Highway wandering
#16
Racer
Thread Starter
Is + toe means toe out?
If it is, that's your problem. You want toe in to go straight.
Those shops that works on those "specified range" is a joke, I learned that when I was a kid before I got my license helping my mom align her 1st car at like a firestone shop. Half of that "specified range" is bad.
Go find a real alignment shop.
My LS430 with 88k miles with all original bushings, go straight like an arrow at 130 mph, I can even take my hands off the wheel.
How many times you get it align doesn't matter if those same morons keep adjusting it to the bad settings.
If it is, that's your problem. You want toe in to go straight.
Those shops that works on those "specified range" is a joke, I learned that when I was a kid before I got my license helping my mom align her 1st car at like a firestone shop. Half of that "specified range" is bad.
Go find a real alignment shop.
My LS430 with 88k miles with all original bushings, go straight like an arrow at 130 mph, I can even take my hands off the wheel.
How many times you get it align doesn't matter if those same morons keep adjusting it to the bad settings.
#17
Super Moderator
iTrader: (6)
+1 to BNR34 post, to much toe. The front toe on mine is .08 and rear is .06. Tires depending on alignment will have a stronger tramelling affect which is what you are encountering. So if you are lowered, a proper alignment is important. These shops are dialing in to much and or the tech is lazy to fine tune the initial settings.
You paid, go back and have them re-do it with less toe. It falls within spec but with some cars, they don't feel right. Problem shows up with uneven, premature tire wear and by then, the tire/s are
If you get a good alignment, don't mess with it unless it is obvious the car is pulling hard after a pot hole encounter or similar road hazard. Some tire shops "suggest" an alignment with new tires, this makes them extra $$. Don't fix what isn't broken.
You paid, go back and have them re-do it with less toe. It falls within spec but with some cars, they don't feel right. Problem shows up with uneven, premature tire wear and by then, the tire/s are
If you get a good alignment, don't mess with it unless it is obvious the car is pulling hard after a pot hole encounter or similar road hazard. Some tire shops "suggest" an alignment with new tires, this makes them extra $$. Don't fix what isn't broken.
#18
Is + toe means toe out?
If it is, that's your problem. You want toe in to go straight.
Those shops that works on those "specified range" is a joke, I learned that when I was a kid before I got my license helping my mom align her 1st car at like a firestone shop. Half of that "specified range" is bad.
Go find a real alignment shop.
My LS430 with 88k miles with all original bushings, go straight like an arrow at 130 mph, I can even take my hands off the wheel.
How many times you get it align doesn't matter if those same morons keep adjusting it to the bad settings.
If it is, that's your problem. You want toe in to go straight.
Those shops that works on those "specified range" is a joke, I learned that when I was a kid before I got my license helping my mom align her 1st car at like a firestone shop. Half of that "specified range" is bad.
Go find a real alignment shop.
My LS430 with 88k miles with all original bushings, go straight like an arrow at 130 mph, I can even take my hands off the wheel.
How many times you get it align doesn't matter if those same morons keep adjusting it to the bad settings.
#19
Pole Position
iTrader: (10)
Looks like you have gone to a shop to an alignment tech that doesn't know what they are doing - probably just lining up the lights green, good!
Looking at the readouts, they did not try to even balance the cambers. Since I'm not familiar with LS (being on 2IS side), it may not be adjustable such that it may require the use of adjusting the sub-frame to correct geometry issues and therefore can correct the camber and others in the process which an experienced alignment tech would be able to do.
Here is my report on my IS for instance. Notice my numbers between left and right are mostly identical in the after compared to before? My car is brand new too.
Looking at the readouts, they did not try to even balance the cambers. Since I'm not familiar with LS (being on 2IS side), it may not be adjustable such that it may require the use of adjusting the sub-frame to correct geometry issues and therefore can correct the camber and others in the process which an experienced alignment tech would be able to do.
Here is my report on my IS for instance. Notice my numbers between left and right are mostly identical in the after compared to before? My car is brand new too.
Last edited by Sango; 11-23-11 at 08:07 AM.
#20
Looks like you have gone to a shop to an alignment tech that doesn't know what they are doing - probably just lining up the lights green, good!
Looking at the readouts, they did not try to even balance the cambers. Since I'm not familiar with LS (being on 2IS side), it may not be adjustable such that it may require the use of adjusting the sub-frame to correct geometry issues and therefore can correct the camber and others in the process which an experienced alignment tech would be able to do.
Here is my report on my IS for instance. Notice my numbers between left and right are mostly identical in the after compared to before? My car is brand new too.
Looking at the readouts, they did not try to even balance the cambers. Since I'm not familiar with LS (being on 2IS side), it may not be adjustable such that it may require the use of adjusting the sub-frame to correct geometry issues and therefore can correct the camber and others in the process which an experienced alignment tech would be able to do.
Here is my report on my IS for instance. Notice my numbers between left and right are mostly identical in the after compared to before? My car is brand new too.
camber pulls to which ever side is more positive, and caster pulls to which ever side is more negative.
i dont know how the roads are where you live but in arizona we have crowned roads to keep water off of our roads when it does rain.
i have no problem with his front camber. if anything his car should drift left because of camber, and right because of caster.
#22
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (1)
Don't know what + toe means, but if it need to be " toe in " to drive straight, thats good to know and I'll tell that to whoever does the next alignment. I didn't take to car to inexperienced shops. One was a Lexus dealer, and the others were done by independents. But I will be looking for a new place for sure - someone who will redo it until I am satisfied.
To all dealer's tech reading this, I said most, there are always expections to a few individuals that are extremely good.
But usually the really good mechanics just open their own shop or works at an independent shop after they learn what they need from a dealer. Dealer don't pay so good folks don't stay.
#23
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: AZ
Posts: 7
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If it has air ride...
If it has air ride, check to make sure the car is level and all the shocks are good. Sounds like the same problem I have. Just not as bad. I had it to the dealer today and found out the r/r shock is bad, which is why I am here. I'm looking for parts.
Good Luck,
Dan
Good Luck,
Dan
#24
Pole Position
iTrader: (10)
they didnt balance the camber on purpose, to combat road crown and caster pull.
camber pulls to which ever side is more positive, and caster pulls to which ever side is more negative.
i dont know how the roads are where you live but in arizona we have crowned roads to keep water off of our roads when it does rain.
i have no problem with his front camber. if anything his car should drift left because of camber, and right because of caster.
camber pulls to which ever side is more positive, and caster pulls to which ever side is more negative.
i dont know how the roads are where you live but in arizona we have crowned roads to keep water off of our roads when it does rain.
i have no problem with his front camber. if anything his car should drift left because of camber, and right because of caster.
A proper alignment would allow the vehicle to follow the crowns (not pulling), not combat or counter. With the unbalanced ones, on a essentially flat road, it's going to basically drift which it not suppose to. With the alignment I got, works on crowned and flats.
The same alignment tech has also balanced cambers for my other IS which now a family member has as well.
Caster I'm not sure about but I do suspect there maybe some geometry issues that may need to be addressed too to properly get it aligned.
Last edited by Sango; 11-23-11 at 12:22 PM.
#25
Racer
Thread Starter
Megan makes adjustable rear lower arms for the LS
http://meganracing.com/products/prod...=1189&catid=25
Will this help fix my car ?
http://meganracing.com/products/prod...=1189&catid=25
Will this help fix my car ?
Last edited by Stu; 11-23-11 at 06:35 PM.
#26
Vancouver, BC and Seattle, WA, also crowned roads as well.
A proper alignment would allow the vehicle to follow the crowns (not pulling), not combat or counter. With the unbalanced ones, on a essentially flat road, it's going to basically drift which it not suppose to. With the alignment I got, works on crowned and flats.
The same alignment tech has also balanced cambers for my other IS which now a family member has as well.
Caster I'm not sure about but I do suspect there maybe some geometry issues that may need to be addressed too to properly get it aligned.
A proper alignment would allow the vehicle to follow the crowns (not pulling), not combat or counter. With the unbalanced ones, on a essentially flat road, it's going to basically drift which it not suppose to. With the alignment I got, works on crowned and flats.
The same alignment tech has also balanced cambers for my other IS which now a family member has as well.
Caster I'm not sure about but I do suspect there maybe some geometry issues that may need to be addressed too to properly get it aligned.
#27
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (1)
I want to fix the rear camber. Megan makes adjustable rear lower arms for the LS
http://meganracing.com/products/prod...=1189&catid=25
Who thinks this plus a good allignment will this help fix my car ?
http://meganracing.com/products/prod...=1189&catid=25
Who thinks this plus a good allignment will this help fix my car ?
If the toe is right, you can have camber like these and the car would still go straight:
#28
Pole Position
iTrader: (10)
you are right, if the road is crowned the vehicle would have a natural tendency to pull right because of gravity. so you align a vehicle to have a slight left drift to compensate for it, to acquire this drift you can do it with caster or camber. the manufacturer recommends .5 degrees of cross camber (meaning one side has more than another) and .5 degree of cross caster for these reasons.
#29
as far as you never seeing a manufacture mention it, i am not sure you do alignments on toyota's or lexus for a living
let me refer you to a generalized service bulletin for aligning a car that pulls or drifts.
http://www.lambros.net/LexusTechInfo...SB-0174-08.pdf
enjoy!
#30
Pole Position
iTrader: (10)
aside from being far off subject, a crowned road is not a flat surface.
as far as you never seeing a manufacture mention it, i am not sure you do alignments on toyota's or lexus for a living
let me refer you to a generalized service bulletin for aligning a car that pulls or drifts.
http://www.lambros.net/LexusTechInfo...SB-0174-08.pdf
enjoy!
as far as you never seeing a manufacture mention it, i am not sure you do alignments on toyota's or lexus for a living
let me refer you to a generalized service bulletin for aligning a car that pulls or drifts.
http://www.lambros.net/LexusTechInfo...SB-0174-08.pdf
enjoy!
I'm mean virtually flat surface - not a road crown. There are a few places which with roads or facilities design like this. One simple one is in the dealership's service car floor - flat.
I actually asked a co-worker (who is experienced in cars, way beyond me) who drives an M3 for racing on the track - asked him a several weeks ago a similar question about driving on crowns. The answer was if I recall, was that it is not suppose to do that because if it set correctly, on a crown, it would require user input to correct the steering, not setting it such that it does not need to be corrected.
I would trust what my alignment tech does since he's known in the industry and does exotic cars such at Ferrari, Lambo, Lotus, Aston Martin as a lot of customers recommend him.
Last edited by Sango; 11-23-11 at 05:42 PM.