Z06 Alignment
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 1,190
Likes: 68
From: Woodland Hills California
Z06 Alignment
Just got my 17 Z06. I have read on the forum that alignments from factory are hit or miss. Also read that GM will provide a free alignment. If the free alignment is true, how does one go about getting this? Does the car have to exhibit alignment problems, like abnormal tire wire, before GM will do this alignment? I don't want to wait until the tires show abnormal wear to get the problem corrected. May have to take the car to a reputable alignment shop and pay for alignment.
Another question. I have read that there are two alignment specs, one for street use and one for track use. Which spec does the factory use?
Another question. I have read that there are two alignment specs, one for street use and one for track use. Which spec does the factory use?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 973
Likes: 221
From: Lake Norman NC
Just got my 17 Z06. I have read on the forum that alignments from factory are hit or miss. Also read that GM will provide a free alignment. If the free alignment is true, how does one go about getting this? Does the car have to exhibit alignment problems, like abnormal tire wire, before GM will do this alignment? I don't want to wait until the tires show abnormal wear to get the problem corrected. May have to take the car to a reputable alignment shop and pay for alignment.
Another question. I have read that there are two alignment specs, one for street use and one for track use. Which spec does the factory use?
Another question. I have read that there are two alignment specs, one for street use and one for track use. Which spec does the factory use?
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 4,301
Likes: 959
From: in the country North Carolina
Just got my 17 Z06. I have read on the forum that alignments from factory are hit or miss. Also read that GM will provide a free alignment. If the free alignment is true, how does one go about getting this? Does the car have to exhibit alignment problems, like abnormal tire wire, before GM will do this alignment? I don't want to wait until the tires show abnormal wear to get the problem corrected. May have to take the car to a reputable alignment shop and pay for alignment.
Another question. I have read that there are two alignment specs, one for street use and one for track use. Which spec does the factory use?
Another question. I have read that there are two alignment specs, one for street use and one for track use. Which spec does the factory use?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,436
Likes: 977
From: Overland Park KS
Take it to an alignment shop you trust and get the DSC ‘Street’ alignment. Remember one thing: rear caster is crucial to handling stability, and most dealerships won’t have the requisite adapter block and digital angle gauge needed to set it. Hell, some still don’t know that rear caster can be set on the C7. It’s as important as any other alignment setting btw.
Bish
Bish
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,058
Likes: 9,820
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
Take it to an alignment shop you trust and get the DSC ‘Street’ alignment. Remember one thing: rear caster is crucial to handling stability, and most dealerships won’t have the requisite adapter block and digital angle gauge needed to set it. Hell, some still don’t know that rear caster can be set on the C7. It’s as important as any other alignment setting btw.
Bish
Bish
Bill
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 4,301
Likes: 959
From: in the country North Carolina
That may not work since they probably don't have any more idea about setting rear caster than any other regular automotive shop or most performance shops. It takes some serious questioning and deciphering of the people's answers to understand if they know what they are talking about.
Bill
Bill
SUBVETTE
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,841
Likes: 93
From: San Diego CA
I agree. It's hard to find anybody that has a clue about the rear caster. I ended up buying the tools and doing my own alignments because it was less trouble than taking it to someone that knew how to do it. For me it was over an hour drive in each direction plus the time to do the alignment. It's simpler to do it myself.
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Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 4,301
Likes: 959
From: in the country North Carolina
I put the AMT camber plates and Granatelli toe bars on and the settings Poor-sha used on his car put me really close to start with.
As long as you have a level floor and are patient it's not too hard to do. It is time consuming because you'll need to drive a few miles between settings to make sure your adjustments are correct.
Here's the thread with the amt plates
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...available.html
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,058
Likes: 9,820
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
To set rear caster you will need the GM Rear Caster Adapter tool which runs about $200 shipped from Bosch. You can get by with a Wixey saw blade angle gauge that has 0.1 degrees of accuracy. You have to make sure you order the correct Wixey because most of them have 0.2 degrees of accuracy which is too much when you are trying to make degree measurements that vary between +0.8 degrees and -0.8 degrees and want them to be as close as possible to being equal from one side of the car to the other. A +/- 0.2 degree reading isn't much better than guessing. With the 0.1 gauge you can be pretty sure if you have a 0.7 degree reading on each side that they can only be a maximum of 0.2 degrees apart.
Any other tools that you add just make the job easier.
Bill
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,436
Likes: 977
From: Overland Park KS
That may not work since they probably don't have any more idea about setting rear caster than any other regular automotive shop or most performance shops. It takes some serious questioning and deciphering of the people's answers to understand if they know what they are talking about.
Bill
Bill
Bish
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 4,301
Likes: 959
From: in the country North Carolina
I was not talking about taking the car down to your local Sears, Bill. Obviously the Z06 owner needs to call around to find a ‘race type’ shop that knows exactly what they’re doing regarding alignments. I have a local shop run by two ex-SCCA racers. They have top of the line equipment and a sophisticated digital angle gauge. I took them my rear caster adapter, and since it was aluminium they made their own from steel using their CAD/CAM machine. The alignment they gave me and the stability on a road course, plus when punching the accelerator from a stand still was amazing. Anyone who doesn’t take the time to find a shop like this is missing out, and I can guarantee the alignment from professionals is far more likely to be correct versus someone trying to do it for the first time in their garage.
Bish
Bish
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,538
Likes: 290
From: Central MO
My alignment was off from the factory but you you could not really tell with normal street driving. Woke up one morning with a low pressure light and low and behold the fronts had worn down to the cords and I assume was causing a slow leak. GM would not pay for alignment or new tires. Only 14K on the car. I was told that they only adjust within the first 7500 miles.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,058
Likes: 9,820
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
I was not talking about taking the car down to your local Sears, Bill. Obviously the Z06 owner needs to call around to find a ‘race type’ shop that knows exactly what they’re doing regarding alignments. I have a local shop run by two ex-SCCA racers. They have top of the line equipment and a sophisticated digital angle gauge. I took them my rear caster adapter, and since it was aluminium they made their own from steel using their CAD/CAM machine. The alignment they gave me and the stability on a road course, plus when punching the accelerator from a stand still was amazing. Anyone who doesn’t take the time to find a shop like this is missing out, and I can guarantee the alignment from professionals is far more likely to be correct versus someone trying to do it for the first time in their garage.
Bish
Bish
You were lucky you found somebody that listened. Most don't because it requires a paradigm change on their part.
Bill
Track Rat
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 6,466
Likes: 3,464
There's a thread on here that Poor-sha, I think, started. I got the factory tool and guage for the rear caster. I got the tenhulzen setup for the alignment.
I put the AMT camber plates and Granatelli toe bars on and the settings Poor-sha used on his car put me really close to start with.
As long as you have a level floor and are patient it's not too hard to do. It is time consuming because you'll need to drive a few miles between settings to make sure your adjustments are correct.
Here's the thread with the amt plates
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...available.html
I put the AMT camber plates and Granatelli toe bars on and the settings Poor-sha used on his car put me really close to start with.
As long as you have a level floor and are patient it's not too hard to do. It is time consuming because you'll need to drive a few miles between settings to make sure your adjustments are correct.
Here's the thread with the amt plates
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...available.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...s-learned.html
The fact there are a bunch of us Turkey's on the forum that can do the alignment ourselves indicates it isn't impossible to find a shop that can do the work. The problem is most performance shops, race shops, dealer shops, Sears Repair Centers and Joe Blow's Garage haven't heard of adjustable rear caster. They usually have done so many alignments they just blow off anybody that mentions rear caster as being a member of Poly Public that has no idea about anything. The same kind of treatment that most women get from them all the time.
You were lucky you found somebody that listened. Most don't because it requires a paradigm change on their part.
Bill
You were lucky you found somebody that listened. Most don't because it requires a paradigm change on their part.
Bill
The other issue is that alignment racks get out of calibration and most shops never bother to check and adjust them. I watched DSC check their rank before they ever put my car on it.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 7,096
Likes: 153
From: "Atlanta" Ga.
What exactly are the DSC Street Specs so I can hand them exactly what I want?
Also how many miles, minimum, do you need on the car before making this investment? I would guess 500 to 1,000 miles.
Years ago I took my Z to a shop that also balanced the wheels on the car. It was interesting to watch. They also put nitrogen in the tires. The Z rode and handled so well after that, and it was not bad to begin with. I really felt the on the car balancing of the wheels was a big improvement vs. Taking them off and doing it on a machine.
Also how many miles, minimum, do you need on the car before making this investment? I would guess 500 to 1,000 miles.
Years ago I took my Z to a shop that also balanced the wheels on the car. It was interesting to watch. They also put nitrogen in the tires. The Z rode and handled so well after that, and it was not bad to begin with. I really felt the on the car balancing of the wheels was a big improvement vs. Taking them off and doing it on a machine.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 3,299
Likes: 1,488
From: RACE TRACK USA
What exactly are the DSC Street Specs so I can hand them exactly what I want?
Also how many miles, minimum, do you need on the car before making this investment? I would guess 500 to 1,000 miles.z
Years ago I took my Z to a shop that also balanced the wheels on the car. It was interesting to watch. They also put nitrogen in the tires. The Z rode and handled so well after that, and it was not bad to begin with. I really felt the on the car balancing of the wheels was a big improvement vs. Taking them off and doing it on a machine.
Also how many miles, minimum, do you need on the car before making this investment? I would guess 500 to 1,000 miles.z
Years ago I took my Z to a shop that also balanced the wheels on the car. It was interesting to watch. They also put nitrogen in the tires. The Z rode and handled so well after that, and it was not bad to begin with. I really felt the on the car balancing of the wheels was a big improvement vs. Taking them off and doing it on a machine.