your right rear tires are pointing way inwards
and your front tires are pointing way outwards....no wonder you're pulling to one side

 

Craaaap. Well, thanks guys. Part of me (a very very small part of me) wants to go back to that shop with this info (and photos) and have them do it right. The other (more reasonable part?) wants to just go to my usual shop.

I did find it interesting that they only had to elongate the holes on the passenger side...

I just need to get final confirmation that I need to redo my top hat as some have mentioned. Always fun....!

Thanks again all. Really invaluable resource here for sure!

 

I'm still not sure why they elongated the strut tower holes. The stock holes are wide enough for adjustment. Having the car lowered, you're not going to get -.5 degree camber but who really wants that? Obviously you don't want -2 camber fronts for the streets but a good -1 camber is very fine for the street. This is also achievable with a lowered 996 with stock parts. I do know that if your strut tower plate bushings are worn(which is very common with mileage) you'll have a difficult time setting camber. I didn't read what you've done...i just read that you lowered and not sure how many miles on your 996 but if you have original strut tower tops, i'd replace them as the bushing there gets old and starts cracking which can lead to noise...vibration...and camber issues also

 

UPDATE!

Stopped by the shop with all this new info you all provided. And I think we are getting closer... lol

First, he said he will align it again with "whatever numbers I bring" him, but he wanted to explain why he did what he did. He wants to fix the steering wheel being a bit off, and the pull.

He got the numbers for what he did using the "Carrera 4: EXCEPT USA, GT3", which he felt my new suspension was closest to since its lowered. (see attached).

He pulled up the X74 settings on the machine (also attached). And it seems I am not that far off. He said he didn't want to give me too much toe on the rear, or the inside of my tires would be garbage too quickly. He said neutral toe would make the car feel a bit off, but he would gladly do it.

Since he is going to bring it back in anyway, what numbers should I go with? The X74 is a bit sportier, but will wear down quicker, right? I don't track this. Its our daily driver. I want the tires to last, without the feeling of driving a boat down the road...

Thanks all!!

 

You don't want any rear toe if it's your dd and you would rather have longevity over ultimate handling feel, and cover a lot of miles.

Otoh, your tech might not be able to dial out all that toe in the rear as it has limited adjustments in the rear. There are aftermarket adjustable toe links for those that drop it quite a bit.

One way to decrease tire wear while running toe is to dial down your tire pressures. Most don't realize the specified tire pressure setting is for full load(44psi rear iirc).

 

Cool. So X74 is too much for my DD? As are the GT3 specs?

Since they are redoing it with the numbers I give them, would anyone be willing to give me the numbers preferred for a lowered C4 daily driver..?

And I do want as little toe as possible as these tires were not cheap!

 

Remember the settings you see are what are in effect with the car stationary. On the road the settings change.

There wants to be a bit of rear toe (out) as under power the rear tires/wheels move forward as the suspension bushings compress. Thus the rear tires are actually pointing straight ahead.

With too little toe out, or God forbid toe in, the tires move even further out of ideal position and inside rear tire wear will occur.

My general info is with a lowered car often the alignment can't be brought into spec as there is just not enough adjustment. Really I think it best if one wants to lower the car that this also includes fitting the proper aftermarket suspension hardware to allow for more adjustment range so the optimum alignment can be achieved.

Oh, the steering should be centered. When I had my Turbo aligned I watched a tech fit a level on the wheel to ensure the wheel was level then he proceeded to align the car to bring the alignment into spec and yet keep the wheel level (and thus centered). He had to check this once in a while as he adjusted one setting then another.

Occasionally the tech would grab part of the car's undercarriage and get the car moving up and down on its springs to I guess settle the suspension then recheck the numbers to ensure the numbers were right.

Really a proper alignment of one of these cars is beyond the capabilities of most alignment shops. And if the car is customized, in your case lowered, forget about it. Find the best shop. Not the handiest or cheapest or the one that does the neighbor's Honda.

 

Great info (as I was going to drop it off today to have it redone!!). With the setup I currently have, does the toe look "acceptable"? I know I am not an expert in this alignment stuff, but since they are willing to put whatever numbers I suggest, what is the best numbers to give considering I am not currently able to add other suspension upgrades?

 

I would have them get it as close as possible to x74 IMO. Once they dial in more negative camber, your toe settings should automatically get within acceptable limits to each other.

It's better to have proper and matching toe rather than non matching toe trying to get close to 0 as possible IMO.

If you would've went with my Eibach suggestion, you wouldn't have faced as many headaches. You said you wanted minimal lowering with comfort in mind yet you went with H&R which seemed confusing...,

 

Well, I was hoping for some decent lowering, but not to the point I needed a ton of other new suspension items!! lol

I REALLY like the way it looks and rides. The old original stuff was just completely blown out.

 

Please read this from Pelican Parts, it indicates what you need and why on the alignment. It states rear toe should be set as close to neutral as possible with about 1* if negative camber


http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarti...ur_Carrera.htm

 

OK, so if I am going to go with "as close to X74" as possible, aren't I already there?? The top pic of my post above is my current setup, and the numbers all fall into the correct X74 specs (bottom pic)...

Sorry guys... what am I missing?

And thanks FLA996TT, I read the article and will make sure its printed and in hand when I go back to the shop!

 

No you're not. You can get more camber out of the fronts for example. I believe the tech tried to align to regular Carerra specs initially and the reason why he needed to elongate the strut holes.

 

So camber specs on the X74 is between "-0.8 and -0.3". I am currently at "-0.4". Isn't that within spec? Or are you saying I should get closer to the -0.8?

Sorry Alpine003.. I know you are trying to help!!

 

You're not maximizing the full potential of getting upgraded suspension unless you go for max allowable camber. No need to worry as much on tires with anything under 2 degrees of camber(f) as that is the limit of when toe gets way out of control to correct for.

So if I were you, I'd try to go for the max camber possible that will still allow consistent left/right toe to be set relative to one another.