alinement

[leoladou]

i just low my car for 1.4 inch and 1.2 inch..........someone told me i should do the alinement after a week........do i have to do it??? if it does........what is it???

 

[Sir Nuke]

YES, you should take it to a dealer or any COMPATENT alignment shop and have your car aligned. if you don't...and the alignment is even slightly off....you could ruin your tires, they will wear unevenly. What an alignment does is to PERFECTLY align your front and rear wheels with one another and the car itself. IF you take it to someone other than a dealer...ensure they know what they are doing...and that they know that a FOUR WHEEL alignment is required...

I just had my wifes P5 realigned last week at the dealer...it took all of an hour and was only $70 U.S. its more than worth it.

 

[leoladou]

thank u Sir Nuke.....u always help me a lots

 

[leoladou]

Sir Nuke, did u do low ur car and align it in one day??
coz someone told me that align it after few days..........why??
or he is just busy and dosen't want to deal with me?

 

[uclap5]

springs need time to settle, thats why you wait a week or so, to give it that time.

take the advice.

 

[Traveler]

The reason that you would wait is so that the springs settle. They will compress down slightly from the installed height when new in about 500 miles. They should stay that height until the start to wear out. That's why people wait for about a week. All springs do this to an extent.

Also, word of advice. The factory aligns the vehicles from the factory, but the car gets tied down several times during transportation and this compresses the springs. Most of the time the alignment will suffer due to this. Not a bad idea to get the car aligned within 1500 miles of purchasing the car. Go to the dealer and complain of pulling or that the car tends to try to follow pavement grooves. Warranties vary, but most allow for a warranty alignment on a complaint basis within the first 1500-2000 miles of purchase. Some are longer. You have to complain though. If the ride height changes from the factory settings, the toe will be off and cause wear. It's free if you bother the dealer about it. Check your warranty for the actual mileage for adjusment. The dealers usually don't mind doing warranty alignments since it pays them nearly the same time as customer pay work does.

 

[Sir Nuke]

Sir Nuke, did u do low ur car and align it in one day??
coz someone told me that align it after few days..........why??
or he is just busy and dosen't want to deal with me?

you are welcome Lou...and NO, I havn't lowered my car YET, that is next....and will happen soon.

as for waiting to have it aligned....well you got your answer from the other guys...and that is why you wait a little while. But don't go too long...for if its off much...you could end up damaging your tires.

 

[Rotus]

I had to get mine aligned the first day because the car was handling so badly. The toe was way out and the car felt twitchy and loose.

It does seem like a good idea to wait for the springs to settle, but I just couldn't do it.

I got mine done at NTB. They had to use the specs for a 98 Protege, so I don't know if they are still a little off. I also went ahead and got the camber bolts because my car had so much negative camber in the rear before I dropped it (wore out the inside of the tire faster than the outside)