taylorjste

Well it's been about 4 months since I got my Eibach's installed and I never got an alignment. I'm starting to notice very subtle uneven tread wear on the outer edge of my front tires. I figure if I have them aligned now I can probably squeeze an extra 5K-7K miles out of my OEM Dunlops. I have about 16K miles and still have quite a bit of center tread left. Even without an alignment I should probaby get to 20-23K miles.


Where's the best place to go for an alignment? I've heard many mixed opinions here... Some say the dealer is the only choice b/c they have all the OEM specs, others say take it to a local alignment specialist and save $50-$60, since they can only adjust toe anyway. My dealer (Park Place) charges $149 I think. What do you think??

brel523

Had my 2006 IS350 aligned at Toyota dealership. They had the specs, took them about 40 mins and $50.

I have 28k(highway miles mostly) on the OEM tires and the tread is still good on all the tires except the left front. It's wearing quicker on the outer edge, but still good tread in the middle. Thus, the alignment. Some things were out of spec, but for most part not by much. They adjusted what they could, but the tire is still wearing quicker on the outer edge. I guess it's time to start saving for new tires and maybe take to dealer for alignment for them to figure out why the outer edge is wearing quicker.

Gernby

iTrader: (1)

I took mine to NTB on 121 near Preston Rd since they had the updated alignment data (none of the other NTB's had it). I had them align mine to the lowest amount of toe-in that would still be within the OEM specs. My front tires now wear out quicker on the inside edge, and my rear tires wear evenly.

iSuxeL

iTrader: (21)

If Im correct isnt that cause of the toe correction in the rear thats allowing your rear tires to wear evenly? Cause I know it helps and the fronts dont have a camber kit and you cannot correct toe.

LuckySeven

i never took my car to the dealership for alignment, and this place I go had the specs. It costed $45 for laser alignment. The car seems fine, there isn't uneven wear.

t0e

iTrader: (1)

I have lowered the car multiple times.

Never got an alignment.

The tires are wearing evenly....

Hartawan

iTrader: (1)

Wow dealer charges only $50? I went outside of dealer and its $100.
Does anyone know if there is warranty on alignment on 20"?

IS350jet

It's odd that the tires are wearing on the outside because lowering the car results in negative camber and negative camber results in tires wearing on the inside. I would definitely have the alignment done as there may be issues elsewhere.

carchitect

iTrader: (1)

Actually, Park place charges $120 (non-taxed). The alignment on your IS is rather simple and doesn't involve camber or caster readjustment since there aren't provisions on your vehicle. The front camber is adjustable on the IS AWD though. The issue I've noticed on alot of vehicles is when there is a lot of cross camber difference.

Cross camber is the main cause of drift/pull concerns and in most cases is resolved by shifting the crossmember. To do this a qualified technician would have to look beyond alignment data and view the vehicle's track width difference, axle setback, and wheel base difference. The shift in usually very little and not noticable at all but the alignment readings will show it. This isn't all that common especially on the IS but it is something that could easily be over looked. If this type of correction is required (depending on the maginitude) and your vehicles is within the basic warranty (provided the vehicle's hasn't been wrecked or has had a hard impact to the suspension) it may be covered by your warranty. This is very subjective to your dealer and Lexus (not to mention your relations wth them)

Most alignment places use a Hunter 411, 611 or 811 machine. The 411 being the most common and least expensive. It uses lasers to communicate between heads. The 611 and 811 machines are the state of the art and use florescent (sp?) mirrors to send data to the machine's sensors. They measure everything in 3D and their data is much more precise.

Don't get me wrong here. I'm not saying the places that charge the higher price use the best stuff and that justifies their higher price. I've seen amazing work from guys who used the least expensive systems (stuff you've never seen before) and made work real well and I've seen guys who have the best stuff and don't put forth the effort to get the best from the vehicle. In the end the consumer (who unfortunately doesn't know the difference) won't get what they spent for.

Yeah!

I avoid dealerships for alignment b/c they usually charge the highest. I go to NTB since they have this crazy deal of unlimited alignments for 5-yrs for $180. The only problem is, if you're lowered then they won't offer you this deal since their company policy is no warranty (one time alignment) for lowered cars. Then again, it's just like most dealership service managers (read: if you're tight w/them).

OT: Can you lowered Eibach owners help me out - https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=310002