Had my car aligned at the dealership today because of "slightly abnormal tire wear" (according to them). The caster, camber and toe are all in spec (onlt front toe was slightly out before alignment) but the Steering Axis Inclination (SAI) is way off on the front right. Dealership says "don't worry, this won't affect wear and isn't adjustable". But it affects self centering and therefore steering.

Anybody else have this problem?

 

I had the same problem when I had my wrx. When I lowered it, I went to get alignment. When I got the car back, everything was back within spec except for the SAI. When snooping around, everyone said that there is no way to change the SAI. I thought I was screwed, but it turns out that the shop didn't know how to properly align the wrx so it threw the SAI way off. The fix for me was that I took it to another shop that knew what they were doing.

You might want to ask if they did it right or take it to another shop that can adjust the alignment properly. I would start from here. GL

 

I think you may be right, although on the IS I think you have to move the entire engine subframe to go beyond the basic alignment!

 

This is a possibility. If the SAI is off on one side, it could be related to the subframe not being in the right position.

There's no factory adjustment on the 2IS that could make any impact on SAI, so it has to be related to the subframe's position on the chassis.

If the 2IS had the upper control arm (a-frame) attached to the subframe as it is on the Supras and SC's you'd never have this issue.

 

hey guys, after reading this post and the responses, i dont really understand the car vocabulary being used, as you can tell, im a bit of a noob. however, i do have uneven tire wear for my front right tire which leads to low air pressure at certain temperature drops. according to my dealer, the inner seam of the front right tire is causing the air to leak out which is also causing a slight misalignment? i have to get a tire rotation and wheel alignment. i was wondering how much a wheel alignment cost because my dealer is chargin $150 for the wheel alignment and for the tire rotation and balance, it cost about $110. are these numbers normal?

 

thats sounds descent, i get mine done for 65 bucks because you can only mainly adjust toe, which they always nail right on the head. my rear camber is at -3.3* and front is at 2.4* which is adjustable really haha, time for a camber kit before summer when the asphault gets hot and its time to drives the canyons

 

I hope you misunderstood the dealer and he didn't really say this!

The charges for the alignment and wheel balance are a bit steep. My dealer charges $99 and $80, respectively.

 

I know this is an old thread.. but is there any resolution to the SAI issue?

I have also just finished my alignment and everything is in specs except the SAI on the front passenger side... the car is pulling to the right though! Kinda annoying.

The shop where I took it to said replacing the control arm may correct the issue.

Any thoughts?

 

Can you show us your alignment report?

Here is mine which done at a specialized shop and it was also recommended at tire rack for tire installations. Paid about $150 to do this.

From what I found out from a few members is that there were more things adjusted other than what the car is capable of adjusting to perform a proper alignment. This would come from experience of the person performing the alignment.

 

i i have an 06 is250, and i have notice that my right front tire is wearing out way faster than the left tire. yet i do not feel any difference while driving , accelerating or braking. what could be the cause of this ?

 

Have your alignment checked. May not be sigificant to know a difference in driving feel but over time your tire wear will indicate what is happening.

 

^^^Sango your total toe looks to be too much...According to Lobux's thread in the IS-F section you should be closer to zero total toe if you want your tires to wear evenly..https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...alignment.html

 

I had a look at the thread. The last post seems to say not sure if zero toe would really work.

I just had my second tire wear inspection check from the person who did my alignment today. Tires driven about 8K (I get them checked every 4K), not rotated so far. He mentioned that the tire wear is doing very well. The next time I come in at around 12K, I will have the tires rotated.

I actually sent him pictures earlier during the day before I came in to ask him about the tire wear and said that pictures of the tire do not really tell how the tire is doing because you would also need feel the tire tread itself to get have a good reference.

 

alright thanx. sounds good. im gonna get the alignment check soon, when i get a pair of new tires.. any tires you guys recommend thats best for the buck, im happy with just a quiet smooth ride. lol

 

I know it's been a while but I just scanned the report and here is the result.. the car is still pulling to the right..

any thoughts?