grandspt

I have had issues with the handling of my 1996 GrandSport for a year now and today I have finally figured out what the hell was going on.
About a year ago I had issues with sloppy handling and a very poor ride with the rear of the car banging over every bad road. I found my rear suspension was sticking, my bushings were shot in the back (my car sits in the garage for the long NE winters). So I replaced the rear suspension bushings with Prothane Polyurethane. I also noticed my Front lower ball joints were shot (due to poor NE roads). I replaced the ball joints with new Moogs.
Immediately and not surprisingly I noticed my car was pulling to the right when driving down a flat road. I figured in the 16 years I have owned the car new it should get a 4 wheel alignment (the tires were about 5 years old and are Goodyear GSD3s). So off to Sears alignment shop (mistake 1) they aligned the car and the car still steered to the right not only that but it handled even worse. I gave them a second shot (mistake 2) and the car was similar to the 1st time. They had no answer but said they would try again. I didn't bother taking it back after two tries.
Next I went to a local shop near where I worked and they were extremely nice he had an older alignment machine but I have seen Vettes and 442's, Mustangs etc.
I told him everything I did to the car and that Sears had it twice for alignment but it still pulls. He said he would take a look I also asked if he could add a little negative camber front and back he said no problem. The guy had one of his workers align the car and it took all day literally! He told me it goes down the road straight but adding negative camber in front took away positive caster (the car came in with about 6 degrees positive caster on left and 6 on right but it left his shop with positive 4.2 on the left side and positive 3.6 on the right according to his print out.
Well I drove the car and it was straight but the car handled poorly not like when I first bought the GrandSport (Z51). I tried another shop that was highly recommended to me, I told them my story and they said we will only put it back to factory spec. They had their veteran alignment guy work on it for about two hours and he told me this alignment is dead on now and that whoever aligned it last really threw it all out.
I took the car out and immediately found that the car was steering the the right again
I took it back and they were not very happy to see me telling me the alignment is to factory specs and they could not get it any better, so I said take it out and drive it and tell me what could be wrong.The owner and the alignment man both took the car out, they said they think the belt is bad in the front tire even though the tire looks fine. They swapped the left and right tires even though they are directional.
Well it cured the problem he said no high speed runs and to get new tires
soon he also said that the previous alignment guy must have adjusted the alignment to the bad tire to compensate and that is why it was so far out of adjustment.
I now need to get new tires (next year the car is going to be put away for the winter soon) but It finally handles the way it used too. I never suspected the tires as they looked great, even wear and plenty of tread (on the fronts anyway).
Which I found this alignment guy first!!!
Hope this helps someone on the forum

eutu1984

Godd Info.

blackbear bob

What you experienced (from the car) is known as radial pull.
What you experienced from Sears is wallet pull.

WVZR-1

Alignments years ago got a "road test" as the "final check" of the work performed. Quite frankly that can't be done today, traffic, the location of the shop and highway condition all dictate that. The shops rely on the equipment that they use. Once you except the alignment and have an issue then the game changes.

I don't know that you could fault either Sears or the second shop. If the OP didn't ask the Sears shop to drive it and show him what he was referring to then that's maybe the OP's fault. The second shop did an alignment and attempted to do changes that the OP requested and then apparently tried to make it drive, I would guess they maybe used a stretch of highway easily accessible to them and the alignment results were what they were.

Third shop told him unless it was done to factory specs they weren't interested. Good approach and apparently it was delivered to the OP fresh of the alignment machine, the same as the first two. They were confident of their work told the OP so and THEN the OP asked them to drive it. If the Sears guys had the opportunity to drive it would they have solved it also? Don't know 'cause I don't know the skill level of the tech but I'd guess possibly IF their equipment is calibrated regularly and it was aligned to specs.

Any alignment shop could possibly have struggled with the OP's alignment - any shop!

grandspt

WVZR1 sounds like you work for or own an alignment shop. I did let Sears drive the car so they could realize the steering pull to the right, and the second shop also took the car out, so the OP (me) gave the two shops plenty of opportunity to fix the OP's car or at least recommend a fix after they fleeced me I never asked for my money back or got belligerent and I don't mind paying to have work properly done but tell me if it is not an alignment problem don't just take the money!
Anyway I wanted this to be informative and possibly help someone so they pick a good alignment shop (not go what I went through) sorry you did not get it.

grandspt

So true

Tom400CFI

Goodyears. I've never had a set that were good. When you get new tires, bet something else.

WVZR-1

I did get it .... had the "third" shop been the "first" shop their diagnostics would likely not have been as swift, When you mentioned to them the previous attempts it certainly alerted them to the search.

How many miles were on these tires when the car went for this alignment? Tread depth? The pulls either direction after an assumed proper alignment should have maybe hinted to Sears what to check and possibly shop 2 but you did ask shop 2 to alter the specs so they just "chased" it all day.

I don't own but am very familiar with alignments particularly with collision related repairs.

grandspt

I have about 14000 miles on the tires, the third shop commented on how good the front tires looked they have plenty of tread, I guess this fact alone and the showroom condition of the car may have thrown Sears off, the second shop should have told me something was up or that they had to adjust the specs to get the car to go straight (I only asked them for more negative camber ).

hcbph

Similar situation a few years back on my T-Bird. Wife had been driving it, went in for an alignment and three of the springs on it were broken (from taking speed bumps too fast I assume). All 4 were replaced and aligned. You'd go down the road and it would throw you from lane to lane any time you hit a crack in the road. 3 attempts at aligning, no improvement. After new tires and multiple other shops looked at it, all came to the conclusion it was set to oem alignment. The final shop was a speedshop that worked on race cars. They tweaked it after a brief description of the problem and a quick road test, and it was night and day different once they were done. It was fall and they also said to put a couple of bags of sand over the shock towers (because of the new springs) when putting it to winter for the bed to settle the springs in, which I did.
Come the following spring, it drove absolutely perfect. End result is that not every shop knows or is capable of doing a proper 4 wheel alignment but when you find one be sure to keep them as they're hard to find.

fpnmf

WVZR sez >>>>Alignments years ago got a "road test" as the "final check" of the work performed. Quite frankly that can't be done today, traffic, the location of the shop and highway condition all dictate that. The shops rely on the equipment that they use.

I disagree with the no test drive comment..

I was a dealer mechanic for 20+ years (H-D) and no vehicle left the shop without a test drive. Period.. Even if it was just around the block. Nobody is perfect and it is an upsale opportunity.

Here's a great example..

On the recommendation of a forum member I took my 84 to a shop 60 miles from home and got a fabulous alignment, rotation and balance. They found several errors from the last try close to home. He did test drive it and explained the printout he gave me.. I was very happy and felt like I found a home for the things I cant do.

Two days ago I took my DD (05 Kia) to get rotate, balance and alignment. Different mechanic... He backs off the lift and gets to the lot and realizes he didnt tighten the right rear lug nuts...he goes and gets the jack, tightens the nuts and turns in the keys.. I ask the service writer if it is customary to not test drive..He sez well its a little wet out there.. I pay and get 100 yards down the road and the steering wheel is way crooked..I took it back and got it fixed..He then test drove..
A test drive would have shown the error..

Now that I have calmed down some I will call the shop owner today..

Craig

grandspt

So I did some research and believe this is what has happened to my Goodyear GSD3 front right tire it is called tire conicity and here is an explanation which I thought was pretty interesting: http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/181