I just installed the tokico hpk kit... it runs fine and all but now I have to get a wheel alignment and the places I go to are telling me that the alignment wont come out correct because the machines do to it factory specs... is this true? maybe any nyc'ers can tell me a spot to go to... thanks a lot...

 

many places wont do custom alignments. you just have to call around and see who is willing to do it to your specs. main thing is to get the toe close to zero in front. camber is your preference you can run a little more negative for more cornering grip. maybe -2 or so.

 

well i just want to get an alignment, im not too familiar with this type of stuff... i just had to get a new suspension thats the reason why i bought one... just dont want my tires to get messed up...

 

are u slammed? a lil bit? just get the toe aligned, camber cant be adjusted

 

i work at the shop merchants and i do alot of alignments everyday. order a aftermarket camber kit and have it installed. then get the alignment. youll prolly get charged a little more for a specialty alignment. had a regular customer who comes in whos a professional racer at summit point. brought in his miata and he had custom specs done. so it wouldnt hurt to ask, might have to sign a waiver or somethin.

 

unless you have a camber kit I don't think you can adjust that so have them get everything close to oe spec. My first drop was w/ skunk2 springs and Tokico Blues and i don't think i ever got an alignment and after like 4 years I barely had any camber wear. But after recently installin some Buddy Clubs and getting the alignment it feels really smooth. All my buddy did was get it as close to oe spec. You should be fine man

 

Well the drop is only like 1.5 inches with the tokico hpk kit, so its not even close to being slammed... i have 205/40/17 on my car... even without the alignment the wheels dont shift to one side... but im just afraid of the tire wear...

 

tell them to just worry about toe. the can adjust that just fine, no matter what (unless you got accident frame damage issues.)

fix the toe, and you dont need to worry about tire wear.

you dont need to worry about camber or getting it "to factory spec".

 

so just go to a place that does alignment and just say to adjust the toe?

 

yes.

 

yes and dont let them screw you and try to charge more for a "specialty alignment". In your case they are doing nothing different than a regular car.

I run into this all the time when shops try to overcharge just cause its lowered. If they were gonna do custom settings to a camber kit or something then fine charge more but not for a standard alignment

 

called a few more places and they went do it to lowered cars... its getting me aggravated...

 

All part of the joy of owning a modified vehicle.

There are 12 shops within a 10 block radius of my place that do alignments. Only 1 of them will align my car.

But now that I know which shop it is, I get any and all brake and suspension work done there (even on my stock cars), recommend the place to friends and coworkers, and tell the shop just how much I appreciate what they do.

They're also the only shop that would accept being told "No impacts, take my wheels off and put them back on with a torque wrench.". A good shop is worth hunting around to find.

 

yea i know it takes patience... what sucks is that i have to use the car for school... so its been a week already of driving without an alignment...

 

None of the shops you talked to who wouldn't align the lowered car would recommend a place that would?

 

Nope I actually called today a performance shop that did alignments, and they told me they couldnt do my car... So ironic and then I asked the guy if he knows any places and he told me no... Going to try another party of the city and hopefully I can get a place that will do it...

 

i dont get it... you just need to get the car on the alignment rack. bring blocks of wood with you. whats the big deal?

i would just go and tell them to align it without even saying anything. if they say they cant adjust the camber, tell them who cares, just do the toe.

if they wont do any kind of warranty, who cares. you wont need it anyway.

 

I understand but when they seen the car lowered they say no automatically i guess... One place actually told me they cant align my car because of my tires... lol

 

what? because of your tires? did they explain why? I'm glad I have a boy who works at a dealership. I'm lowered about 2.5 or so and their alignment machine would pretty much allow a completely slammed car to get up on the machine. I hope you can find a place

 

tell me about it... thats what i said when they told me they couldnt do the alignment because of my tires... im going to continue my hunt today

EDIT: so i just called a place that charges $50... i told the guy that i lowered the car about 1.5 inch all around... and he was telling me basically when people put new suspensions with lowering springs that it knocks the alignment off and that pretty much only the toe can be adjusted unless a camber kit is installed... he said since i dont have a camber kit the tires lean inside so tire wear is going to happen anyway... so he pretty much said only the toe can be adjusted which you guys are saying anyway... does this sound right, does the guy know what he is talking about?

 

the guy is correct except that negative camber will NOT give you uneven tire wear. check out the sticky at the top of this forum for info on why you dont need camber kit. if he will do it for $50 then thats a steal

also i find it crazy that you cant get a shop to do the alignment. ive had my car at 3-4 different shops in my area and never had a problem. Mr Tire, Merchants, NTB, Goodyear pretty much any commercial name. Right now I have the 1-year unlimited package at merchants/ntb.

 

Let's correct this, that sticky is somewhat true but the key word here is as noted below.

Negative camber will not cause you "that much" uneven tire wear would be the correct phrase.

It will still cause your tires to wear faster on the side that makes contact to the road especially with higher HP cars. Physics rule.

If you are ever down in Miami check out Miami Chassis for they specialize in lowered cars.

 

thanks a lot for the help guys... im new to this whole thing... im going to go to the guy probably later this week and hopefully there wont be any more problems...

since i dont race i dont think i have to worry about the uneven tire wear as much...

 

updated with shots of the adjustment... left rear couldnt be adjust any more cause of an accident the car was into before i bought it... the guy said a new lca should do the job...

 

Wow, that wheel is way off.

The rest look good, but something is definitely bend back there.