Wheel Alignment 'Caster' is off

[RH+G]

Quote:
I think the days of the tech knowing that his customer was 300lbs and having the tech put 100lbs of weight in the driver seat to assure that the alignment was correct ..are over.


Not true if u do an alignment on a new BMW and u have a new alignment machine it tells u to have a full tank of gas and certain weight in the car.


While they are some [censored] alignment techs out their people have to undersatnd on ur newer cars their is nothing but toe to set. The difference in alignments is knowledge of the person to understand the customers complaints and to know the difference in cars and whats feasibly adjustable and whats not.

 

[ewetho]

Originally Posted By: Rabbler
Originally Posted By: ewetho
Originally Posted By: Rabbler
Originally Posted By: ewetho


Road crown is accounted for sure and they are biased. Some cars are biased in the tires and require Self-Aligning Residual Torque Tires.


Can you elaborate?
I've never heard of "Self-Aligning Residual Torque Tires"

Of the hundreds of cars I've aligned very few had offset CASTER.
Most will drift with road crown, but some designs are more forgiving than others.


The tires have a diagonal tread pattern that causes just a bit of pull built into the tire. So both front tires have tread in the same way but one led with the inside edge one the outer edge.

They were standard on the last couple of years of Ford Minivans.





So the RF tire had a different tread than the LF?
Got a link to the brand or model of these tires?


No just that that tread was a diagonal from the right to left on both as the tread meets the ground.

 

[ewetho]

Originally Posted By: RH+G
Quote:
I think the days of the tech knowing that his customer was 300lbs and having the tech put 100lbs of weight in the driver seat to assure that the alignment was correct ..are over.


Not true if u do an alignment on a new BMW and u have a new alignment machine it tells u to have a full tank of gas and certain weight in the car.


While they are some [censored] alignment techs out their people have to undersatnd on ur newer cars their is nothing but toe to set. The difference in alignments is knowledge of the person to understand the customers complaints and to know the difference in cars and whats feasibly adjustable and whats not.


Yes there are cars that are required to be in what is called a Mid-laden condition for alignment. On some it requires 1/2 tank of gas, 100 lbs on each front seat and 40 lbs on the floor behind the front seat.

Some cars have more than just front toe available to set and some are possible to shift the front subframe to even out front camber. Some can be adjust out back other cannot easily be done.

Remember out back the primary concern is total toe and that the Thrust angle is not sever and you should be great.

 

[Gary Allan]

Originally Posted By: RH+G
Quote:
I think the days of the tech knowing that his customer was 300lbs and having the tech put 100lbs of weight in the driver seat to assure that the alignment was correct ..are over.


Not true if u do an alignment on a new BMW and u have a new alignment machine it tells u to have a full tank of gas and certain weight in the car.





How many people own a new BMW? How many shops have the newer machine?

 

[RH+G]

Alot of new bmws in NYC. Most shops in nyc have them new machines.

 

[Gary Allan]

As I'm sure there are in Beverly Hills and Stamford, CN. It also costs $12 for a cup of coffee that is $1.98 outside the money belt.

Where the shop is going to see a decent amount of business that requires the state of the art machine ..that's where you'll find the machines. Homer's neighborhood Tire & Auto, in Anytown, USA probably hasn't paid for their last evolution in "must have" alignment racks.

 

[Rabbler]

Just because the machine makes these recommendations doesn't mean the tech will follow them.

I've said it before "The alignment machine is only as good as the tech operating it."

I'll take an experienced tech with a 20yr old string aligner vs a novice with the most up to date equipment any day.