know of two highly praised shops to perform alignments.

I think strings are the only way to go. Race teams use the same method. The only painful part with the the 996/997 (and Boxster/Coxster) is setting rear toe and rear camber, almost an impossible job to get done with the crappy eccentric bolts, but this is a problem despite of the alignment method being used.

Fact.
Who are the two shops you recommend in LA? Have you heard of AE Performance? They are coming up strong in the scene.
Old 08-02-2009, 06:58 PM
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triode
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My last alignment was my first string alignment...so far so good.
Old 08-02-2009, 07:15 PM
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Tom Trew
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I have been doing string alignments myself for about 10 years. First on a 993, and now on the GT3. I believe the real key to accuracy with the strings is that I don't have to jack the car once I have it on the level platform. Most of the fancy Hunter machines I have seen in use require the car to be jacked so that they can "calibrate" the mechinisms that hang off of each wheel. Our suspensions have enough friction and high enough spring rates that the car never comes back to it's settled position once it has been jacked, no matter how much bouncing you may try. I make sure the car has been driven before pulling it onto the platform and that way I know the suspension is fully settled.

Springgeyser asked how you find the centerline of the car for the strings. If you remove the wheel center caps from your wheels, you can see the axle stubs. I measure from the ends of the stubs out to set the strings at an equal distance both front and rear. This sets the centerline of the strings over the centerline of the contact patches which is really what you want.
Old 08-02-2009, 09:52 PM
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CoGT3
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The race shop that services my car also does only string alignments. They have had the Hunter machines and also complain about calibration issues. They do support for GT3 cup and Grand Am teams, both DP and GT. Strings are what they use track side for set up, seems if its good info for them, it should be good enough for us mortals.
Old 08-02-2009, 11:24 PM
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4porsh
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I had these guys do my string alignment-car feels great.

http://www.werks2.com/Home.jsp?refresh=true

Old 08-02-2009, 11:31 PM
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a REAL alignment is always done with strings.
Old 08-03-2009, 12:50 AM
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AllanJ
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What do the string guys do for camber? One of those camber gauges or a shop made jig?

sample camber gauge:

Old 08-03-2009, 09:04 AM
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Tom Trew
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I use the Smart Camber shown in your picture. It reads to 1/10th of a degree and gives repeatable readings. It has to be calibrated when you first set it up which is tedious, but once set up is easy to use.
Old 08-03-2009, 12:54 PM
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String or Hunter, it's all about the person doing the alignment. Most people that use string tend to know a little more about aligning a car... But ultimately the Hunter is the more accurate tool. The trick is to find someone that really knows how to align a GT3 that uses a Hunter!

I like you have KWs installed, Clubsports; I got the string alignment, along with corner balance, and the car felt good at 5/10ths, but beyond that I needed the accuracy of the Hunter machine because of how sensitive the GT3 is to alignment.
Old 08-04-2009, 03:21 AM
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Originally Posted by MetalSolid
String or Hunter, it's all about the person doing the alignment. Most people that use string tend to know a little more about aligning a car... But ultimately the Hunter is the more accurate tool. The trick is to find someone that really knows how to align a GT3 that uses a Hunter!

I like you have KWs installed, Clubsports; I got the string alignment, along with corner balance, and the car felt good at 5/10ths, but beyond that I needed the accuracy of the Hunter machine because of how sensitive the GT3 is to alignment.
what you said makes sense but in reality it doesn't work that way.
hunter has to be aligned OFTEN.
most shops, inc dealers, simply can't afford to have the machine alone every month. all this is assuming the hunter operator actually knows what he's doing.
Old 08-04-2009, 05:09 AM
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And F1 use what---strings!!


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