Anyone doing their own alignments? If so what setup are you using?

[CSM]

Coming from the Miata world, I have the Paco Motorsports hub stands. Works great on my ST, Miata and MR2 Spyder. True 4-wheel alignments. No need to drop the car between adjustments. Highly recommended.

I am considering getting a set of these. My local miata shop uses them - they seem really great and about the best way to geta true 4 wheel alignment in your garage without building elaborate wheel blocks

 

[MauiRoads]

The pay for themselves in 2 alignments. You can make your own adjustments to get things really dialed-in, and you can change settings for different tracks. Also, whenever you change ride height, you're changing alignment too, and should re-align. It's very satisfying to watch your camber gauge change in real-time as you make small adjustments. And you can see your toe measurements change by the 1/16 inch as you turn a tie rod end by one or two flats on the hex...and then adjust the other side to keep them exactly "boxed" within the cables from the rear end, giving you the 4-wheel alignment.

One note: although the full weight of the car is on the hub stands, the suspension is not completely settled, because it has drooped when you jack up the car to put the hub stands on. You can settle it pretty well by pushing down and rocking the car, but after a drive, your settings may be slightly different from when on the stands. Adjust accordingly.

 

[CSM]

The pay for themselves in 2 alignments. You can make your own adjustments to get things really dialed-in, and you can change settings for different tracks. Also, whenever you change ride height, you're changing alignment too, and should re-align. It's very satisfying to watch your camber gauge change in real-time as you make small adjustments. And you can see your toe measurements change by the 1/16 inch as you turn a tie rod end by one or two flats on the hex...and then adjust the other side to keep them exactly "boxed" within the cables from the rear end, giving you the 4-wheel alignment.

One note: although the full weight of the car is on the hub stands, the suspension is not completely settled, because it has drooped when you jack up the car to put the hub stands on. You can settle it pretty well by pushing down and rocking the car, but after a drive, your settings may be slightly different from when on the stands. Adjust accordingly.

This is great insight. My FRS in Solo Spec Coupe is notorious for having the rear cam bolts slip on the control arms. I usually get 3 alignments a year during the season. I'll have to check out the Paco stands more closely.

Do you also have turn plates for caster? That'll be something I mess with on my Miata as I try to squeeze a 245 tire up front

 

[MauiRoads]

This is great insight. My FRS in Solo Spec Coupe is notorious for having the rear cam bolts slip on the control arms. I usually get 3 alignments a year during the season. I'll have to check out the Paco stands more closely.

Do you also have turn plates for caster? That'll be something I mess with on my Miata as I try to squeeze a 245 tire up front

No turn plates, but the stands are on a square base with a sturdy steel roller at each corner. There are instructions on calculating caster based on camber measurements when a wheel is turned inward, then outward. The rollers allow the hub stand to move inward and outward when adjusting camber, and to rotate when setting toe.
Photo is not my car.

 

[Peterson]

I recently purchased a Quick Trick String alignment setup and I love it. Of course the only downside is no access to under the car unless I build some wheel stands. I was thinking of skipping the wheel stands and trying to get a set of hub stands that don’t break the. And and will eventually fit onto corner balance scales. I like what you’re showing here, but I don’t like the lack of height adjustment on the “ride height” of the stand.

 

[Peterson]

 

[rallytaff]

I have a wheel alignment guy here in Glendale who is an absolute perfectionist. He has all the computerized equipment but can also tell just by looking at your car if you need an alignment. Never had any weird tyre wear in all the 8yrs of owning the car. PM me if you need a great alignment done and I'll give you the details.

 

[Dialcaliper]

Home-made toe box made from aluminum box tube that I very carefully notched to identical lengths. Kevlar fishing line (which doesn’t stretch much) also adjusted to lengths. Set it up on four jackstands and center it by measuring to the hubs front and back. Measure toe at the front and back of the wheel with an accurate machinists ruler. Not quite as fancy as some of the stuff you can buy, but cheap as dirt and collapses down to almost nothing for storage.

It gets me pretty darn close. Sometimes on the front I need to go back and adjust the front by an 1/8 turn to get the steering wheel centered again. (Sometimes it’s a bit off because with the toe box you can’t roll the car, just bounce it to settle. I haven’t rigged up turn plates and haven’t tried the plastic bag trick yet. Since the picture, I’ve changed the wheels, but it still seems to work fine on the 16” Dekagrams.

Longacre caster-camber gauge (bubble style)- I find that removing the wheel center caps and using the bare wheel boss seems to work well enough to measure to within 0.25 degree - I also made an adapter plate that bolts to two lug nuts. Might have a picture of that somewhere.