PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

I would trust a string alignment done at home way more than the "field" alignment method described above. Way more accurate.

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

bolts don't usually break, it's the subframe that gets "stripped" where rotating the eccentric bolts becomes futile as the hold or contact points have been flattened.
if this happens, you can still push on the arm (with the bolts loose) to get to the right setting, then tighten - it is a two person job at this point. this happened to my is300 sportx here in CA.

the eccentric bolts make fine adjustments easier for just one person doing an alignment.

mnLS400

steering wheel was off a bit so I had them re-do the alignment. this time I had a full tank of gas, 2 magnaflow mufflers and some detailing gear in the trunk and now the rears rear -2.3 and -2.5 for camber....
going to try and hit up the dealer this weekend and see what needs to be done to 0 out the rear camber.

Amskeptic

Can you elaborate as to what makes a string alignment way more accurate? How does a string alignment address camber?

Alignment specifications are for the benefit of the tires . . . so why not ask the tires directly? My method asks the actual tires how they feel, adjustments are in response to each actual tire on the car.
In fact, the above can even incrementally help a car that has been lowered and is thus completely outside of the scope of factory alignment specifications.

As mentioned, it is a bit fiddly, but the results are absolutely guaranteed because your own hands and eyes are verifying the veracity of your own adjustments.
Colin (with happy Bridgestone Ecopia Plus V-rated EP422s)

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

String alignments are supposed to be done in conjunction with a camber gauge. It's a lot more accurate than simply using turn plates as you have a reference line to use to ensure the thrust angle is correct.

Doing it by "feel" simply isn't accurate in any sense of the word. Get your car on an alignment rack and check your work, i'd bet it's not in spec. Even if you by some miracle got it right, you aren't as reliable as doing some simple math.

Empirical measurement beats "this feels/looks OK" every time.

Amskeptic

"Empirical measurement beats 'this feels/looks OK" every time.'"

Until you are on the race track. Then sharp eyes and a deep understanding beats the empirical boys every time. My uncle could feel a single psi deviation at any wheel and knew which Kustom Alignment changes could help win the race, like adding a dollop of scrub to maintain advantageous tire temperatures on cold rainy days through long straightaways that ended at hairpins, like LeMans.

I should probably qualify what I wrote. Yes, get an alignment as your baseline. Then, when you discover that the alignment technician did not set up the vehicle correctly, you can fine-tune the final results.

How frequently do alignment technicians miss the mark? Frequently. Very few have the time to establish to correct ride height, especially if a customer comes in with a pile of crap in the trunk or an especially full/empty fuel tank. Does the technician get the front lower control arm bolts exactly at 236mm (9.29")?. Rears at 237.5mm (9.35") on the early LS 400? Seriously? Does anyone even work with decimal 10ths? Does the technician successfully investigate the play in the steering rack, check wheel bearings for play, measure the runout of each wheel correctly, relieve the strut bar cushions?

I wasn't born yesterday. The fancy read-outs and easy answers at the alignment shop don't mean much if the work is not precisely carried out or if the technician doesn't know turn-in from torque-steer. I went through hell with D i c k Dorschel Lexus of Rochester because they could not stop the inner edges of my rear tires from getting eaten (they sub-contracted to their alignment guy, but hey). After endless "it's good, it's good," followed by, "yeah, those inner treads are looking kind of beat" followed by, "you need a) struts b) differential carrier bushings c) stabilizer bar bushings d) control arm bushings e) there is nothing we can do", I discovered the cause of the tire wear. The car had been lowered by an inch and the alignment technician was NOT setting the ride height to factory level *where all the specifications have been engineered to be set." You cannot set rear toe to factory spec if the arms have all moved one inch closer to the ground!

Anyways, everyone is free to align their cars however they wish. Good luck to all who cross the threshold of today's harried distracted underpaid over-scheduled alignment shops.
Colin ; )

McPierson

iTrader: (3)

dicer

The string system addresses the toe both front and rear and front and rear track. For camber you can use a level, and if you know what your doing you can check the caster with a level as well. I've seen videos of an ultra expensive race car aligned with similar to string and tape measure. I think fancy alignment machines are open to all sorts of inaccuracy's.

mikaelse

Hi . I also do a string alignment because I can do it on my driveway. Once per year or so.
Before doing it first time I noticed excessive rear tire wear and found far out of spec toe in.
I use a angle meter for the camber. The adjustment bolts can be tricky. Sometimes rust seized inside the bushing tube. If you use too much force you fully or partially trash the rubber bushing which means more work. I would think twice if the alignment shop recommends leaving it alone. Depends on your outlook. I can live with a seized bolt in there as long as it does not need adjustment. On my 23 year old LS400 2 bolts was seized and I needed to use grinder on one of them that needed adjustment , exchanged the bushing ( tools needed ) and bought a new oem bolt and nut.