Alignment at home
 

Anyone doing their own alignment at home? Specifically, I'm wanting to know what equipment you're using and are you happy with it. All of the good alignment shops around here have closed up, and as we all know if you want anything done right you have to do it yourself. Not interested in the Quicktrick stuff. Looks cheap and overpriced to me. Some of the AutoSolo stuff looks good to me. Are you using two rim clamps or doing one side at a time? Let me know what's working for you.

https://gyraline.com

I have one and I’ve just begun trying it out doing toe and camber, seems worth the money.

I checked it against my wife’s 2023 Civic with 8k miles on the clock and it seems dead on, pretty much at zero toe and such.

A little long winded but looks like it gives a good description of how to use it

https://youtu.be/xZjc5cxVZC8?si=PM8AulPHKW0RXQrj

Not sure what the benefits of G2 -g3 are but G1 looks fairly useful

Another instructional video for this one.

Good pick Bart I like it .

https://youtu.be/A0Cd1eWdnk4?si=5N7hHVIMZklEQgCm

Some Amazon/Ebay turn plates and a Longacre caster/camber gauge. Since I have aluminum wheels also bought a cheap wheel fixture. String it and 2 tape measures for toe in/out

https://www.ebay.com/itm/17699719711...caAsLqEALw_wcB

https://www.ebay.com/itm/317443054732

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/l...kaAtPPEALw_wcB

I saw the Gyraline. Tell me more if you can. I also found a couple of videos of tuner - alignment shops complaining about repeatability. I think their concerns are valid - especially on the modern rims with no weight lip on the outside. I think it's a great concept but I don't think they quite have the interface for that type wheel. I"m really liking this for toe setting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bcra_qYsJ6g

Timely topic, I just set my GTO down on some teflon sheets to do this.

I made a 1" square tube bar that fits just inside the bead lip on my 14" steelies. Plan is to use my Klein tool magnetic digital level to get the readings, in addition to strings, lasers etc.

I tried the Gyraline, it says my MotoG 5 is not accurate enough.

I thought there was a sticky somewhere on PY with a step by step for home alignment.

My QuickTrick alignment kit worked well on our buddy Ron's 66 LeMans.

I have been using Gyraline for a while on cars and medium duty trucks. The repeatability seems to depend on how repeatable you can be when holding it to the wheel. It works easily for camber and toe. You will need some turn plates for caster. The more you use it the easier it gets.

I aligned my GTO with the Tenhulzen alignment kit and only have ~1700 miles on my tire but the car drives straight, no pull, and no abnormal wear yet.

Isn’t this basically the same kit for a lot less $$$

https://www.ebay.com/itm/375194391390

I could not get greased linoleum sheets or double garbage bags to work for turn plates for me. I initially got the Quick kit. It is good for toe and camber that is about it . When you do a caster sweep the wheel tilt and you have to be able to zero the level to compensate and the Longacre gauge is the only way I found to do that.

It doesn’t appear to have the sensor unit (the small box with the digital readout that senses changes in angle). Without that, I don’t see how you could check camber or caster. Odd that they mention those in the title :confused:

The home alignment kits are so-so. Contact the High Schools around you to see if they have an Auto Shop. After retirement I assist the Auto Shop teacher at my local high school. We welcome clubs to come in and show off their cars and we do free alignments on classic cars. Go to your district web site to see which school has an Auto Shop class and the teachers email address should be listed. It's a great way to teach alignments, especially since new cars have no front camber adjustment and all the parts are usually rust free.

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...1&d=1766345549

Skip Fix in his post is pretty much the way I was / am thinking I am going to go. Possibly a pair of the wheel fixtures and a pair digital gauges posted earlier or something along those lines so I can set up both sides at once. I like this spring loaded bar for toe - mostly because that was what my old school alignment guy used. https://www.ebay.com/itm/143019857563 I like but don't like the idea of the school.... really a little paranoid about what could get messed up with the students.....slipping bar, dropped wrench etc. Helpful input everyone. Thanks.

Probably not the time or place…are y’all aiming for 3.5 to 4.0 degrees of caster? 1/8 to 1/4 positive camber?

I shoot for at least 4+ degrees caster(or as much as possible) and up to negative 1 camber.


QuickTrick here shown by FMG:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF7NQgZtx_U

I have no clue how Gyraline measures toe-in without a corresponding device somewhere else.

When I did alignments for a living I used every kind of equipment available. Some was very crude and some was very complex. The one thing in common was the fact the "bed" had to be level. It was checked a couple of times a year and recalibrated if necessary. How do you DIYers make sure the car is level. Also if you are taking measurements of the rim you have to compensate for tire/wheel run out.