I never really understood this.... I'm not very good with alignments.

If their is a stock car and they go get new tires and they need an alignment.. well.. I can guess the person doing the alignment can just figure out what they need for specs to make sure that their is proper wear and tear because it is at stock height.

But what happens when you lower a vehicle and change the tire size? How do they know what alignment specifications their needs to be in order for it to have a proper alignment?

My car is lowered on the Pro Kit and i am getting new 255/35/18 tires and i will need an alignment so when i go for the alignment i need to tell the person doing it that i need it a certain way? What is the specs i should be at?

When i first dropped the car i was on the stock tires and my alignment with the Eibach pro kit was:

FRONT:
Left front: -1.1
Right front: -1.1
Left Front toe: 0.01
Right front toe: 0.03
TOTAL TOE: 0.04
STEER AHEAD: -0.01

REAR:
Left rear camber: -2.1
Left rear toe: 0.05
Right rear camber: -1.9
Right rear toe: 0.00
TOTAL TOE: 0.05
THRUST ANGLE: 0.03

Is this what i should get with my new 255/35/18 tires as well? I mean, how do you even know what is needed for it to be a proper alignment?

Thank guys, I'm just trying to get this alignment done right with the right specs for my ride height and wider tires.

 

There isn't really a "proper" alignment, it's more what you want. Typically most cars will have zero toe up front, with maybe slight toe in in the rear. Camber for daily street use is usually in the -1.0 to -1.5 range up front and -0.5 to -1.0 in the rear. With just lowering springs there won't be any adjustability in the front other than flipping the camber bolts. You would want coilovers that come with camber plates for that.

Usually with an aftermarket setup you will just want to tell them what specs you want. Most places will adjust as close to that as they can as long as it isn't something crazy.

For autocross and track you will want more camber, -2.0 to -3.0 front and probably -1.5 to -2.5 rear.

Again you will not have camber adjustability up front. If you need to flip the bolts to gain more camber you will have to take the front wheels off and loosen the bottom bolts on the MacPherson struts and pull the cambered one out. You can do this on jackstands or have them do it but it will take longer and they will probably charge you more.

On a stock setup I believe they switch between -1 and -2 or it could be -1 and 0 not sure.

Just go to a shop you trust with an idea of what you want, have them measure the current settings. Then see if they can get it close to what you are after. A good shop will try to be helpful.

 

I read your post a little more . Changing tire size shouldn't affect alignment as long as you didn't touch the suspension. Lowering the car causes camber gain in the rear due to multilink setup. That's why your rear static camber is more negative than front. I would just see if they can dial that back to -1 or maybe even -0.5. If you are still -1 up front you are golden for a street/daily setup.

 

And the reason they say get alignment when you change tires is because most people have allseasons that they only change after 3 years. 3 years of hitting potholes may cause the car to go out of alignment so getting one when you get new tires is just a rule of thumb for most people. Doesn't really have anything to do with different sizes or brands of tires.

 

DeweyD, I can't thank you enough. the fact you actually took your time to explain this important information is awesome man. Thank you. Your Knowledge helps me a lot. Thanks again!