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Scott Vim
TryHard
Vic
Soarer (1uz) Chaser (1jz)

Posts: 191
Reg: 12-2010

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Thursday, September 01, 2011 - 06:06 pm, by:  Scott Vim (1uz1jz) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Just got a wheel alignment done and the guy told me that the left hand side caster bush is stuffed not allowing him to make enough of an adjustment. They told me that the car pulls to the right or the left I cant remember.
On the way home I remembered that I had the airbags switched OFF and that just prior to getting new tyres I had a flat tyre so the airbags were compensating by pumping up the front left. So my question is would the cars suspension being uneven affected the wheel alignment?
Because on the way home the car is not pulling to either side like they said (even when i let go of the wheel) but the steering wheel needs to be held to one side to keep the car straight.
Dave Rose
Goo Roo
wa
uzz31 v8

Posts: 1672
Reg: 03-2007

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Thursday, September 01, 2011 - 08:37 pm, by:  Dave Rose (Sand_groper) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Because on the way home the car is not pulling to either side like they said (even when i let go of the wheel) but the steering wheel needs to be held to one side to keep the car straight.

Scott have another go at this ?? does not make sense
Nathan Richardson
DieHard
N.T.
UZZ32 #445 (V8 Supercherged 5Speed. 291RWKW)

Posts: 602
Reg: 02-2006

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Thursday, September 01, 2011 - 09:12 pm, by:  Nathan Richardson (Richtheblack) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)


Dave Rose wrote on Thursday, September 01, 2011 - 08:37 pm:

Because on the way home the car is not pulling to either side like they said (even when i let go of the wheel) but the steering wheel needs to be held to one side to keep the car straight. Scott have another go at this ?? does not make sense




No it does not!


Scott Vim wrote on Thursday, September 01, 2011 - 06:06 pm:

would the cars suspension being uneven affected the wheel alignment?




Yes it would but I would think that tyre pressure would be one of the first things checked if an alignment doesn't come into spec.

And by the "left hand caster bush" I assume the front left, rear lower control arm bush?

If so this not only adjusts caster but camber too. Have you taken your car here before? I would go for another opinion and ask, "do you do 4 wheel alignments? Are you familiar with Soarers?"

See how you go.

Edit - Oh yeah, this is probably better in the suspension section too by the way!!!
Scott Vim
TryHard
Vic
Soarer (1uz) Chaser (1jz)

Posts: 193
Reg: 12-2010

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Thursday, September 01, 2011 - 09:53 pm, by:  Scott Vim (1uz1jz) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Goddamn! Yeah Nath they said they couldn't adjust camber on the left hand side.
You're right, doesn't make sense at all.
Basically I meant to say-
When they had finished the job, they told me the car keeps pulling to the right and that they can't adjust the camber on the front left side because the bush is worn. Only when they had finished everything I realised that the airbags had been OFF the whole time. Before I drove off I turned them back on and found that the car did not pull to either side. The steering wheel is not dead centre when I'm travelling in a straight line now though and I'm not all that confident in the wheel alignment. It didn't pull to either side and the steering wheel was spot on before I brought it in. It was pulling to the right just before I brought it in but that was because I had a tyre puncture.

So just wondering if having the airbags off during the wheel alignment could have caused the issues? If so I'll take it back to them tomorrow and tell them to do it again.
If not, I'll take my car somewhere else and get it done by people who know what they are doing.
Nathan Richardson
DieHard
N.T.
UZZ32 #445 (V8 Supercherged 5Speed. 291RWKW)

Posts: 604
Reg: 02-2006

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Thursday, September 01, 2011 - 10:12 pm, by:  Nathan Richardson (Richtheblack) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Get your tyre pressures sorted and make sure you suspension is set how it would be normally.

Call them up and tell them to check your alignment again free of cost, as you believe it is "worse" than before as the steering wheel is no longer centered. If it is in fact your LCA bushes then go from there, otherwise ensure they re-align your car, again free of charge!

If your bushes are in fact stuffed, then it would be to their credit for informing you, however only having one bush stuffed? This doesn't really add up.

I expect someone here might crack the with what I have said but I have long lost any respect for the run of the mill tyre shop. There are only so many times I can rip through $1600 worth of tyres driving to and from work!
Scott Vim
TryHard
Vic
Soarer (1uz) Chaser (1jz)

Posts: 194
Reg: 12-2010

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Thursday, September 01, 2011 - 10:57 pm, by:  Scott Vim (1uz1jz) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yeah the front tyres that came off the car today were new for the RWC when I got the car (about 12 mths ago) plenty of tread everywhere except on the inside where they are bald.

What height should I have it set to? I have a low setting and a high setting that I use.
Matthew Sharpe
Goo Roo
North Island
JZZ31

Posts: 6469
Reg: 10-2005

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Friday, September 02, 2011 - 08:13 am, by:  Matthew Sharpe (Madmatt) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Something is definitely wrong if they are wearing on the inside. The usual pattern for a front engine rear wheel drive car with an enthusiastic driver would be slightly higher wear on the outside edge of the front tyres due to cornering - at least in my experience.
Scott Vim
TryHard
Vic
Soarer (1uz) Chaser (1jz)

Posts: 195
Reg: 12-2010

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Tuesday, September 06, 2011 - 01:47 pm, by:  Scott Vim (1uz1jz) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yeah bushes are worn so they can't fix my camber. I took it to another place just to see what they would say and they said my car doesn't have camber adjustment lol. I said well why is my wheel out like that and they said hmm maybe it's been in an accident. LOL
Just got to get the bushes fixed.
To answer my own question YES the height of your soarer affects camber. The lower you go the more negative camber you have. The higher you go the more positive camber. So set it to the height you use the most and get it set up for that.
Allan Langford
DieHard
Vic
UZZ31

Posts: 536
Reg: 05-2010

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Wednesday, September 07, 2011 - 03:03 pm, by:  Allan Langford (Allan) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

check what alignment specs they are using... the ones on planet soarer are vastly different then what some alignment shops have in the books and are obtainable unlike the ones in the books!
Nathan Richardson
DieHard
N.T.
UZZ32 #445 (V8 Supercherged 5Speed. 291RWKW)

Posts: 610
Reg: 02-2006

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Wednesday, September 07, 2011 - 07:06 pm, by:  Nathan Richardson (Richtheblack) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Definitely. And ask for a printout of the alignment as well.
Jack Driver
TryHard
vic
V8

Posts: 108
Reg: 08-2010

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Wednesday, September 07, 2011 - 10:53 pm, by:  Jack Driver (Jacko) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hey Scott
When I have an issue I've given Sports and Luxury Cars in Ferntree Gully (I think!) a ring.
I think the guy's name is Doug?
Ask them who'd they recomend for an alignment.
Lst time I was there they had five Saursuses in the place.
Matthew Sharpe
Goo Roo
North Island
JZZ31

Posts: 6472
Reg: 10-2005

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Thursday, September 08, 2011 - 05:30 am, by:  Matthew Sharpe (Madmatt) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Many tyre shops are totally clueless when it comes to wheel alignments. So glad I found a guy I could trust when I moved cities.
Phil Gibson
Goo Roo
WA
'91 UZZ30, '91 manual UZZ31 track bunky, '94 blk/blk UZZ31

Posts: 1903
Reg: 07-2005

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Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - 02:58 pm, by:  Phil Gibson (Sciflyer) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

A bit of negative camber from lowering the car is not such a bad thing, however lowering will also give you loads of toe-out on the front which will rapidly wear a narrow band of the tyre on the inside edge (negative camber tends to wear a broader area)

With UZZ31s/32s where it is easy to change the ride height you should do as Scott said and always get the car wheel-aligned at the height you most commonly use and avoid driving long distances at heights significantly different from that as you can and will chew through tyres doing this
Ali Saeed
Goo Roo
WA
UZZ31

Posts: 3669
Reg: 09-2007

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Thursday, September 15, 2011 - 05:51 pm, by:  Ali Saeed (Ali) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

im wondering, if i get an alignment done on a certain height and then lower or raise the car, then go back to the original height, will the alignment be thrown out?
Phil Gibson
Goo Roo
WA
'91 UZZ30, '91 manual UZZ31 track bunky, '94 blk/blk UZZ31

Posts: 1906
Reg: 07-2005

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Friday, September 16, 2011 - 01:04 pm, by:  Phil Gibson (Sciflyer) Quote hilighted text Edit Post Delete Post Print Post   View Post/Check IP (Moderator/Admin Only) Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

no, it shouldnt

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