self alignment

[nickmp0wer]

has anyone tried this? Im repalcing my steering rack but im just going to use the old tierods. the thing is, my aligment is off now. In the next couple months im probably going to get some new suspension and camber plates so i was thinking i could save some money having to do it twice and try to do it myself? using some strings and measuring from the front of the tire and the back of the tire?

[BahnE30]

mark your tie rods when you take them out, you should be close anyway. i wouldn't drive anything that hasn't been professionally aligned thou. i can't stand driving and a car pulling or the wheel not being centered, drives me insane.

[Dave]

You are going to spend the money on suspension and camber plates, but not spend 50 or so bucks to get an alignment????????

Just quit. Sell the car and start taking the bus.

[turnofftheradio]

I did mine drove straight and true all the way to the shop to get it aligned the right way. I just used a tape measure to the 1/32, made the front of the tire - and the rear + so it had a little toe. have equal threads on both tierods. then go to the shop or you will have bald tires, an alignment is cheaper than tires.

[nando]

You are going to spend the money on suspension and camber plates, but not spend 50 or so bucks to get an alignment????????

Just quit. Sell the car and start taking the bus.

try reading his post again. he says his alignment is off now, with stock suspension, and that he will be installing camber plates etc. he wants to know if it's okay to eyeball it for now, so he doesn't have to have it done twice (once now to correct it being off, and once again with the upgraded suspension bits).

I say go for it. put the wheel in the center, lock it, and measure carefully. as long as you aren't massively toed out (a little bit is fine) you shouldn't have any issues. just don't leave it that way for 5 years..

[nickmp0wer]

You are going to spend the money on suspension and camber plates, but not spend 50 or so bucks to get an alignment????????

Just quit. Sell the car and start taking the bus.

no i was going to get an alignment after installing that stuff. Im installing steering rack now but probably wont do that stuff for a month or 2

i guess i will get a stinking alignment now

[Dave]

and if he waits a few months to get the suspension done (and based on how long it took him to paint his wheels, I'd sway that's a conservative estimate), his tires will be fucked, which will be more than getting the alignment done twice.

[nando]

:roll: maybe if he sets them to like 1" of toe.

[nickmp0wer]

so i put new wheels and tires on and the car goes perfectly straight and the wheel is straight. would an alignment be needed after swapping the racks if i dont touch the tie rods?

[RobertK]

Firestone has that "Lifetime Alignment" thing you can purchase for $99. If you're going to be messing with your alignment alot it's well worth the $$.

[nickmp0wer]

but i think thats only every like 5000 miles or something. still migh tbe a good idea

[RobertK]

Depends.. if you got a friend that works there you could probably get away with it.

[gazellebeigem3]

hahaha, how cheap can you be??? count the threads, eyeball it and drive it to a shop! its like 70 bucks at goodyear with a 1 yr/ 10000 mile warranty? i dunno something like that. either way....

[Kilomph]

I searched for a while, couldn't find it, but theres a good DIY write-up about alignments over on bf.c under E36 M3. I got an alignment a month ago for $74, had to call around, most wanted $130+, and 90% said they couldn't because "It's a BMW, and they need to be weighted down." Meaning they're too fucking stupid to compensate for that. You can if you want to though, I think it's 150 in each front seat, 150 in both rear seats, 45 in center rear, 45 in trunk, and a full tank of gas.

[nickmp0wer]

why would that be nessary? why not just sit in the drivers seat?