Getting my oil changed cars at 5200 miles, second change. I'm having them perform the DSC street/occasional track alignment. Printed off the specs handed it to them and I can't wait to see the difference. Wasn't having issues but the more I read about others also not having issues but out of alignment I thought I'd knock it all out at once. Will share my thoughts when I pick up the car. I'm lucky here in Bakersfield because the dealer sponsors our NCCC corvette club. Three-way Chevrolet rocks! They love their vettes!!!

Brian in Bakersfield...

 

Before top after bottom. Factory alignment off bigtime

 

Did they check/adjust rear caster?

 

Yes, they got it as close to the DSC numbers as possible he said. He agreed about my thoughts pre alignment, the right rear wheel was off and always where people complain of road noise too. No noise now at all from right rear.

 

As close as possible doesn't mean much. Possible is anywhere from -0.8 to +0.8 degrees on each side. Did he write down the rear caster measurements or at least show them to you when the car was on the rack?

When I measured mine the driver's side was +0.5 and the passenger side was -0.3. After playing around with the alignment for two days last week I am pretty sure you can fall into the spec without having the gauge and just making sure you don't push the stock numbers too hard. Getting the caster to be equal from side to side and positive on both sides is the challenge and it takes a lot of iteration before you can get right. It is more than putting a couple or wrenches on the bolts and turning them until the numbers match. You need to move them back and forth, roll the car, move the car up and down to get it close to the DSC settings. It took two days but we got two cars with rear camber to -1.7 on each side and +0.7 degrees caster on each side with the proper amount of toe. We had the camber/caster numbers the day before but it took a lot more time to fiddle around until we could get the camber/caster and toe settings required.

It can take a lot of time to get the toe settings to come in with DSC's camber and caster settings. Dealership and independent shop mechanics are on a clock. They have to get through so many jobs per day and I am pretty sure the extra time required to get the settings to all come together would push their time limit. I would be suspicious of "close as possible" as being a good setting. I would be less suspicious if the service writer came to you and said this is taking longer than planned and we will have to charge more for the job.

Bill

 

Your rear caster numbers are about what I found. I finally bought the tool.

 

Turn in very different, corners obviously better. Sooo good that all you others that haven't had the alignment please keep rollin, feel like it's my racin secret with the mild aggressive specs. If DSC still adamantly encourages the alignment, enough said. I'm on the alignment band wagon!!!!

Brian in Bakersfield...