Coilover/Alignment Question
 

I understand your supposed to get an alignment after you install coilovers or whatever else your lowering on... but,

Should I wait and get the alignment done with new rims + rubber (205/45/16) or just get the alignment done with my stock OEM wheels.... or would I have to get another alignment once I put on the new rims+tires????

also, along the same topic... what are the downsides of not getting an alignment after you lower ur car???

thanks alot,

I'm in the same situation so heres what i'm doing. Get an alignment done with your 205/45/16 wheels on the car. I'm lowered right now on coilover and my tires/rims won't be installed for another 2-3 weeks, so i'll get my alignment then.

If you don't get an alignment, your toe settings could be off and will eat the tires up much, much faster. So get the alignment, if not something you want to skip for the sake of $80-$100. Toe means the wheels point towards each other or away from each other - \ / or / \ instead of straight like this - I I

Alignment with different size wheels won't make a difference, your overall diameter is roughly the same, and switching to larger size wheels won't alter your camber/toe setting.

well if the alignments fine before u lower, u shouldnt need to get it re-aligned because your not moving anything on the tie-rods, so no toe setting would be needed, it affects camber more then anything, and if you install a camber kit, you can fix the camber if you have a level floor to use at your own house
i recently dumped my car 4 inches on coilovers and havent seen any tire wear at all, doesnt pull, steering wheels straight, so i have no worries

true, but when did you last get an alignment? If it was awhile ago the alignment could be off anyways. Your choice, but I still think atleast a 2 wheel alignment is a cheap service to get.

Why go by guessing, camber will be different obviously, alignment can atleast get the alignment to match both front wheels and if toe was off, it will be corrected.

I am also lowering my car in about 3 weeks (after i get home from school) and do you need both front and back aligned? Also, can you just bring it to any old shop?

No alignment will save your tires if you have bad camber which is a result of lowering it. Basically I wouldnt bother unless you are gonna do everything right.

last alignment was 2 months ago when i did my tie rods

where do u guys get ur alignment? i cant make it up the alignment machine at work!

mine barely made it up with my 2 inch drop at my work, with the 4 inch drop it wont tho

k cool, thx for the replies guys....


Can you not lower your car like 3 inches if you want to get it aligned??? (won't make it up the machine) wtf????

Toe changes when you lower your car along with the camber, you will get toe-out with the neg camber when you drop it.

Oh and the argument that you don't touch the tie-rods so you won't get a change in toe doesn't really work as you never touch your control arms but you get camber changes. :) Thats just how the front suspension works that when the front end compresses you get toe out and a gain in neg camber.

Ohh and - camber can be a very + thing lol:D

my front lip scrapes on the ramps that go up...

^^Same..no shops are doing my alignment cuz my car is too low. what is a good place to get it done from..in a situation like this ?

what if you have been lowered and then now are at stock height... should you do another alignment?

yup. I lower my car in March and get an alignment. Then I raise it in Oct and get an alignment. This way, my summer tires are being killed by toe settings and my winter tires aren't being killed either.