Alignment in the Alexandria Area

[yardy8301]

I am about ready to do some suspension upgrades but have too much junk in my garage (car that isnt going anywhere soon) and a not so flat driveway to attempt to align myself. That being said, I am looking into alignment options for after I make the changes.

So where should I go? preferably in the alexandria area.

[v10climber]

Do you need corner balancing done also? You'll probably have a hard time finding a place that will align to custom numbers that isn't an actual race/alignment shop.

I know for a fact that the Firestone on US 1 will look at you like you have 3 heads if you ask them for numbers that aren't spec for the car. I started to explain camber curves and then just said F*** it and did the alignment in my garage

[yardy8301]

hmm, how flat does one really need the surface to be for a diy alignment anyway? doing it on the street is starting to look like a real option.

No corner balancing needed. After I get a feel for what the car is doing, I will probably end up changing up the alignment myself (once i figure out the right way to do that). I am just looking for a decent starting point. That and I have no clue what i would be doing.

Note to self: dont go to firestone. Maybe I need to widen my search or re-evaluate the junk in the garage situation.

[v10climber]

My garage isn't super level. Probably falls away 1/2 to 3/4" over 8ft so the one side of the car is a little lower than the other. I've aligned the mini a bunch of times and the STI once and haven't had any problems with tire wear/driving characteristics. One of these days when I get some time I'll make some "shims" to get the cars level in the garage. you just need a level (which I have) and some cheapy linoleum tiles (which I don't).

Not sure how close you are to me (I'm in alexandria too) but you could use my garage one weekend to do your alignment. I have all the stuff to do it although I'm not guaranteeing accuracy of my camber gauge (straight edge, level, and caliper) Also, I don't have a way to measure caster. Although I'm going to be gone till the beginning of May so IDK how soon you need your car aligned.

[yardy8301]

Thanks for the offer. I am still waiting for parts in the mail plus i am evaluating some other items I may replace at the same time, so I dont really know when ill be ready to align. That would be great if we could do it at your place. it would solve 2 of my issues: 1) not knowing how to do it (other than reading instructions online, which i have been researching) 2) having somewhere to do it. If I havent had it done by the time you return, I would appreciate it much.

[v10climber]

Got back in town last night. The camber gauge came in but I haven't had a chance to mess with it. Hopefully Friday I'll do a quickie alignment on the mini but then I'm busy all weekend with various auto-x events. Next weekend (11th) there is a BMWCCA auto-x but I haven't yet decided whether I'm going to go to that one or not. So that weekend is looking fairly free.

[yardy8301]

Havent gotten it done yet but I was at alexandria mazda on route 1 and asked about aligning to my specs. I figure they have to know at least a little bit about the miata considering it hasnt changed much in 24 years. They said they could do it (note: doing it and doing it well might be something i need to consider). I think im going to go that route for the very first one. Itll at least get the car nice and straight. From there, adjusting will be a lot easier. Thank you for the offer, I still do want to see it done the DIY method.

Also I thought I would have been ready by now to get it aligned, but while installing the new suspension, I noticed a couple parts that needed replacement and I also changed my mind about spring lengths in the front. I ordered new springs and am awaiting them. My new goal is to get it all ready for May 19th autox.

[ericw]

Also, I don't have a way to measure caster

"caster is measured from a pair of camber measurements at two wheel turn positions. the formula is:

Caster (deg) = (180 / 3.1415) * [(camber1 - camber2) / (turnangle1 - turnangle2)]"

http://www.quadesl.com/miata_alignment.html

[madrian]

I'm far too inaccurate to do my own (ask Jeff Goldsmith ).

NTB in Springfield (just off of Braddock Road and the Beltway) will align your car to any spec you would like. They also have a deal where you can pay extra to get alignments for 1 year, 3 years, or 5 years. They were more than happy to use planks to get the car on to the alignment rack, etc.

I typically don't like NTB's, but these are a bunch of "good 'ol boys" that used to be their own shop (family owned and operated for 30 years) and took on the NTB franchise name to try to drive business.

Also, if Frederick, MD works better, Andy can probably hook you up.

[v10climber]

Havent gotten it done yet but I was at alexandria mazda on route 1 and asked about aligning to my specs. I figure they have to know at least a little bit about the miata considering it hasnt changed much in 24 years. They said they could do it (note: doing it and doing it well might be something i need to consider). I think im going to go that route for the very first one. Itll at least get the car nice and straight. From there, adjusting will be a lot easier. Thank you for the offer, I still do want to see it done the DIY method.

Also I thought I would have been ready by now to get it aligned, but while installing the new suspension, I noticed a couple parts that needed replacement and I also changed my mind about spring lengths in the front. I ordered new springs and am awaiting them. My new goal is to get it all ready for May 19th autox.

If you have someone who can do it to your specs then I would go that route. It sure beats spending a few hours in the garage messing around with it to get it just right. I don't have a lift so I have to make adjustments. Roll the car forwards and backwards. reset the toe strings. measure again. etc. The only reason I started doing them myself is because we were constantly changing things on the mini. We've got to be at least 8 alignments deep at this point in about a year and a half.

"caster is measured from a pair of camber measurements at two wheel turn positions. the formula is:

Caster (deg) = (180 / 3.1415) * [(camber1 - camber2) / (turnangle1 - turnangle2)]"

http://www.quadesl.com/miata_alignment.html

I knew there was a way to measure it using angles. I have some ghetto turn plates and a printout with lines on it. Seems like people use 20 degrees. I've just never taken the time to mess with it since none of my cars really have adjustable caster. Thanks for the formula though!

[DriftSS]

PTuning in Manassas is an option for alignments if you want it precise and custom. I agree most shops over the years like Merchants, NTB, Firestone and the dealership just stared at me when I wanted a specific setup instead of that ridiculous factory alignment with an overly huge margin of tolerance (think my camaros specs were +0.6 to -0.6 camber range tolerance, a castor range of well in excess of 1 degree and a cross-camber of about .4 and a toe tolerance of +0.25 to -0.25). Basically if you didn't get into an accident or change parts it was always within "spec" to the average joe at a shop...

Since many cars don't have much in the way of castor adjustment, its often easiest to just worry about camber and toe. Many models also have a limited camber adjustability so its often easy to just adjust to max negative camber (should be fairly consistent on both sides but can eyeball if not). That's what I always did on my Camaros. The change in negative camber will affect toe (degree depends on whether front steer or rear steer tie rod placement and vehicle geometry---suffice it to say it will definitely change with camber change). Toe is pretty easy to check or adjust with two people (or lots of duct tape....). I use a thick yardstick with two notches to receive a wide tape measure. Place a block against the wheels high enough to reach mid-sidewall of tire and allow tape to extend under car without touching chassis. Hold yardstick tight against sidewall and measure immediately in front of tire and immediately in rear of tire (I use the notches to consistently measure and hold edge of tape measure). Only relative distance is pertinent. If same measurement front and rear than 0 toe. If front is shorter you have toe in (1/16', 1/8", etc). If front is longer you have toe out. Adjust tie rods with wheel centered the same amount both sides to adjust to your desired spec. You would likely want a little more toe out than stock for autox, but certain cars that dramatically change castor/camber with suspension movement may be fine with near 0 toe at static settings... Tweak for free until car handles and wear pattern as you want...

Enjoy!

[happyidiot]

PTuning in Manassas is an option for alignments if you want it precise and custom.

I took my WRX there many years ago and had a great experience with PTuning. I gave them my alignment specs, and it turns out I needed camber bolts. They took me back to show me how much camber I could get before the camber bolts. Luckily they had them in stock, they installed them, and was able to give me the alignment I needed.

[yardy8301]

Ended up taking it to Currys Auto on pickett st. Its getting done as I type.

[yardy8301]

Just wanted to save someone the time and effort. Don't waste your time going to this place.