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If still under warranty, tell the dealer it "handles funny at high speeds" or something like that, you can get one free alignment under warranty.
You must be between x (500?) miles and xx (5,000?) miles to get this.
Components of alignment specs:
Caster makes no difference to tire wear.
Toe in/out can eat the edges of your tires in a hurry, get them to set just a tiny bit of toe-IN and it becomes essentially 0 when driving. Best tire wear and handles well.
Camber (actually, negative camber) has a big effect on cornering grip and moderate effect on tire wear. The closer to 0 camber, the longer your tires will last but at the expense of cornering.
My take on camber: 0 for best tire life. -.5 is a nice cruising setting compromise. -1.0 is for aggressive driving.
There is some variation in individual cars, some GS/Z06 cars can't be adjusted to 0 camber. Either accept the lowest you can get, or there are a couple of easy mods that allow down to 0 camber.
Still confused on the exact specs to tell the alignment shop..
You haven't told us:
What model C7 your have.
How you drive it- track rat or grocery getter, or something in between.
Any mods to suspension/wheels/tires.
Your goal for the alignment- best tire life above all, or best cornering performance above all, or something in between.
With that information, people can make appropriate suggestions.
You haven't told us:
What model C7 your have.
How you drive it- track rat or grocery getter, or something in between.
Any mods to suspension/wheels/tires.
Your goal for the alignment- best tire life above all, or best cornering performance above all, or something in between.
With that information, people can make appropriate suggestions.
mine is a ‘14 Stingray. I drive it on weekends and for fun. Let’s say spirited grocery getter.
looking for best tire life. No mods.
here is a good article on what caster, toe, etc effect on a automobile - I enjoyed reading on caster effects steering - Caster angle settings allow the vehicle manufacturer to balance steering effort, high speed stability and front end cornering effectiveness.
mine is a ‘14 Stingray. I drive it on weekends and for fun. Let’s say spirited grocery getter.
looking for best tire life. No mods.
The answer is hiding in post #4.
To decode it for you-
Caster: 7'- 8' but equal on both sides
Toe: +.1' or as low as they can get it and still be toe-in; not neutral or out
Camber: -.5' all wheels except .2 less on left front to counter road crown. Tire wear should be fairly even, you can increase the camber to -.8' for better cornering but somewhat more inner edge wear on tires.
SO I just picked up my new GS. The dealer was kind enough to align it to the FE1 spec for me. Compared to my 2015 Stingray I sold the steering seems mushy and it seems it wants to wander a bit. I am wondering if I made a mistake asking for the alignment. My question is for those that have done this alignment have you noticed a difference in handling from before the alignment to after the alignment. Better/Worse..
Thanks!
Last edited by BRomanelli; Nov 24, 2019 at 07:01 PM.
Reason: additional comments
SO I just picked up my new GS. The dealer was kind enough to align it to the FE1 spec for me. Compared to my 2015 Stingray I sold the steering seems mushy and it seems it wants to wander a bit. I am wondering if I made a mistake asking for the alignment. My question is for those that have done this alignment have you noticed a difference in handling from before the alignment to after the alignment. Better/Worse..
Thanks!
There is about a .4 degree difference in front camber between the FE1/FE4 alignment and the FE6/FE7 alignment. Most wide body cars come from the factory with about -1.0 to -1.2 degrees camber all the way around. Taking it down to the base FE6/FE7 camber setting without the tolerances will give you a decent alignment with low tire wear and decent performance. However, choosing the FE1/FE4 base camber setting shouldn't leave the car wandering around the road. The toe may be off just a little. I am a firm believer of toe in as I believe it helps reduce tram lining with the wide tires. GM specs +0.2 degrees of total toe in at the front which is about 1/32 of toe in at each front wheel.
Here are the specs shown in the factory service manual: