Now, my next step for the RCF is getting the car in for a full service and maintenance. I have scheduled an appointment for the end of the month for it. Now, that I have brand new Michelin Pilot Sport 4S XL tires, I am wondering if I should get an alignment or not? My car tracks like an arrow and completely straight. Steering/handling feel on-point and incredible as well with these new Sport 4S.

That is the dilemma I have. The camber, toe etc. are dialed in very nicely for aggressive handling. If I get an alignment, I am worried they might end up going too conservative with the alignment by putting positive camber in or go toe-in and then I would end up hating it and would miss my current setup. I think a better time to do it would be when I get the RR racing USRS Polyurethane control arm bushing, which could be later in the summer or early next year, if I decide to do the cold air intake first. In short, I believe I will have driven another 2000 miles since the time I got the new tires to the time I get the alignment.

Just the same old thinking, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. My question is, anything I need to consider regarding brand new tires and then waiting for about 2000 miles before I do an alignment?

 

Not if you were satisfied with the performance and tire wear with the previous alignment. If you change a component, like installing the USRS, then you MUST get an alignment and the good news there is you can make the car turn in better by running a little toe out where you would not want to do this with the OEM bushings because the tire inside edges would wear prematurely. So, if you've been happy with the current wear pattern, there's no reason to arbitrarily change it. If you've seen more inside edge wear than outside then it's time to run a little more toe-in.

FWIW, I run solid bushings on my IS F with 0.04 degrees toe out. I run 0.0 toe in/out on the wife's GS F which has the same bushings you have in your RC F and with her driving, I see even wear across the tire. Toe out helps the car turn in (in fact, the squishy original IS F bushings toe out really hard on braking which is why the 2IS line of cars had inside edge wear problems) and toe out is awesome for trail braking. Cars with the amount of power we have don't benefit nearly as much as lower power cars from trail braking - we can make up the difference with throttle - so, pick your poison, aggressive turn in, even tire wear, lap times....

 

Thanks man. That makes sense. Definitely, once I get USRS control arm bushings, I will get it aligned right after that. The tires are brand new so it will take a little time for me to notice how the tires are wearing in, but most likely by the time I get to installing USRS I will probably only be 1500 to 2000 miles more so I will do it at that time. I am really liking the way the tires are breaking in and how they are beginning to feel so I don't want to mess it up.

 

That's the problem - We can't Trail Brake. I could on my ISF because I never had that stupid recall done On the LC, RCF and GSF AFAIK we can not trail brake

Lou

 

When I made the decision to lower the car, get 20" wheels and tires (also PS4S), and install a new carbon fiber steering wheel, it was absolutely necessary for me to get a lowering kit from Figs and have a professional alignment done to preserve the tire tread and straighten out the JDM steering wheel. I enjoyed the setup immensely, even though I wasn't interested in taking the car to the track. Taking the twists at a brisk pace was super fun though. Ultimately, it boils down to how long you want your tires to last, and Michelins PS4S are literally some of the most expensive tires you can buy. Why not spend a little more and get the most out of them?

 

Thanks. Agreed, if lowering the car then alignment is absolutely necessary. From what I can experience, the alignment is perfect with a balance between decently aggressive setup with good drivability (does not tramline or veer in any direction. Goes straight where I point it). I am planning on getting RR racing USRS control arm bushings later in the summer or early next year (the car will sleep from October till March) so I will definitely have to get alignment after the bushings are on as it is a must. Just doing it twice was the biggest question, which I think is not viable as I will drive only 1500 miles from the time I got the tires on to the time I get the bushings on. I will have the wear reviewed by the tire shop at about 500 miles to see what they say, just to be safe.

 

If you are pleased with how the car currently handles and it tracks straight with no excessive tire wear then there is no reason to align it.

 

Yeah, exactly that is what has been stopping me. I really like how it is currently setup and don't want to mess it up because probably Lexus techs will end up aligning it like a Corolla LOL. I am going to check wear in 500 miles or so at the tire shop. I think the wear will be very even because of how the tires sit on the pavement. I see they sit very straight at 39F/41R. Front one's look very close to zero camber almost pointing inwards while the rears might have a tiny bit negative camber.

 

Always align. If you are dialed in to certain specs, have it confirmed to the same spec. Tell them exactly what you want. Confirm the spec after the alignment is made with the printout provided. Realistically, an alignment is needed every 6 months. Definitely immediately after any suspension changes. Tires are an investment. Even a few weeks can kill a tire if out of spec enough.

I would never go to the dealership for an alignment personally. Get a lifetime package at Firestone (worth the money). If you ever lower your car, go to an in ground alignment location.

Curious, what toe and camber are you running anyway?

 

Thanks. I don't have the actual numbers since Lexus actually charges $140 for putting the car on the rack whether it needs alignment or not so I asked them for their opinion. Last year they said visually everything looks fine so I should check back once I put new tires on. Now that I have new tires on, I am contemplating when to get an alignment since I am going to get RR racing USRS control arm bushings later in the summer. I could go to my Toyota dealership where I take the Corolla and RX so that they check alignment without charging unless it needs it. Maybe, that is what I will end up doing after I get done with the maintenance and service on the RCF. I am guessing, I am going to need new battery as well since my battery is probably weak due to the winter storage. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

Yeah, $140 just to check is literal robbery. I really hate the dealership in certain aspects, and this is a prime example.

For that basic check, could have been more than half way to the lifetime alignment package.

I would also question the dealership’s “seems fine” approach. It may be true, but nothing beats actual numbers.

 

Agreed. My Toyota dealership does not do that. They charge only if they need to align so I am going to check with them on this.

 

That change the first time you load and unload the suspension. Rubber bushings aren't worth the effort. If you have solid bushings, then yes, the numbers mean a lot, but with factory bushings, you can have pretty significant number changes just from bouncing the suspension. If you're on factory bushings and getting decent wear (no, you really can't trash tires in a few hundred miles if the wheels all point in the same direction), then leave it alone until you change something significant, and then you can revisit alignment. The worst thing I ever experienced was losing a pair of rear tires on my Supra in 6k miles. It's why I came up with the "Lance Alignment" for Supras.

 

It changes no matter what the bushing. If you’re doing anything that involves the control arm, you need an alignment. That includes removing a strut.

Camber and toe changes overtime. Especially with going over potholes or other imperfections. The alignment is not static by any means.

Toe kills tires. Improper toe will very well wear tires faster than they should be. If excessive and you’re literally scrubbing, yes. It can happen very fast. Why not get a fresh slate each time and remove that possibility? Tires aren’t cheap.

 

Toe changes all the time for a whole lot of reasons and especially on these cars with the big squishy doughnut rear LCA bushing. And I strongly disagree it changes no matter the bushing. I suspect you haven't worked on a fully solid bushing suspension. The only issue with them is stiction, but if you bounce it and it settles to the same ride height the numbers are the same. Not true with rubber or even polyurethane bushings.