Z06FROMHELL

i plan on dropping my 02 this weekend what i can with the stock bolts. my thinking is the alignment will be off becouse of altered ride height. am i correct???

LS9

YES, GET AN ALIGNMENT

sweetcharity

I have read it over and over....get an alignment after lowereing.....BUT I have lowered mine on stock bolts (not quite to the max) and have not yet done an alignment. I checked my tread depth for uniformity before driving from Seattle to Detroit in HOT HOT weather this July and re-checked upon arrival and there is no difference in any wear patterns at all. NOT saying that it is not a good idea to get an alignment and I will when I get a chance, but perhaps unless you slam it it is not imperative to do so right away. JMHO

sprinter

Lowered mine as far as I wanted to go on stock bolts (remember that too low and you will be scraping on everything) and alignment was off significantly.

Rwdyryd

I'd get aligned...
I lowered mine about 3/4's of the way to the stock limits, and mine was OK. Got it aligned and figured out it wasn't to far off, in fact within spec's. I don't know where the car's alignment started out, so I don't know how much it changed. The minor changes (still within the spec) made a big change in how the car felt, both daily and on the track.
I had it aligned by a great shop, the owner does the alignments and said that almost every car he has checked (even new, with no changes) has been off. He is a perfectionist so to what degree they were off I don't know... He excluded Porsche's from his "every", said they rarely are off when delivered new to the customer.

Hope this helps,

Bob

C66 Racing

When you lower your car, the suspension is higher in its arc. As the a-arms swing up, negative camber increases. As camber goes more negative, the toe comes in (for the front - opposite for the rear as the tie rod is behind the rear axle). Net result is that a lowered car will have more negative camber and more toe in (for the front). Is this significant? Probably not, especially if you made a small change in ride height, but it will change your alignment settings.

Mike04

Just had mine aligned after lowering, I was way out of specs. Money well spent.

Red-N-Ready

Make sure and get it aligned. Considering the cost of C5 tires , its well worth it. You probably wouldn't notice the wear factor until its to late! The key is to drive the car a couple of weeks and put several hundred miles on it after you lower it so the suspension will have a chance to "settle-in" before you get it aligned!

lost

I agree with subdriver, and a little more negative camber will only help handling if you have a tendency as I do to take turns at max Gs. I disagree with Mike, too many shops will lie about the condition of your alignment in order to justify their bill.I've actually had one tell me I needed new ball joints thirty minutes after I had just installed new ones.Another time I had a serious pulling problem with a Duster 340 I owned. 1st shop charged me for an alignment but didn't fix the problem, 2nd and 3rd wanted to do the same, 4th checked alignment for free and told me I had a tire problem, they were right ,tire had a broken belt.Meanwhile I will take my lamp and join my friend Diogennes and continue on my quest.

jrose7004

Let it settle for a couple of hundred miles and then by all means get an alignment!

edensknight

Good Morning!

Basically, you have had a fair amount of good advice posted for you above by our helpful fellow CF members. And, yes, do have your alignment settings, and, entire suspension thoroughly inspected. However, allow the vehicle to settle down to its new lowered point of ride height. FYI, some "settling" may occur within the first two weeks of such suspension modification, which may allow the vehicle to lower even more before settling to its final resting point of ride height and geometry.

Therefore, after modifying/changing the o.e. bolts to lower your C5, allow a couple of weeks of in-town and freeway driving stresses to settle the vehicle. Afterwords, do go and have the alignment inspected, AND, actually reset and completed as needed. In general, most lowered vehicles do fall out of o.e. alignment spec ranges as indicated by "Subdriver" above. And, in order to prevent premature tire wear, as well as, poor vehicle handling characteristics, do align the vehicle.

Lastly, it is most prudent to inspect your alignment every 4K miles, or, sooner if you experience impacts from severe potholes, curbs, etc., in an effort to extend the life (even wear) of your tires and suspension (shocks that may have bottomed out and are now leaking, warped bolts, grinding parts, etc.). Lowering the vehicle will provide your C5 with an attractive stance and new improved performance rake.

Best Wishes to You,
Eden

DirteeDave

ex-bmw-man

I waited about three weeks after and had it aligned. Made a night and day difference in the cars handling.

Jason

yes.

Ikester

Nope, not necessary on stock bolts. had mine lowered 1.5" and tires still wear evenly.

Mickbee

In the video for the 2003 Z06 Dave Hill talks about lowering the Vette on a track day. If I recall correctly, he does not say the car needs to be realigned. I could have missed it...

I haven't lowered yet but am thinking of it.

LS9

ignorance is bliss

Icemanskis

it isnt manditory, but it will help reduce tire wear.

yankee133

get a 4 wheel alignment !

99blackFRC

I have two trashed front tires that prove it's a good idea to get it done - inner edge of both tires were puking metal while the outside edges had plenty of life left.. My fault for not checking on it sooner though.. Of course my results are to the extreme since I removed the front bolts all together.