Xoutpost.com - 4 Wheel alignment, who's had it done lately.

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Just got her out of the shop and found no Problems with front or rear end suspension. But rough roads being what they are
the rear passenger tire is seeing more wear than the others.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsoto (Post 927235)

Hi -

A suggestion or comment.
What have you done for the front or rear end suspension since.

Is/Are the old/current tires wearing well. Does she track well ?

I would check the front suspension items and the rear Upper Control arm before doing a alignment IMO. No point pissing money towards a alignment with fatigued components.

I get one 1X a year. Cost me a good $180+. For some, it's overboard....for me, I'll just spend less at the bar, the next time we go out....

Quicksilver -

The Hunter Hawk Eye is a great alignment rack, but there are others as well.

These are the factors I look for for my alignment shop -

Do they Ballast the Car
Is the tech knowledgable.

There are 2 views...similar to how some people will NEVER change their brake fluid and some will do it every 2 years.

Any *monkey* can just follow the instructions and get it in the green lights..

A alignment tech will center the steering wheel, lock it, do the rear, do the front, get the toe right, dial in the settings, etc, My guy will take it off the rack and do a test drive. Sometimes he may tweak it a bit afterwards and then take it for another test drive.

So I look at it as a whole. Not only the equipment but who's doing it.
NOTE: Hunter also has the sensors that clips into your tire treads. No metal hooks will ever touch your car ever (great for $$ wheels like mine).

If it's wear you are concerned about, find a experience alignment guy and not someone who just get's it *in the green*

Hawkeye is not Hunter's best machine but can do the job.
Did the shop use weight bags in front, rear and trunk when doing alignment?
New computerized alignment machines have made alignment very simple these days and even a entry level tech can be trained to do alignments.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsoto (Post 927509)

NOTE: Hunter also has the sensors that clips into your tire treads. No metal hooks will ever touch your car ever (great for $$ wheels like mine).

Snap-on has gone one step ahead of Hunter. Their new touchless clamps center does not even touch the center of wheel where the plastic ring on Hunter touches.
Regular Hawkeye does not have the tire clamps, you need Elite system for that.

I asked around and found the 'Hunter Hawk Eye' Premium 4 Wheel Computer Wheel Alignment system' priced at $85-$90. Less than what I paid the last time and I'm leaning
toward Continental ExtreemContact DWS.

Hey Quiksilver. Did you get your new tars or your quest for a alignment

Just got my yearly done. Guys was on the rack dialing it all in - spent around 2 hrs or a hair over 2 hrs in it. Nothing major on tweaking, but just dialing it all in.

Just wanted to chime in, as for me , part of the alignment is not the machine, but the technician who does it.