Four wheel alignment?

conkeytonk · 12-21-2007, 09:32 AM

Just rebuilt the ball joints, replaced the tie rod ends and changed to some new 50 series tires and am going to have the front end aligned. I have never experienced any unusual wear from the rears so is a four-wheel really necessary? I am told that it is a difficult job for the 944. For the record, one of the local German shops wants $75 for the fronts. Does that sound about right?

Tidybuoy · 12-21-2007, 09:39 AM

I had my car "four-wheel" aligned at a regular tire shop and I don't think they made any adjustments to the rear as they stated it was in spec.

However, I didn't feel that the alignment was right so a few months later I took it to a reccomended frame shop. These guys knew what they were doing and they made minor adjustments to the rear which changed the ride height a tad. After everything was done and $170 later, the car rode completely different (for the better).

Personally, I wouldn't waste my money unless you know for sure the shop knows what they are doing - a basic tire store that also does alignments may not be good enough. The shop I used came reccomended by several people at my Porsche Club - this shop secialized in fixing bent auto frames.

Vern

Techno Duck · Techno Duck's Garage

Its not difficult, its just hard to find someone that actually knows how to do it. The rear also requires a special tool to adjust the toe. A four wheel alignment on a Hunter rack by me has been around $150-175 (2.5 - 3 hours labor) the couple times ive had it done. $75 sounds about right for just the front.

Im a big advocate of having an alignment done every year, but this is because my car sees a fair amount of track use. For a street driven car its good to have done every time you get new tires. But if you have no abnormal wear from the rear tires, i probably wouldnt bother.

conkeytonk · 12-21-2007, 05:27 PM

You rock that Guy, advise as good or better than SoCal (Hugh: we miss him)! The rear Yoko's are wearing fine but after my work on the front end I'll trust the local German car shop to give me a good alignment. This forum Rules. I have an old Scirocco and a Miata but the popular forums associated with them seem to be macho. Porsche engineering, even on our water-cooled misfits is far superior to VW or Mazda and I appreciate this forum's tone.
Randy

conkeytonk · 12-21-2007, 05:42 PM

Thanks to you too Tidey. All oppinions conclude a solution.

Dantilla · 12-21-2007, 06:23 PM

Depends on how you use the car. to putz on over to Starbucks, not a big deal.

My 944 is a race car, so it's very important. four-wheel, alignment, corner balanced.

conkeytonk · 12-22-2007, 05:45 AM

I like to sport drive and since it is my fourth car she's mostly a weekender. I like the 944 the best though. Being an engineer my biggest kicks come from working on her. Driving is secondary but she sure handles great. I guess I'll just settle for a front end only alignment. Again Thanks for the input.

Tidybuoy · 12-23-2007, 07:07 PM

One more comment....when you have the car aligned, it's a good idea to bring the car in in the "average" driving state - that is, the gas tank should be about 1/2 full or more and the shop should put weight in the front seats that represent the driver.

When I discussed getting the car aligned with the frame shop, they told me to bring it in with a full tank. Then they asked me if I usually drive with one or two people. As a result, they put 150 lbs in the driver seat only before doing the alignment. I don't know how much this helped but it was amazing how I could tell the difference in the alignment when I had just had it aligned two months earlier by a regular tire store.

Vern.

P.s. your car looks very clean and the red swaybar looks sweet!

conkeytonk · 12-24-2007, 05:15 AM

Thanks Vern, I'll mention the weight in the front seat and the tank will be half full. I have an appointment for Wednesday morning.

I took nine months completly reconditioning her just after I bought it. It's about perfect now. Some like the red swaybar and some don't but I've allways liked to add color in unusual places.

Only issue I can't seem to resolve is the cruise control. I've cleaned two units an she still behaves irratically. I understand the next stop is the computer control unit.