Alignment for C2's
10-05-2004, 01:46 PM
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Alignment for C2's
How should C2's be aligned? Are they similar to modern day cars, and can you trust a wheel / tire place that does front end alignment to do this?
Not sure how much the components / techniques have changed over the years, car is pulling a bit to the right now (hit curb / blew tire)
Also steering wheel is not 'straight' in static position.
What would a reasonable cost be for this service? Any tips?
I'm not sure if I should be concerned about rear wheel alignment or not at this point. I'm guessing I should go for alignment firrst and see if pulling goes away, before I consider any bent components.
Not sure how much the components / techniques have changed over the years, car is pulling a bit to the right now (hit curb / blew tire)
Also steering wheel is not 'straight' in static position.
What would a reasonable cost be for this service? Any tips?
I'm not sure if I should be concerned about rear wheel alignment or not at this point. I'm guessing I should go for alignment firrst and see if pulling goes away, before I consider any bent components.
10-05-2004, 01:50 PM
#2
Racer
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It depends on what tyres you use....with 215/70-15 you can use the VBP street setup or ask a shop to use the values of the recent Mercedes Benz SL....fits quite well.
10-05-2004, 01:56 PM
#3
Pro
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Most of the new machines can have specs for older cars if they so choose to have them installed in their computer. I would expect to pay Exotic Car prices and have them handle the car with kid gloves - if a regular 4 wheel alignment is 99, expect to pay 225. Simply ask the folks at the shop if they have someone they would trust, they will usually be honest. If anyone in the Northern Virginia area needs the name of a place, I have a couple places I can recommend.
10-05-2004, 02:56 PM
#4
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With radial tires use 1/16" total toe in, front and rear. On the rear it must be split equally between both sides.
Standard touring:
Front caster 1.5-2.0 deg. (2.0-2.5 for P/S)
Camber: zero deg. front (recommend installation of hard urethane front anti-roll bar link bushings), negative 1/2 deg. rear
Sport (if you have H-rated or above tires with a wear rating of less than 400):
Front caster: 2.0 deg. (2.5 with P/S)
Camber negative one deg. at all four corners (requires installation of hard urethane bushings on front anti-roll bar end links.)
For both standard touring and sport settings, cross camber and cross caster should be as close to zero as possible.
Duke
Standard touring:
Front caster 1.5-2.0 deg. (2.0-2.5 for P/S)
Camber: zero deg. front (recommend installation of hard urethane front anti-roll bar link bushings), negative 1/2 deg. rear
Sport (if you have H-rated or above tires with a wear rating of less than 400):
Front caster: 2.0 deg. (2.5 with P/S)
Camber negative one deg. at all four corners (requires installation of hard urethane bushings on front anti-roll bar end links.)
For both standard touring and sport settings, cross camber and cross caster should be as close to zero as possible.
Duke
Last edited by SWCDuke; 10-05-2004 at 02:59 PM.
Dave..
10-05-2004, 04:55 PM
#6
Pro
Go to reputable and knowledgeable shop that has done a n old corvette alignemnt before. Not the $49.95 shop. Although many of the machines have the spec.s You need to find a person that has the knowledge to do a 4 wheel alignemnt on an old car. Most tech. have no clue on how to do one on anold car. Expecilly the back wheels. They may say they can but you would be surprised. Bring Shims especially the Slotted Shims as they will not have them especially for the back of the car.
10-05-2004, 05:30 PM
#7
Burning Brakes
Originally Posted by SWCDuke
With radial tires use 1/16" total toe in, front and rear. On the rear it must be split equally between both sides.
Standard touring:
Front caster 1.5-2.0 deg. (2.0-2.5 for P/S)
Camber: zero deg. front (recommend installation of hard urethane front anti-roll bar link bushings), negative 1/2 deg. rear
Sport (if you have H-rated or above tires with a wear rating of less than 400):
Front caster: 2.0 deg. (2.5 with P/S)
Camber negative one deg. at all four corners (requires installation of hard urethane bushings on front anti-roll bar end links.)
For both standard touring and sport settings, cross camber and cross caster should be as close to zero as possible.
Duke
Standard touring:
Front caster 1.5-2.0 deg. (2.0-2.5 for P/S)
Camber: zero deg. front (recommend installation of hard urethane front anti-roll bar link bushings), negative 1/2 deg. rear
Sport (if you have H-rated or above tires with a wear rating of less than 400):
Front caster: 2.0 deg. (2.5 with P/S)
Camber negative one deg. at all four corners (requires installation of hard urethane bushings on front anti-roll bar end links.)
For both standard touring and sport settings, cross camber and cross caster should be as close to zero as possible.
Duke
10-05-2004, 06:44 PM
#8
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Sure! The anti-roll bar end link bushings have nothing to do with alignment.
Hard bushings at this location will reduce compliance and make the front anti-roll bar more effective at high roll angles, which will help maintain just enough understeer to reduce the tendency to transition into oversteer and the dreaded yaw oscillation that was discussed in a recent thread.
Duke
Hard bushings at this location will reduce compliance and make the front anti-roll bar more effective at high roll angles, which will help maintain just enough understeer to reduce the tendency to transition into oversteer and the dreaded yaw oscillation that was discussed in a recent thread.
Duke
10-06-2004, 09:37 PM
#9
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Duke great info, thanks a million. I'll print it out to take with me.
You know if anyone ever offered Forum archives on CD they'd be worth a fortune! ....for those times when you can't get online.
I'm just curious...where did you get that info?
You know if anyone ever offered Forum archives on CD they'd be worth a fortune! ....for those times when you can't get online.
I'm just curious...where did you get that info?
10-06-2004, 10:22 PM
#10
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Alignment like dwell angle, initial timing, and the charactistics of the spark advance map and fuel flow curve is a "tuning parameter". Forty plus years of racing and tuning cars has taught me what works, and most OE suspensions can be considerably improved with tires, shocks, alignment and hard bushings in the anti-roll bar links.
I first learned of radial tires' need for less toe-in from the Pirelli Pocket Guide that I received with the purchase of a new set of Pirelli Cinturatos in 1968 that replaced the Michelin X radials I installed in 1964 after chunking the SWC's OE 6.70-15 General JetAires during a day of hot lapping Kent in the summer of '63.
Radial tires don't need as much toe-in because they have longer footprints and more inherent self aligning torque than bias ply tires.
No single set of chassis or engine tuning parameters is necessarily correct for all drivers, but if you drive your Corvette "normally" the touring specs should be a good starting point. If you drive your Corvette very aggressively, have good tires, and want to get the maximum potential out of the tires, the "sport" settings are an excellent starting point. From those two points you can experiment if you find some deficiency in the car's dynamic response.
Duke
I first learned of radial tires' need for less toe-in from the Pirelli Pocket Guide that I received with the purchase of a new set of Pirelli Cinturatos in 1968 that replaced the Michelin X radials I installed in 1964 after chunking the SWC's OE 6.70-15 General JetAires during a day of hot lapping Kent in the summer of '63.
Radial tires don't need as much toe-in because they have longer footprints and more inherent self aligning torque than bias ply tires.
No single set of chassis or engine tuning parameters is necessarily correct for all drivers, but if you drive your Corvette "normally" the touring specs should be a good starting point. If you drive your Corvette very aggressively, have good tires, and want to get the maximum potential out of the tires, the "sport" settings are an excellent starting point. From those two points you can experiment if you find some deficiency in the car's dynamic response.
Duke
