solo

iTrader: (4)

Today I FINALLY had my car aliged at Custom Alignment.

First a master Teck, Kevin took the car out for a test. Came back and put it on the rails. Car went up and the readings were way off. I have a -2.90 in the rear with a -1.70 as the front. Unfortunately due to my extreme drop, we could only adjust the rear's to a -2.10. The front's could off been adjusted closer to zero, but the specifications from Lexus needed a -.50 difference between front and rear. So the front's were set to -1.60. The Toe was horrible. They put weights in the driver seat to simulate driver weight and all settings were good according to their state-of-the-art machines. Kevin then took it for another drive and felt the driver side front toe should be adjusted more for better steering response. Again, up it went on the rails and the needed adjustments were made.

My conclusion: Professional.

Kevin gave ALOT of information about function, ride height, body roll..etc. Just by driving the car, he concluded the shocks should have better dampening. And sway-bars are needed. Too much body-roll. Total, changing the rear 2 tires and the alignment took right under 3 hours.

Other cars in the shop were 1 tub-chassis race car, 2 Track Mustangs, a 911, a Boxter, a Jag, and a Saab.

Total Tecks = 4-5
Joe is the owner
Dave works the front desk

Price = $250.33

Driving home, I noticed a huge difference with steering response and the overall balance of the car is more stable. I am looking for a rear Camber kit, Diazen... The car will be back in a month to change the front 2 tires and do a Corner Balance job. With Coilovers, counting the threads is a starting ground, but believe me, once the car is on the machines, you will notice the height/weight differences between each corner.

This information is my own experience. Feel free to ask questions.

Neo

iTrader: (3)

I had my car aligned there as well. Not the cheapest but they make sure things are correct. They actually test drove the car twice (in addition to the initial one) just to make sure.

Highly recommended.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

that's awesome! maybe i shoudl bring my gs4 there for alignment. i havent' done that after i put on the 20s. price is very steep though

solo

iTrader: (4)

Front alignment = $85
Rear alignment = $85

I had them mount and balance 2 rear tires, which raised the price to $250. Otherwise, $170+ is not bad for all the info you get from picking their brain.

-solo

rominl

iTrader: (4)

oh hey, now 170 is not that bad at all considering what they do!!!!! now i just need to find a day off i hope they open on sat

solo

iTrader: (4)

Off on Sats.

pcmw

That sounds ridiculously high for a computer alignment.

The computer does all the work....

I take my car to a Sacramento shop that has been around over 50 years. G12 has no computer. They have chalk, huge sliderule calipers, and experience. They aligned my car for $125 perfectly. They do not rely on computers that store only STOCK OEM specs. They set the car to whatever ride height adjustment was made and then get the contact patch to optimum cohesion.

Just my .02

solo

iTrader: (4)

Sounds good.. what's the shop called?

redgs4

Sounds like Solo got far more than a computer alignment. Custom Alignment, http://www.customalignment.com/index.htm, is well known across the Bay Area and all the enthusiast car sites as a place to bring your mild to wildly customized car and has been recommended by many that race thier vehicles.

pcmw

Redgs4,

I agree with you that a good alignment is better than Big-O tires. However, not to be a scientist about the effort, but there is only one correct alignment. Granted you can tweak with the toe and camber to mess with inadequate damping and turn in. However, for street drving, there is only one correct setup. The one that makes the tires stay flat on the pavement for the most amount of time in most common street situations.

Solo,

The shop is called G12. Back in my grandfather's racing days it was on G and 12th in Sacramento. Now it is on 16th and T. Kinda funny.

Matt

redgs4

Matt,

Generally, I agree with the first statement as maximizing the contact patch in a dynamic driving environment is a primary goal. The second statement, IMO, is an over simplification. For instance, maximizing the contact patch may have to be balanced with tire life and uneven wear. And if tuning the car for the track [or even sporting street driving], aligning the wheels must be considered as part of tuning the overall vehicle for maximum speed/minimum times.

How one shop vs. another chooses to implement the alignment [best predict how the suspension will react under various driving conditions to maximize the contact patch ] is where the differences lie. Given a mostly stock vehicle driven on city streets, any competent alignment shop will probably come pretty close to a standard [one] alignment. Add plus size tire/rims, misc aftermarket suspension components and a sizeable drop and a standard one-size fits all alignment no longer applies. IMO.

Chris

solo

iTrader: (4)

Matt, thanks for your input.

Overall, Chris and I are extremely please with the workmanship and the professionalism from Custom Aligement here in Mountain View. For us, Mountain View is just much closer than Sac. Price is generally not the priority. A good deal is great, but I would rather pay alittle more, knowing that the car is in good hands.

Solo

RMMGS4

iTrader: (5)

Matt,


Sounds like your shop does a good job as well, but those who have gone to Custom Alignment, know these guys spend a lot more time getting the car right, than what most shops do. So I think "you get what you pay for" applies here. At around $1000 for me to change four tires, the price they charge to align is worthwile for me.


EVERYONE I know who has had their car done at this shop has been very impressed.

They do not go by factory specs either. These guys take the car out and test drive it (sometimes more than once) and do additional tweeks, not just rely on what the equipment says, but how the car feels.

They do race cars and family vans and align acccordingly. They cater to what your driving needs / requirements are. Like Redgs4 said, tire wear vs driver style vs performance.

We're not talking only alignment services either; they do complete tuning of the suspension, coilover height adjustment with corner balancing, etc. I could go on about the other good things they do beyond what most alignment shops do, but instead of trying to convince you here, you'd have to go to the shop and check it out yourself to know what we're talking about.

In the end, looks like you are still getting a good deal, and those in your area should definitely check them out. For those in the Bay Area, it's a given that things cost more here, but it would not be worth the trouble driving up to SAC.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

oh another question. solo, i know cars like ours, it's a pain in the butt to get on the alignment rack. did they have any trouble doing yours? did they scrap the front, etc? your front is so low i know normal racks would be a goner.

also, how's their shop area? how's the driveway? i have been to alignment shops where the driveway is stupidly steep, to the point that getting in and out is already a problem, let alone doing alignment

my car is at about the right height with the 20s already, so if evreything is good i will need to find time to do the alignment. but damn, they don't open on sat and sun, that sux.... i have to take time off just for alignment?!

Neo

iTrader: (3)

They are very careful about getting the car onto the rack. When my car was in there, they had one guy look while another drove to verify clearance. If it looks like it would scrape, they "ramp" the car onto the rack. (You know what I mean. )

The entrance to the shop is not flat but it is doable. I did not scrape going in or out of the shop. I did not go in straight on though. The techs were also careful to angle the car when they were taking it out for test drives.

So no more WW for you, rominl?