Lowering and Alignment
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,887
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From: Havin' fun in Frederick, MD!!!
St. Jude Donor '05 '09
Lowering and Alignment
Lowering on the stock bolts is not a lot of adjustment. I did mine about 25,000 miles ago and never had it aligned. the following pictures are of the driver's side front tire and you can see the wear on the inner (to the left) band. With 33,000 miles on these tires. I'm ready for a replacement anyway, so it didn't bother me not having them aligned. To be honest I am surprised that it was so close to begin with! I'll have them aligned when I have the new tires put on.
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2004
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From: HOW FAST WAS I GOING OFFICER? Los Angeles Hating GM Dealership Service Dept.'s Since Sept. 2004
St. Jude Donor '04-'05-'06-'07
Also, make sure they don't use the Z06 specs when they do the alignment on your Vert... The Z has wider wheels, so having that canter will cause premature/uneven wear on stock wheels. 
Last edited by MyVetteDream; Nov 29, 2005 at 02:02 PM.
Pro
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 685
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From: Escondido CA
I'm glad you just posted this thread. I lowered mine on the stock bolts last Friday and was wondering if it would be wise to do a 4-wheel alignment.
Should I wait a couple of weeks to allow the car to "settle" after lowering, or is it okay to have the alignment done now?
Mark
Should I wait a couple of weeks to allow the car to "settle" after lowering, or is it okay to have the alignment done now?
Mark
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,651
Likes: 9
From: HOW FAST WAS I GOING OFFICER? Los Angeles Hating GM Dealership Service Dept.'s Since Sept. 2004
St. Jude Donor '04-'05-'06-'07
Originally Posted by wolfmd
I'm glad you just posted this thread. I lowered mine on the stock bolts last Friday and was wondering if it would be wise to do a 4-wheel alignment.
Should I wait a couple of weeks to allow the car to "settle" after lowering, or is it okay to have the alignment done now?
Mark
Should I wait a couple of weeks to allow the car to "settle" after lowering, or is it okay to have the alignment done now?
Mark
I waited a couple of weeks (mine's a DD)... depending on how much you drive.
Last edited by MyVetteDream; Nov 29, 2005 at 02:02 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 2,332
Likes: 32
From: USA
Wolf,
I don't know if it's wise to have an alignment but I do know it is foolish if you don't at least have it checked.
Any movement of the height of a car changes the alignment. The more the car is lowered the more the alignment changes.
I think that also answers your second question.
Good luck with it.
I don't know if it's wise to have an alignment but I do know it is foolish if you don't at least have it checked.
Any movement of the height of a car changes the alignment. The more the car is lowered the more the alignment changes.
I think that also answers your second question.
Good luck with it.
Pro
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 706
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From: Orlando FL
Originally Posted by BAD_TCR
Nevermind the alignment!!! How the heck do you guys get 33,000 miles out of a set of tires on these cars! Damn! I have to get a new set every 12,000. 
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2000
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From: Murphy TX
What the guy above said about having it checked...
if you didn't check it before lowering it is difficult to say whether lowering affected the alignment or whether it was already off. It's been discussed often here how the factory does a fly-by alignment, and new cars have shown pretty significant deviations from ideal.
This uneven wear may be a result of the alignment the car came with.
if you didn't check it before lowering it is difficult to say whether lowering affected the alignment or whether it was already off. It's been discussed often here how the factory does a fly-by alignment, and new cars have shown pretty significant deviations from ideal.
This uneven wear may be a result of the alignment the car came with.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 43,146
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From: Gaithersburg Maryland
CI 6-7-8 Veteran
St. Jude's Donor '06-'10-'11, '15
Originally Posted by MyVetteDream
Also, make sure they don't use the Z06 specs when they do the alignment on your Vert... The Z has wider wheels, so having that canter will cause premature/uneven wear on stock wheels. True. But the Z06 camber makes for awesome cornering. Well worth the extra rubber it costs.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,887
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From: Havin' fun in Frederick, MD!!!
St. Jude Donor '05 '09
My real point was that you have time to think about it and do what you decide you need to do. The tires aren't going to go away overnight or over the next month and maybe not over the next year.
Originally Posted by wolfmd
I'm glad you just posted this thread. I lowered mine on the stock bolts last Friday and was wondering if it would be wise to do a 4-wheel alignment.
Should I wait a couple of weeks to allow the car to "settle" after lowering, or is it okay to have the alignment done now?
Mark
Should I wait a couple of weeks to allow the car to "settle" after lowering, or is it okay to have the alignment done now?
Mark
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,484
Likes: 0
From: Morgan Hill Ca.
Originally Posted by ecudooberhead
I have gone to 3 differnet places in town, and everyone says my car is too low to get on their rack 
Get two 2X10s cut five feet long and give them to them. Ask if your aligner has ever heard of ramps!
I went through a similiar thing on a trip to Tahoe with muffler shops, I had a bracket come loose. Finally I find a guy who actually went home and got the lumber to put me on his rack. I threw the guy a extra fifty for the effort. He spotted the welds so I could cut them when I got home and still have a trouble free vacation!He was a good welder, and I think he just wanted to see what the underside of these look like!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 2,332
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From: USA
Originally Posted by ecudooberhead
I have gone to 3 differnet places in town, and everyone says my car is too low to get on their rack
Find a good race shop in your area. They should have the proper ramps, etc.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2005
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From: The Beautiful Greater Bay Area California
Originally Posted by MyVetteDream
Also, make sure they don't use the Z06 specs when they do the alignment on your Vert... The Z has wider wheels, so having that canter will cause premature/uneven wear on stock wheels. 
