TSB SI-0007 WHEEL ALIGNMENT SPECS

Tue Jan 07, 2014 4:43 pm

Easier said than done.

murcod · Wed Jan 08, 2014 12:52 am

Try searching for a company that does alignments (eg.truck/ commercial vehicles) and nothing else (ie. not a tyre retailer or car dealer.) These places normally know what they're doing for problem vehicles and take the time to do it properly.

~tc~ · Wed Jan 08, 2014 3:14 am

Ronzuki wrote:Easier said than done.

No $h!+ ... Learned it from my four wheeling days. Got suckered in by a "oh yeah, we got all the lasers and the best machine in town" ... Took it to a guy without a laser or computer in the place and he got it right.

SamirD · Wed Jan 08, 2014 5:58 am

Good alignments are definitely an art. Guys that autocross know exactly how an alignment feels, and usually want something outside of stock specs. Those guys need competent alignment techs to set up their car correctly. I'd hop onto any local SCCA forums and see where they recommend. That's how I found the guy in HSV with his own rack.

smsmart · Tue Jan 14, 2014 6:57 pm

Any chance the swaybar link bushings and bump stops could be a culprit? Or something else along those lines? I have essentially the same noise happening in my front end that kevvvinc did in this thread: http://www.kizashiclub.com/forum/viewto ... =13&t=2712

Apparently in that situation the swaybar link bushings were worn. Not sure though if that has any effect on handling. But I have the same creaking noise occuring in the front when going over things like speed bumps, and a creaking/rattling noise in the left rear when going over potholes, so I'm wondering if those are related to my steering issues.

I have MLK day off coming up next Monday, so I think I'll make one final trek to the stealership to see if they can check out the suspension creaking and give them one final chance to diagnose my steering issues. I don't know though if I trust them enough to try another alignment with them.

You guys are right about the alignment measurements though...I think all of the techs so far have said it's "good enough", but don't actually try zeroing out everything according to specs. The biggest difference on the last alignment was the increase in caster, but I don't know how he did that, since I thought that caster isn't adjustable on our cars? And is the change big enough to affect/cause bump steer?

I'm still wondering if the electric power steering has anything to do with all of this...I have no idea how that thing can be checked to see if it's working properly.

murcod · Wed Jan 15, 2014 1:54 am

The sway bar could be the source of your noise. I get a noise in the front RHS of mine over bumps in the road - I'm thinking it could be the end links or d bushes.

The noise in the rear could be related to the TSB about the rear shock top mount? The rear shocks failing will affect the steering response and general handling.

SamirD · Sat Jan 18, 2014 11:33 pm

smsmart wrote:Any chance the swaybar link bushings and bump stops could be a culprit? Or something else along those lines? I have essentially the same noise happening in my front end that kevvvinc did in this thread: http://www.kizashiclub.com/forum/viewto ... =13&t=2712

Good question. I wouldn't think it would since those bushings and endlinks don't come into play until the suspension is compressed, but I could be wrong.

Mon Feb 03, 2014 3:16 am

Looks like I'm a victim of this issue as well. I always considered alignment issues mostly related to how a car tracks going forward. In that regard, my car is just fine. However, I've noticed unusually excessive wear on the insides of all tires. Last time I got my tires rotated, I saw that two of them (forgot whether front or rear set) had inside wear. Now, it's on all four.

I'm taking these specs from the TSB and going to get my alignment checked.
I figure it's not a warranty related issue so I'll probably take it to a place near my house.

I'm also seeing rather worrisome cracking in the side tread of my OEM Dunlops despite them not being all that worn out. These original tires do not even have 25,000 miles on them. I agree with others that these OEM tires are not great. I won't be replacing them with the same tires for sure.

~tc~ · Mon Feb 03, 2014 3:59 am

Mine only lasted 25k or so

Posted from tapatalk

Mon Feb 03, 2014 3:49 pm

Mine were ruined due to the poor/incorrect factory alignment. I wouldn't bother paying for an aligment on the factory tires at this point since the damage is done and they are checking. When you purchase new tires, take the TSB specs with you and confirm w/ their machines specs. By now they should have the updated numbers. Be sure the tech adusts all settings dead-nuts in the middle of the 'acceptable' range. Within the window is not good enough and you will see wear on the tires in short order if they are not dialed in perfectly. I posted this elsewhere in the forum. I was getting feathering on the right front of brand new tires, even though when checked again after the initial alignment, the results were on the outside edge of the "acceptable" range.