When I had my new Michelin PS2 tires installed a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that my steering wheel was off center to the right.

I took it back to the dealer, and the second time it was off center to the left, but by an even higher degree.

The dealer offered to re-do it a third time, but at this point I just wanted to cut my losses and get it done right. I took it to an independent guy called the "Alignment Factory". This is a guy who has run his own shop doing nothing but alignments for 30 years. He does a lot of work on sports cars and race cars, but works on any type of car. Plus he doesn't just get the alignment to be within factory tolerances - he gets it to the optimum level. As he says "Green is not good enough".

It took him a long time. He drove the car 3 times (once at the start before beginning the work). He said the dealer's alignment was slightly off to the right and I was having a slight radial pull as well. He corrected the alignment and swapped the tires to neutralize the slight radial pull.

All I can say is the precision of the steering and the perfectly neutral steering is unbelievable. It's like driving a new BMW. I don't think it was this good when I bought the car new off the lot.

 

I felt the same way after my last alignment. My car has pulled to the right forever. Now when I let the wheel go she remains perfectly straight even on a road with a slight angle. Its just like stock

 

Batman, how much did this cost? Sometimes I get pulling after a tire rotate. I typically adjust the pressure one side or the other depending on which way it pulls...solves the problem most if not all the time.

The alignment factory process sounds like it is so much more scientific.

 

ummm my dealer always did my alignment and never felt anythin different,,,next time when im miami i will check him out

 

$85-120 dollars depending on your setup. My setup is stock so it was $85.

It's a bargain for how much time and effort he put into it.

Two man shop with no overhead. The guy really cares about alignment - doesn't do anything else. That's why its such a great deal.

 

I guess it's like a hit or miss kinda thing. The head mechanic at our Lexus said he never aligns his or any cars unless they change tires. Being that I live in HI, with such bad roads, I feel it should be done more often than just when you change tires.

When is a good time to do alignment? only when you feel a pull?

 

I do it at least annually or every time I hit a curb.

Easiest way to check is to let go of the wheel and see what happens. If the car stays dead straight then alignment is fine.