anyone have any recommendations for an alignment shop in the Phoenix area?

 

Classic Gold Auto Centre in Tempe does alignments. They're a pretty well known Corvette shop, but I wouldn't get paint there.

 

I believe if you need to check the rear alignment too there are special tools needed and would probably only be at a Chevy dealer.
when I get front end alignments on any of my cars I go to an old school frame shop nearby.

 

Any competent shop with an alignment rack can do a four wheel alignment on a Corvette. I just had mine done at a local independent shop.

 

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...n-phoenix.html

Check above thread, very good info on alignments in the valley here.

 

Competent being the key word.

 

FWIW...Is this true?
For C6 alignment, does one need a Tech II to center the steering wheel?
(a sensor to column shaft procedure)

Ditto..Are special tools needed for the rear?

 

I took my car to a local alignment shop because the steering wheel was off center and the car was lowered in the front. I had just bought it a few months earlier and the steering wheel alignment was driving me nuts. I watched them align the car on their alignment rack and never saw them hook up a Tech II to the car. My steering wheel is perfectly centered now and it's back at stock height.

 

I've had my car in for alignment twice since I bought it; both times with the steering wheel a little off center. Both times were independent shops, and neither shop used a Tech !!.

 

The steering wheel position sensor is also used to center steering wheel

 

That brings questions from someone who doesn't turn wrenches on my cars: are you saying a Tech II can center the steering wheel? If so, and the steering wheel is off center because the car is out of alignment, won't you still have issues with the car?

 

The sensor is calibrated in assistance with alignment

 

So neither @Corvette_Ed or I saw a Tech II used during our alignments, which tells me a Tech II can't be used to properly center the steering wheel???

 

I don’t know what computer system is used but I had a off center steering wheel on my 20 Denali diesel and both the rack and sensor adjusting systems were used.

 

Steering wheel position sensor is is used for active handling.
So wheel is first set so the sensor is reading 0 volts, and then the front tires are aligned to this zero position.

Hence with steering wheel turned to the left, sensor voltage goes into climbing negative numbers, while if the wheel is turned to the right, sensor reading goes into positive climbing voltage.

So if steering wheel position sensor is not set and maintained at Zero during the alignment, and 4 wheel positions are not set to this Zero voltage reading, then left corner, verse right corner, Active handling is going to kick in differently when it still in play.

So we start with the steering wheel position sensor reading zero, the front tires are aligned to this so they and the wheel are pointing the same direction, then the back wheels are aligned to the front wheels. Hence if the steering wheel position/ it's sensor readings are bad enough to start with, it's not out of the question to have the alignment on the car set up for the car to be crabbing to a degree down the road, since the body parts on the vets are not perfect in install to use them for center line of the chassis, when it comes to them mounted on the chassis to begin with. If you have ever measured from edge of fender lips, then bottom of chassis to the level ground on front and back side to side,pretty much figure this out from the start.

And no, we don't play pull the steering wheel and re-clock it game to get the wheel straight with the tires, since both the steering wheel shaft and the steering wheel are indexed marked so they install correctly from the start, so the steering wheel position sensor is reading O when the steering wheel is set to center position itself.

As for GM, then use tech2win in some shops with MDI, while other shop have this steering wheel position reader built into the alignment machine that is pulled from the OBDII port. So if you want to use an indy to align, and then either take your Tech II to let them use it, or make sure they have a way off reading the steering wheel position sensor so the alignment is done correctly/the Active handling will work correctly/the same when corning either way.

 

Good to know, thanks