Just installed new wheels and tires on my '89 coupe. A guy in my Corvette club suggested that I take it to the local muffler shop and have a 4 wheel alignment done. The car seems to drive well and I don't plan to race or autocross it any time soon. So my questions are as follows:
How do I determine if I need an alignment and if I do , what are the advantages in getting one?
Who should I get to do this alignment and how would they know what specs to use to perform it. (could a muffler shop have the info and equipment to do this?)
How much should an alignment cost?

Thanks, Kim

P.S. I tried the search function here but couldn't find the answers to these noob questions.

 

Do you know when it last had an alignment? If the alignment if off that could cause your new tires to wear badly. When I got my car I couldn't believe the guy had been driving it like that, it was badly misaligned. IIRC around here I paid $70ish for my last alignment.

 

Any alignment shop will be able to do it, if they have a lift and a computer system, which they all should have. I paid like $50-60.

If it hasnt been aligned in a long time, it needs to be done. It'll save the new tires from premature wear.

 

New wheels and tires + alignment = save the new tires!

 

Not sure where Rio Vista is. If you search threads started by me, you'll find a great recommendation for a 4 wheel alignment shop in Santa Ana.

~$70 or so. The read out is just in front of you, you can requests any custom settings you want.

 

Rio Vista is about a 6 to 7 hour drive north of Santa Ana. I grew up around there in Garden Grove. A little far to drive for an alignment. Thanks for the reply though. Seems like this is something I need to do and $70 is the going price. I'll ask around in town and see which shops are set up to do alignments on Corvettes.

 

The rear end in the Corvette has adjustments for both toe and camber. Having these values set correctly are important for proper handling and tire wear.

A reputable shop should have trained techs and an alignment rack that uses lasers and computers to check and verify the factory alignment specs. The system's computer should have the OEM alignment specs loaded so there shouldn't be any issues with knowing what specs are.

Beware of shops that offer cheap alignment prices. Typically, these shops do what's called a "toe and go" alignment. They set toe-in at the front and nothing more. There is still camber and caster adjustments that have to be checked and adjusted as needed.

Ask the shop when their machine was last calibrated. Calibration is important as that provides accuracy. Most newer equipment will have a printer that wiil provide you with the before and after specs. Also ask the shop if they will "load" the car before they align it. This means adding your weight to the driver's seat and insuring that the hood is down. This sets the car up just like you are driving it.

If you want to consider performance alignment specs, look here I use the "Advanced Street" specs for my 87 for autocross and track days. The car turns in quicker and I have not seen any sort of abnormal tire wear. It tracks straight on the freeway and is not "darty".

 

Does anyone else use the Advanced Street specs that c4Cruiser uses? Should I just copy these specs and take them to an alignment shop and see if they can do this for me? Any downside to using these specs?

Thanks all, Kim

 

I use those specs, they do cause more aggressive wear than the base specs. I have run them for 1000mi or so, and it definitely wears the tire more than base.

 

My 89 sems to "over-steer" pretty easily. Is there different steering ratios, and would it be listed on my RPO list? If so, anyone know the code? Or, does it just sound like it needs aligned? It jumps around a lot on uneven road surfaces, makes driving it more of a task, than enjoyable. TIA.

Rich K

 

Hello,
Call around to the High-end Body shops, they can tell you who's shop does the best work in your area.
Also, It was said that a Good alignment saves the tires. It Does...as well as, Saves your @ss, If you drive 'with enthusiasm'!

Get the alignment, It's cheap. You don't have to take the alignment shops word, Check with the best body-shops, in your area. These guys are pros and won't use a cheap shop. They WON'T have a poor alignment make their work seem poor.

You All Take Care and Be Safe, -John

 

By "oversteering" , it sounds like you're talking about the steering being "darty" rather than fishtailing with the power on.
It could be a couple of things. A friend has an 86 with Goodyears, at 32psi the car is all over the road. At 35psi, it doesn't move around at all. And it can be alignment, mostly toe in ( not enough ). If your toe in is less than spec, or worse yet, 0 or toe'd out, the car will be all over the road, especially over bumps.
If this is your 3rd vette, is it your first C4? Some of them do move around a little on bumps compaired to other years, at least it seems that way to me. I've had C2's and C3's.

 

it can be alignment, mostly toe in ( not enough ). If your toe in is less than spec, or worse yet, 0 or toe'd out, the car will be all over the road, especially over bumps.

The factory service manual calls for zero toe in both front and back. It seems that to achieve any toe in would put the car out of spec. I'm probably missing something here though. Any clarification will be appreciated.

 

An added plus to getting an alignment is, all the suspension is inspected to make sure it's good before they do it. (Good time to get everything lubed, too)

 

A 4 wheel toe alignment is 78.95 here at my shop. 4 wheel caster and camber adjustment runs about 78.95 more.

 

I paid $200 each for my GY Eagles, $25/wheel M&B and around $80 for 4-wheel alignment and didn't think twice about dropping the $$ on alignment for $900 in tires.

 

Check with Advanced Dyno in Fairfield, 707-425-dyno. They would know who does 4 wheel alignment in your area.

 

with all of the above. Considere it to be your annual preventive maintenance

C5 wheels for sale

 

I was going to touch on this as well.

If you get an alignment it is only doing you good if your suspension components are within spec.

some of the Rubber is surely worn by now. If it has not been replace in ~20 years you'll get a wobble.

Mine would track straight but upon any side load (as in a turn) the rear seemed squirrelly. One of the rear Dog Bones was done, allowing the rear wheel to basically collapse under a side load. Changing out the component made the rear track and feel firm.

And there are so many other pieces that need to be replaced, I haven't even looked at the front yet.