I may have the dealer do my next alignment when i purchase new tires. That said, my tire store alignment was done with Hunter equip, full tank of gas and me in the driver's seat. Tire wear has been excellent.
A Warning About Alignments
- Thread starter The Critic
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Originally Posted By: AITG
What's next? A hood scoop? 20 inch wheels? I can't wait ...
I don't see how suspension modifications indicate future less-than-useless cosmetic changes.
Next up, a stiffer rear stabilizer bar to tune out some of that understeer. Let's see a Prius that can lift a rear wheel!
What's next? A hood scoop? 20 inch wheels? I can't wait ...
I don't see how suspension modifications indicate future less-than-useless cosmetic changes.
Next up, a stiffer rear stabilizer bar to tune out some of that understeer. Let's see a Prius that can lift a rear wheel!
Originally Posted By: Russell
I may have the dealer do my next alignment when i purchase new tires. That said, my tire store alignment was done with Hunter equip, full tank of gas and me in the driver's seat. Tire wear has been excellent.
Why mess with a good thing?
I may have the dealer do my next alignment when i purchase new tires. That said, my tire store alignment was done with Hunter equip, full tank of gas and me in the driver's seat. Tire wear has been excellent.
Why mess with a good thing?
Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
Just because a shop has high-end alignment rack/equipment/software it comes down to the technician doing the work that makes a huge difference in the outcome of the work.
This post makes the most sense. A good tech at a good shop more than likey keeps their machines calibrated too.
Just because a shop has high-end alignment rack/equipment/software it comes down to the technician doing the work that makes a huge difference in the outcome of the work.
This post makes the most sense. A good tech at a good shop more than likey keeps their machines calibrated too.
Originally Posted By: AITG
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Wait, you lowered a Prius? LOL!
I can't believe it took until page 4 for someone to pick up on this.
What's next? A hood scoop? 20 inch wheels? I can't wait ...
The wheels and body kit are not worth the price, but the suspension bits are. The springs were about $200 and have offered a significant improvement in handling.
Originally Posted By: sayjac
How do you know Sears was right and Firestone was wrong?
As a consumer, even a semi-discerning one, seems like there's lot's room for being scammed on alignments. IIRC, I've had one in the ~15 years, at a Honda dealer. New set of tires, wear seemed decent/acceptable but no alignment ever done, car 7-8 years old. Dealer puts it on rack, later comes back with print out and says everything in spec, doesn't center spec, and charges ~$60. Basically $60 for an alignment check. Won't be getting another again now, unless there is significant uneven wear.
I took the car to a different Firestone and it appears that Sears was the one who was off. Next weekend, I will be taking out the left-rear axle hub bearing assembly and installing SPC EZ-SHIMs and spacers to correct the left-rear toe and camber.
Originally Posted By: rpn453
I don't see how suspension modifications indicate future less-than-useless cosmetic changes.
Next up, a stiffer rear stabilizer bar to tune out some of that understeer. Let's see a Prius that can lift a rear wheel!
I already installed the PLUS pkg rear sway bar, it was $260. It does tune out much of the understeer.
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Wait, you lowered a Prius? LOL!
I can't believe it took until page 4 for someone to pick up on this.
What's next? A hood scoop? 20 inch wheels? I can't wait ...
The wheels and body kit are not worth the price, but the suspension bits are. The springs were about $200 and have offered a significant improvement in handling.
Originally Posted By: sayjac
How do you know Sears was right and Firestone was wrong?
I took the car to a different Firestone and it appears that Sears was the one who was off. Next weekend, I will be taking out the left-rear axle hub bearing assembly and installing SPC EZ-SHIMs and spacers to correct the left-rear toe and camber.
Originally Posted By: rpn453
I don't see how suspension modifications indicate future less-than-useless cosmetic changes.
Next up, a stiffer rear stabilizer bar to tune out some of that understeer. Let's see a Prius that can lift a rear wheel!
I already installed the PLUS pkg rear sway bar, it was $260. It does tune out much of the understeer.
Is it not possible to move the rear subframe/torsion beam to even out side to side? Sorry I'm not too familiar with the rear susp of that car. I've never really liked the idea of shims on the hub. Then again, I don't really like the idea of non-independent rear suspension.
I've never been a fan of how the Prius looks, but the dark grey one in that video posted above looks pretty [censored] good.
OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
Originally Posted By: The Critic
The wheels and body kit are not worth the price, but the suspension bits are. The springs were about $200 and have offered a significant improvement in handling.
I'm going to be the one to say this, and please don't consider it harsh but:
You were originally looking at getting a BMW. You didn't get one. Now you are lowering your Prius to improve "handling", what's next?
You didn't buy a BMW sir. You aren't going to be turning the Prius into one. If the intent is to eventually get rid of the Prius and buy a BMW, then just leave the Prius alone. It is not a BMW, it will never BE a BMW, accept that fact and move on.
The wheels and body kit are not worth the price, but the suspension bits are. The springs were about $200 and have offered a significant improvement in handling.
I'm going to be the one to say this, and please don't consider it harsh but:
You were originally looking at getting a BMW. You didn't get one. Now you are lowering your Prius to improve "handling", what's next?
You didn't buy a BMW sir. You aren't going to be turning the Prius into one. If the intent is to eventually get rid of the Prius and buy a BMW, then just leave the Prius alone. It is not a BMW, it will never BE a BMW, accept that fact and move on.
Soon...
Originally Posted By: ComfyShorts
Soon...
(not that a Prius was ever a great looking vehicle) but comeon....
Soon...
Originally Posted By: Russell
Thank you
To align my BMW (only toe-in can be adjusted) you are supposed to have a full tank and place appropiate weights in seats to simulate a loaded vehicle. Do you think any shop does this?
My BMW dealer had a question for me about the alignment on my 2003 BMW M5, so I joined him at the alignment machine. Sure enough, the car was loaded down with sandbags as per the manual. Newer ones don't need this any more.
I was hanging around a race track a couple of weeks ago and there was a professional race team running early season data acquisition laps on a new Porsche GT3 Cup car. Before they sent the car out, it was up on an alignment and balancing rack decked out with fishing line to adjust the wheel alignment. As the crew chief said, even when his electronic aligmnent kit is newly calibrated, he still doesn't trust it. But when he "strings" the car, he knows it's right.
Thank you
To align my BMW (only toe-in can be adjusted) you are supposed to have a full tank and place appropiate weights in seats to simulate a loaded vehicle. Do you think any shop does this?
My BMW dealer had a question for me about the alignment on my 2003 BMW M5, so I joined him at the alignment machine. Sure enough, the car was loaded down with sandbags as per the manual. Newer ones don't need this any more.
I was hanging around a race track a couple of weeks ago and there was a professional race team running early season data acquisition laps on a new Porsche GT3 Cup car. Before they sent the car out, it was up on an alignment and balancing rack decked out with fishing line to adjust the wheel alignment. As the crew chief said, even when his electronic aligmnent kit is newly calibrated, he still doesn't trust it. But when he "strings" the car, he knows it's right.
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: jaj
Originally Posted By: Russell
Thank you
To align my BMW (only toe-in can be adjusted) you are supposed to have a full tank and place appropiate weights in seats to simulate a loaded vehicle. Do you think any shop does this?
My BMW dealer had a question for me about the alignment on my 2003 BMW M5, so I joined him at the alignment machine. Sure enough, the car was loaded down with sandbags as per the manual. Newer ones don't need this any more.
I was hanging around a race track a couple of weeks ago and there was a professional race team running early season data acquisition laps on a new Porsche GT3 Cup car. Before they sent the car out, it was up on an alignment and balancing rack decked out with fishing line to adjust the wheel alignment. As the crew chief said, even when his electronic aligmnent kit is newly calibrated, he still doesn't trust it. But when he "strings" the car, he knows it's right.
Now i know i will have my dealer set the alignment.
Originally Posted By: Russell
Thank you
To align my BMW (only toe-in can be adjusted) you are supposed to have a full tank and place appropiate weights in seats to simulate a loaded vehicle. Do you think any shop does this?
My BMW dealer had a question for me about the alignment on my 2003 BMW M5, so I joined him at the alignment machine. Sure enough, the car was loaded down with sandbags as per the manual. Newer ones don't need this any more.
I was hanging around a race track a couple of weeks ago and there was a professional race team running early season data acquisition laps on a new Porsche GT3 Cup car. Before they sent the car out, it was up on an alignment and balancing rack decked out with fishing line to adjust the wheel alignment. As the crew chief said, even when his electronic aligmnent kit is newly calibrated, he still doesn't trust it. But when he "strings" the car, he knows it's right.
Now i know i will have my dealer set the alignment.
I flipped out last year upon finding out the rear wheels on our PT Cruiser required alignment. I thought the thing just had a straight bar back there with wheels attached, LOL! To make matters worse, the car required "special" bolts and shims in the alignment process, which added another $140 to the cost of the alignment. At this point, I think it will be cheaper just to skip the alignment, and buy an extra tire or two if they wear uneven. PT= Pricey Transportation!
Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
I'm going to be the one to say this, and please don't consider it harsh but:
You were originally looking at getting a BMW. You didn't get one. Now you are lowering your Prius to improve "handling", what's next?
You didn't buy a BMW sir. You aren't going to be turning the Prius into one. If the intent is to eventually get rid of the Prius and buy a BMW, then just leave the Prius alone. It is not a BMW, it will never BE a BMW, accept that fact and move on.
"I like my Prius, especially its great fuel economy, but the ride is a little too floaty and it understeers a bit too much. Should I spend $600 to improve it?"
"No, you should buy a BMW. You'll never get that car to handle like a BMW."
*Buys a 3-series.*
"I like my 3-series, especially the neutral handling, but the ride is extremely harsh over sharp impacts. Should I buy some non-run-flat tires to improve that?"
"No, you should buy a Camry. You'll never get that car to be as soft and forgiving as a Camry."
I'm going to be the one to say this, and please don't consider it harsh but:
You were originally looking at getting a BMW. You didn't get one. Now you are lowering your Prius to improve "handling", what's next?
You didn't buy a BMW sir. You aren't going to be turning the Prius into one. If the intent is to eventually get rid of the Prius and buy a BMW, then just leave the Prius alone. It is not a BMW, it will never BE a BMW, accept that fact and move on.
"I like my Prius, especially its great fuel economy, but the ride is a little too floaty and it understeers a bit too much. Should I spend $600 to improve it?"
"No, you should buy a BMW. You'll never get that car to handle like a BMW."
*Buys a 3-series.*
"I like my 3-series, especially the neutral handling, but the ride is extremely harsh over sharp impacts. Should I buy some non-run-flat tires to improve that?"
"No, you should buy a Camry. You'll never get that car to be as soft and forgiving as a Camry."
Originally Posted By: Rumble
I flipped out last year upon finding out the rear wheels on our PT Cruiser required alignment. I thought the thing just had a straight bar back there with wheels attached, LOL! To make matters worse, the car required "special" bolts and shims in the alignment process, which added another $140 to the cost of the alignment. At this point, I think it will be cheaper just to skip the alignment, and buy an extra tire or two if they wear uneven. PT= Pricey Transportation!
I'm pretty sure it does have "just a straight bar back there" until you bend that strsaight bar just a tad. The shims fit at the end of that straight bar sandwiched between it and the hub & bearing assembly.
It's a pretty light-tailed car so if you're only concern is tire wear it's not such a big deal if it's a bit out from spec. tolerance. A quarter a degree on toe or a half on camber won't really do much back there. If you ever get ice and snow you need toe to be in spec. tolerance for safety, preferably half tolerance. Even without ice and snow, if you take turns a bit on the fast side, you need tow in spec. tolerance or maybe .2 negative and camber could still be a half degree negative but never positive.
/just my one cent
I flipped out last year upon finding out the rear wheels on our PT Cruiser required alignment. I thought the thing just had a straight bar back there with wheels attached, LOL! To make matters worse, the car required "special" bolts and shims in the alignment process, which added another $140 to the cost of the alignment. At this point, I think it will be cheaper just to skip the alignment, and buy an extra tire or two if they wear uneven. PT= Pricey Transportation!
I'm pretty sure it does have "just a straight bar back there" until you bend that strsaight bar just a tad. The shims fit at the end of that straight bar sandwiched between it and the hub & bearing assembly.
It's a pretty light-tailed car so if you're only concern is tire wear it's not such a big deal if it's a bit out from spec. tolerance. A quarter a degree on toe or a half on camber won't really do much back there. If you ever get ice and snow you need toe to be in spec. tolerance for safety, preferably half tolerance. Even without ice and snow, if you take turns a bit on the fast side, you need tow in spec. tolerance or maybe .2 negative and camber could still be a half degree negative but never positive.
/just my one cent
Critic need a delicate alignment because otherwise the Prius would throw all sorts of stability control problem. That's why the zero calibration thingy is important and a lot of shops do not do it.
Critic even try to convince me that my IS250 also need zero point calibration after an alignment, but when I asked on ClubLexus no one has ever heard about it.
In a nut shell, if you own a high center of gravity car like Prius, that has a very touchy stability control, do it in a dealer or watch every single step of the way on the guy who does the alignment, and do not leave the shop unless you've seen them do all the work.
Critic even try to convince me that my IS250 also need zero point calibration after an alignment, but when I asked on ClubLexus no one has ever heard about it.
In a nut shell, if you own a high center of gravity car like Prius, that has a very touchy stability control, do it in a dealer or watch every single step of the way on the guy who does the alignment, and do not leave the shop unless you've seen them do all the work.
what is a zero point calibration?
After our local Hunter tech upgraded my software I tried to use my codelink. Well, well..the screen read out that codelink was outdated and needs to be updated (software wise) and would not allow me to reset the Toyota I was working on. Ran right up to my store manager and his reaction was like so we never use it anyways, it just slows everything down. However, he did say he would call Hunter asap on this. It's now been 2 months and still has not been taken care of. There are 4 guys in my shop that perform alignments and 2 of us do what is required and the store managers "go to" guy is the one that does not check tire pressures and when the wheel is out he "bumps" the sensor to show green. Collect the money and let the customer go. I rather work for a straight up alignment shop....I sick of this treatment.
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Alignments are NOT locked in. They move all the time. The bushings flex. Add everything up, and you will get discrepancies.
A static alignment is our best guess at dynamic alignment..........
^^ Words of wisdom!
After you get an alignment, drive your car around the block, put it back on the alignment rack, and your alignment numbers will be different.
Alignments are NOT locked in. They move all the time. The bushings flex. Add everything up, and you will get discrepancies.
A static alignment is our best guess at dynamic alignment..........
^^ Words of wisdom!
After you get an alignment, drive your car around the block, put it back on the alignment rack, and your alignment numbers will be different.
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