Ok so I went to my local Firestone Service Center and they had a price of $70 for a one time alignment and $140 for lifetime. So I figured what the hell, Ill get the lifetime just in case anything happens and I figured when I finally sell my car down the road I would return it to stock. And once again I would need to get another one. Ok so heres my dilema, when trying to adjust the caster he said that the adjuster would not move. Either way he moved the adjuster it had no response. Here are my results and please let me know if I should take it back:

Camber
Front L -.5 R -.5
Rear L -1.5 R -1.6

Caster
Front L 3.2 R 5.5

Toe
Front L -.04 R -.04
Rear L .13 R .11

He said that the car would drive straight and I wouldnt get any uneven wear, so how does caster affect drivability? And to top it all off, my steering wheel was around the 11 oclock position and after the alignment its in the 1 oclock position.

If I do take it back it will be to another store.

 

what kind of alignment is that? LOL ... sorry

seriously, why the hell are those uneven numbers on rear??

caster affects the turning angle.. and tendency to pull to the side..


Modified by WowOzYouRock at 2:22 PM 9/6/2007

 

Positive caster tends to straighten the wheel when the vehicle is traveling forward, and thus is used to enhance straight-line stability.

Here are the UK specs.

Front
Caster Left 6° 45"
Caster Right 6° 45"
Camber Left -1° 00"
Camber Right -1° 00"
Toe Left 0° 0"
Toe Right 0° 0"
Total Toe 0° 0"

Rear
Camber Left -2° 00"
Camber Right -2° 00"
Toe Left 0° 20"
Toe Right 0° 20"
Total Toe 0° 40"

You need to take your car somewhere else.

 

I didnt think the rear numbers were that off... i was more concerned with the caster

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by papa5murf &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

You need to take your car somewhere else. </TD></TR></TABLE>

YAYYYYY so basically I bought a lifetime of horrible alignments... yeah there are 4 other places in the area taht id be willing to take it to...

 

Well caster has been known to give shops a hard time. But you want your caster to be the same on both sides. The fact that the steering wheel is at the 1 o'clock position itself shows that your caster is way off.

You have a lifetime of alignments. Just take it to another Firestone Service Center and see if they can do it? If not, just keep taking it back till they do. It's free now right? LOL

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by S2KILLA &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I didnt think the rear numbers were that off... i was more concerned with the caster</TD></TR></TABLE>

keyword: alignment ...

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by S2KILLA &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

YAYYYYY so basically I bought a lifetime of horrible alignments...</TD></TR></TABLE>

hahahahaha that seriously made me LOLerz

 

hahah thats what im here for

 

wow those are nasty numbers....

here is the S@nt0s Spec alignment
best one i had

S@nt0s Spec
Front
Caster Left 6° 45"
Caster Right 6° 45"
Camber Left -2° 00" or 2.5
Camber Right -2° 00" or 2.5
Toe Left 0° 0"
Toe Right 0° 0"
Total Toe 0° 0"

Rear
Camber Left -3° 00" or 3.5
Camber Right -3° 00" or 3.5
Toe Left 0° 20"
Toe Right 0° 20"
Total Toe 0° 40"


Modified by S@nt0s at 8:54 AM 9/7/2007

 

That's a horrible alignment, S2KILLA. Talk to the manager, maybe he's got a better alignment specialist he can put on the job.

My numbers are right in line with the UK specs, but with a little less camber on the driver rear: I've found that my weight adds about 0.3* of negative camber to the driver's rear tire. The other numbers are not significantly affected. Statically with no driver, I'm a little off the UK specs. With a driver, it's very close. With a passenger too, I'm a bit off. Nothing to worry about: the extra weight is more noticable than any suspension settings.

Caster greatly affects straightline stability: more caster will trach straighter and have better road feel. Downside is that in tight turns, the front tends to push and wash out more because of the angled contact patch. Not a big deal, even for autocrossers.

Less caster makes the steering wheel change angle quicker: the car will feel dartier and wander more.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by S@nt0s &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">wow those are nasty numbers....

here is the S@nt0s Spec alignment
best one i had

S@nt0s Spec
Front
Caster Left 6° 45"
Caster Right 6° 45"
Camber Left -2° 00" or 2.5
Camber Right -1° 00" or 2.5
Toe Left 0° 0"
Toe Right 0° 0"
Total Toe 0° 0"

Rear
Camber Left -3° 00" or 3.5
Camber Right -3° 00" or 3.5
Toe Left 0° 20"
Toe Right 0° 20"
Total Toe 0° 40"</TD></TR></TABLE>

How did you like that set up?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by S@nt0s &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">wow those are nasty numbers....

here is the S@nt0s Spec alignment
best one i had

S@nt0s Spec
Front
Caster Left 6° 45"
Caster Right 6° 45"
Camber Left -2° 00" or 2.5
Camber Right -1° 00" or 2.5
Toe Left 0° 0"
Toe Right 0° 0"
Total Toe 0° 0"

Rear
Camber Left -3° 00" or 3.5
Camber Right -3° 00" or 3.5
Toe Left 0° 20"
Toe Right 0° 20"
Total Toe 0° 40"</TD></TR></TABLE>

I take it there is a mistype in the front camber specs between R/L

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by bky &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">That's a horrible alignment, S2KILLA. Talk to the manager, maybe he's got a better alignment specialist he can put on the job.

My numbers are right in line with the UK specs, but with a little less camber on the driver rear: I've found that my weight adds about 0.3* of negative camber to the driver's rear tire. The other numbers are not significantly affected. Statically with no driver, I'm a little off the UK specs. With a driver, it's very close. With a passenger too, I'm a bit off. Nothing to worry about: the extra weight is more noticable than any suspension settings.

Caster greatly affects straightline stability: more caster will trach straighter and have better road feel. Downside is that in tight turns, the front tends to push and wash out more because of the angled contact patch. Not a big deal, even for autocrossers.

Less caster makes the steering wheel change angle quicker: the car will feel dartier and wander more.</TD></TR></TABLE>

yeah tell me about it... i took it for a spirited drive on the way to the golf course yesterday and the same turn ive taken countless times before I started push into the turn, overcompensated and went sideways, brought it back around, but still a lil startling.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by S@nt0s &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">wow those are nasty numbers....

here is the S@nt0s Spec alignment
best one i had

S@nt0s Spec
Front
Caster Left 6° 45"
Caster Right 6° 45"
Camber Left -2° 00" or 2.5
Camber Right -2° 00" or 2.5
Toe Left 0° 0"
Toe Right 0° 0"
Total Toe 0° 0"

Rear
Camber Left -3° 00" or 3.5
Camber Right -3° 00" or 3.5
Toe Left 0° 20"
Toe Right 0° 20"
Total Toe 0° 40"</TD></TR></TABLE>

fixed.....

i loved it actually... and wear on tires was almost nothing... even all across...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by S2KILLA &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Ok so I went to my local Firestone Service Center and they had a price of $70 for a one time alignment and $140 for lifetime. So I figured what the hell, Ill get the lifetime just in case anything happens and I figured when I finally sell my car down the road I would return it to stock. And once again I would need to get another one. Ok so heres my dilema, when trying to adjust the caster he said that the adjuster would not move. Either way he moved the adjuster it had no response. Here are my results and please let me know if I should take it back:

Camber
Front L -.5 R -.5
Rear L -1.5 R -1.6

Caster
Front L 3.2 R 5.5

Toe
Front L -.04 R -.04
Rear L .13 R .11

He said that the car would drive straight and I wouldnt get any uneven wear, so how does caster affect drivability? And to top it all off, my steering wheel was around the 11 oclock position and after the alignment its in the 1 oclock position.

If I do take it back it will be to another store.</TD></TR></TABLE>

hell freaking yeah take it back.

1.) The rear toe in is supposed to be something like .24''.
2.)Your steering wheel should have been straight when the STARTED the alignment. You align the car to the steering wheel.

Caster helps the car track straight. It also helps turn in (steering angle), and high speed stability. The more front caster you have, the more your car will ride rough as the bumps will transfer back into your steering column more.

No idea why the caster adjuster didnt do anything. That makes no sense. It's an eccentric bolt. It has to do SOMETHING when you move it lol. Was the car ever in a crash? Stock caster should be like +5 to +6 degrees.

S2000s are difficult to align. there's a lot of give and take for the rear suspension numbers. Toe goes positive as camber goes negative. So you have to find a way to merge the two numbers to where you want them.

Example: Say you wanted -1.5 degrees of camber and stock toe setting. if you set camber to -1.5 and then try to correct toe (let's say you're moving toe positive to get it right), your camber will get thrown (too negative) off when your toe is correct.

You'd have to set camber to like -1.2 and then mess with toe (depending on how far it's off).

Like i said, it's a lot of give and take. The guy probably just wanted to be done with it lol that's why the numbers are'nt all matched.

My alignment was done by me and my friend. That's why it rules.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by papa5murf &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Front
Caster Left 6° 45"
Caster Right 6° 45"
Camber Left -1° 00"
Camber Right -1° 00"
Toe Left 0° 0"
Toe Right 0° 0"
Total Toe 0° 0"

Rear
Camber Left -2° 00"
Camber Right -2° 00"
Toe Left 0° 20"
Toe Right 0° 20"
Total Toe 0° 40"

You need to take your car somewhere else. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Im going on Monday... what are the US specs?
Also, Im going to be running 225 tire up front with an offset of +48 and in the rear i wanted a 255 with an offset of +45...

the next question i have is can i run them under US specs or should i run the UK specs?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by S2KILLA &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Im going on Monday... what are the US specs?
Also, Im going to be running 225 tire up front with an offset of +48 and in the rear i wanted a 255 with an offset of +45...

the next question i have is can i run them under US specs or should i run the UK specs?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Run the UK specs. You'll be much happier.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by S2KILLA &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Im going on Monday... what are the US specs?
Also, Im going to be running 225 tire up front with an offset of +48 and in the rear i wanted a 255 with an offset of +45...

the next question i have is can i run them under US specs or should i run the UK specs?</TD></TR></TABLE>

depending on how much the car is lowered, you might not be able to run them under any OEM specs, and you may have to crush your fender lip.

I have 225*45/17 up front with 245/40/17 (soon to be 255)..hehee...i got those tires free. So i did a 40 sec. burn out.

ANYWAY. I have 17X7.5 17X9 +45 all the way around.

I'm using -2.6 front camber -2.9 rear camber
stock caster and toe numbers for the U.S alignment.

Works great. I use the stock wheels (painted voodoo blue) on 225/50/16 245/45/16 hankook RS2s at the track. Sticks like it's on the movie theater floor.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by papa5murf &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Run the UK specs. You'll be much happier. </TD></TR></TABLE>

run S@nt0s spec and you'll be UBER happier

 

well i like to be happy... so it looks like ill go with the UK...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by S2KILLA &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

yeah tell me about it... i took it for a spirited drive on the way to the golf course yesterday and the same turn ive taken countless times before I started push into the turn, overcompensated and went sideways, brought it back around, but still a lil startling.</TD></TR></TABLE>
I'm going to bet that it's pretty squirrely under braking too. I personally don't like low caster, but it's OK as long as both sides are the same. With such a big difference in caster, your car is going to want to yaw as the suspension goes up and down, front or back. Maybe it's just a little yaw, maybe a lot.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B serious &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

depending on how much the car is lowered, you might not be able to run them under any OEM specs, and you may have to crush your fender lip.

I have 225*45/17 up front with 245/40/17 (soon to be 255)..hehee...i got those tires free. So i did a 40 sec. burn out.

ANYWAY. I have 17X7.5 17X9 +45 all the way around.

I'm using -2.6 front camber -2.9 rear camber
stock caster and toe numbers for the U.S alignment.

Works great. I use the stock wheels (painted voodoo blue) on 225/50/16 245/45/16 hankook RS2s at the track. Sticks like it's on the movie theater floor.</TD></TR></TABLE>

im only lowered .8" front and 1.0" rear ( Swift Springs FTMFW )
I think im gonna run the UK Spec with SSR GT1's 17x7.5 +45 225's and 17x8 +48 255's.

I think ill be alright when i go back for my free re-alignment... im gonna ask him for someone thats not a retard to work on it...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by S@nt0s &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

run S@nt0s spec and you'll be UBER happier </TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah I think im gonna try that next.

Im tired of UK.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Francesco &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Yeah I think im gonna try that next.

Im tired of UK.</TD></TR></TABLE>

watch u will notice a big diff in how she hugs

 

i'm going to have to try that set up too santos.