New improved street alignment spec
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 444
Likes: 92
From: Truckee, CA
My car definitely felt a little detuned or loose after the new street alignment. It had lost its cornering omnipotence. It still cornered quietly as hard as I was willing to drive it but, nevertheless, I worried that I had detuned it too much. After it cooled down I measured the tire pressure and the alignment shop had over inflated them to 32 psi with one at 33 psi. I set them back to 30 psi and now it feels like it did before the street alignment but maybe it was just a welcome change after getting used to the street alignment with over inflated tires.
If I ever get a Corvettes wheels aligned again, I will take it to a Corvette specialist that can adjust the rear caster. Since it is expensive getting it done by a "Good" shop that doesn't really understand rear caster, for peace of mind, I might as well get it done right even if I have to drive a couple hundred miles. Today I learned of a shop near Sacramento that aligns Corvette race cars. https://msimotorsports.com/
If I ever get a Corvettes wheels aligned again, I will take it to a Corvette specialist that can adjust the rear caster. Since it is expensive getting it done by a "Good" shop that doesn't really understand rear caster, for peace of mind, I might as well get it done right even if I have to drive a couple hundred miles. Today I learned of a shop near Sacramento that aligns Corvette race cars. https://msimotorsports.com/
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 17,982
Likes: 1,074
From: Lansing MI
My car definitely felt a little detuned or loose after the new street alignment. It had lost its cornering omnipotence. It still cornered quietly as hard as I was willing to drive it but, nevertheless, I worried that I had detuned it too much. After it cooled down I measured the tire pressure and the alignment shop had over inflated them to 32 psi with one at 33 psi. I set them back to 30 psi and now it feels like it did before the street alignment but maybe it was just a welcome change after getting used to the street alignment with over inflated tires.
If I ever get a Corvettes wheels aligned again, I will take it to a Corvette specialist that can adjust the rear caster. Since it is expensive getting it done by a "Good" shop that doesn't really understand rear caster, for peace of mind, I might as well get it done right even if I have to drive a couple hundred miles. Today I learned of a shop near Sacramento that aligns Corvette race cars. https://msimotorsports.com/
If I ever get a Corvettes wheels aligned again, I will take it to a Corvette specialist that can adjust the rear caster. Since it is expensive getting it done by a "Good" shop that doesn't really understand rear caster, for peace of mind, I might as well get it done right even if I have to drive a couple hundred miles. Today I learned of a shop near Sacramento that aligns Corvette race cars. https://msimotorsports.com/
It should be noted that there is positive and negative camber built into the steering geometry anyway. Next time you drive your car, turn the wheel all the way to the right, then get out and look at the drivers side tire. You will be able to see with your own eyes, and no special measuring tools, the drivers side tire has a negative camber position. Passenger side will have a positive position although it wont be as easy to see. So a negative setup is just adding more of something that's already there.
Last edited by PatternDayTrader; Sep 13, 2019 at 11:17 PM.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 444
Likes: 92
From: Truckee, CA
The bolded is what this all comes down to. The bottom line is how often you corner fast enough to roll the tire over onto its shoulder; if the answer is never, then you might as well not set the car up for that type of driving.
It should be noted that there is positive and negative camber built into the steering geometry anyway. Next time you drive your car, turn the wheel all the way to the right, then get out and look at the drivers side tire. You will be able to see with your own eyes, and no special measuring tools, the drivers side tire has a negative camber position. Passenger side will have a positive position although it wont be as easy to see. So a negative setup is just adding more of something that's already there.
It should be noted that there is positive and negative camber built into the steering geometry anyway. Next time you drive your car, turn the wheel all the way to the right, then get out and look at the drivers side tire. You will be able to see with your own eyes, and no special measuring tools, the drivers side tire has a negative camber position. Passenger side will have a positive position although it wont be as easy to see. So a negative setup is just adding more of something that's already there.
Once again, thanks for the reassurance that street alignment is best for cars that aren't tracked. I will check out the static state hard turn camber tomorrow.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 2,982
Likes: 1,040
From: Georgetown CA
2018 Corvette of Year Finalist
2017 C7 of Year Finalist
If you're in the Sacramento area the. Go to Abel Chevrolet in Rio Vista. No place better to take your vette, especially for alignment. Service manager races them and knows alignment specs really well and they have the right tools to deal with the rear caster.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 444
Likes: 92
From: Truckee, CA
I thought aligning to a street spec would be easy but now I know that it is a time consuming challenge to align to any exact spec.
Last edited by DugT; Sep 14, 2019 at 12:06 PM.
