400$ for corner balance & align. from race shop good price?

[a_ahmed]

Hey, I contacted one guy here who is a local race align shop, only one i know of in ontario region where i am... can alignment and he quoted me 400$ ttl plus taxes for corner balance and alignment. Good?

http://www.canalignment.com/

I dont know any other shops who are able to do any of this stuff who will know what the hell they are doing... (most other shops cant even get my car on their damn hoist cause the car is low LOL like canadian tire hahahaha)

[veilside180sx]

I know the last time i paid for corner balancing it was $100 at Speedware in Seattle, granted that was a couple of years ago.

[McCoy]

$100 is typically what a corner balance goes for... at least that's what it cost me 2 years ago.

Can't you just search around for another shop that can get your car onto the alignment rack?

I would save the professional alignment for one of the last few items you should ever do to your car. There are so many other places you can spend that $400 in your car to help you get faster/safer around the track than that alignment.

[a_ahmed]

Yea cause like as is my car is out of spec now lmao, i am certain left and right sides are way of from one another every wheel is in its own world.

I last got an alignment oh i cant remember... but anyways as soon as i get the dampers and rear uprights i will get my mechanic to install the alum subframe bushings and all the parts i gathered and then well get an alignment and corner weigh the car as its going to be a coilover setup after all...

Tie rods are shot, subframe bushings are shot... no point in going back and forth to install stuff and pay for it even though the mechanic is my friend... i dont have my own garage :(

So when i do that i want a good alignment and corner balancing...

I'm just waiting on tax money return, waiting on z32 alum upright to arrive in mail, waiting on def to complete the spherical bearing upright bushings to get from him and well vielside your 8611 setup... then it all goes on and alignment, corner balancing...

Honestly I dont know where to go locally... this is the only 'race shop' around... most other shops are x tire shops, canadian tire (its like walmart lmao) and walmart, a bunch of unknown ghetto shops with no names... that i am scared would steal my parts or something.

It's like if I go to just anybody, how much can i trust them to know what i want if i tell them the specs, or even if they know what the hell they are doing.

It's kind of easier for you guys in the states as you have a lot more variety, and when one shop has the reputation, everyone recommends it...

There is also "kal tire"... i know their shop... i know they do alignment not sure on corner balancing.

http://www.kal-tire.com/

They charged my dad 100$ish for an alignment with the laser alignment machine but i dunno... they arent exactly a race alignment shop...

I guess I'll just keep looking then... 100$ for alignment, 100$ for corner balancing I suppose is what i should aim for?

[Def]

I've seriously thought about getting one of those "lifetime" alignment deals at Firestone just so I can play with the lengths of different links back there to tune out bumpsteer then get an alignment easier than I can string it up myself.

I do fear what they could do to my car, but typical "race shop" alignments around here are $150+, and otherwise it's going to be who knows who doing it.

[a_ahmed]

Firestone lifetime alignment? What's that?

Well a friend of mine who used to build cars and race cars has offered me to hook me up potentially with some people but he told me there are very few people who do these kinds of alignments in the area... maybe 4 shops all around the whole region... I'll see what he finds for me God willing...

I researched a little that can alignment shop, they do build some serious race cars, so they are a reputable shop but it shouldnt cost more than 250, so they wana rip me off hahahaha... ill post an update heh.

[2Fass240us]

I've seriously thought about getting one of those "lifetime" alignment deals at Firestone
I have one on the 240 and had one on the M3. My idea is to convince them to align to non-OE specs.

[Wiisass]

I would save the professional alignment for one of the last few items you should ever do to your car. There are so many other places you can spend that $400 in your car to help you get faster/safer around the track than that alignment.

I really hope that's heavy on the sarcasm.

[McCoy]

I really hope that's heavy on the sarcasm.
A little. I guess what I was trying to get at was that once the car is setup, get some seat time, make appropriate changes and once your happy with that, then consider the $400 alignment.

I'm saving the expensive alignment for when I finally get done playing with the suspension and feel comfortable with not changing anything for a while.

[AceInHole]

Not aligning the car would be a big no-no, but there's nothing wrong with doing your own string alignment. It kind of sucks to go to an alignment shop with no idea of what you want the car set to, considering how much more accurate they should be.

IMO, having a good shop do your alignment is worth it. What would take me half a day to do with string, the shop can do in 15 minutes (well, if they have an optical alignment rack). I wouldn't pay $400 for corner balancing and alignment, though. I paid $150 for a 4-wheel alignment and tire changeover (took longer to mount 285/30/R18 Hoosiers on 18x8s) at a race shop. If it's going to take them $400 of time and effort, it may be in your best interest to find someone with better equipment.

[McCoy]

PJ, I wasn't meaning to say not get an alignment, but as I mentioned in my first post to find someone locally that can do the alignment to the specs that he wants. This way when a change is made to the setup that he just didn't waste $400.

I'm heading off the to the track now... :)

[veilside180sx]

I think Monty's response was taken wrong, as he was only implying to save the money that would be spent on corner balancing elsewhere until you get everything squared away. That's not to say to not spend money on getting the car properly aligned.

[Wiisass]

Yeah, I realized that after I reread what he posted. Just first reaction was that he was saying to put off the alignment all together, but from reading Monty's other posts, I didn't think that was right.

[racepar1]

$400 is a complete rip-off! Darrin @ west end alignment in so-cal will do a corner weight and align for $220 out the door!

[a_ahmed]

lol yeah well you guys are in the states and are more lucky in many motorsports regards. All I have here in GTA (toronto) area is a few arrogant pricks, drift yo yo yos, and jdm tyteness yos, low ballers "yo man 50 bux is too much", "yo man you need an sr20det to use 255/40/17, thats for track man", "yo man thats not necessary thats for track, yo man thats not necessary thats for track", "yo man stock brakes are TOO MUCH", etc... A few 240 guys with total **** boxes who think when they get megan racing coilovers and sardine20det motors that they've reached nirvana. So they started going to track days thinking they are gods but in actuallity are a buncha arrogant imature retards full of themselves. The local 240 forum is the worst 240 forum of any forum ive ever been in. So there's not much of a REAL beneficial community. Most cool 240 guys are not on the forum at all. Most might just browse or use the forum for the sales section. And I have a big mouth so I wasted time bitch festing with them instead. Thank God though I am no longer on that waste of life forum. So as such, the community sucks, and as such I am forced to go to local non-nissan forums to find information and research.. and most of it as well is not very beneficial... rarity of information.

There is ONE guy who owns a shop but he is in kingston which is quite a few ways away, about 300km or so... he has a good car, he's kinda cool, sasha from sg motorsports, now this guy is not an idiot, he had a cool car (that he parted out recently and is building a z33 race car now instead) and knows what he's doing but alas too far to get to him...

So I have to do my own research here n there for local stuff... so far i only found this can alignment shop... its a real rarity to have race alignment shops generally speaking not to mention in and around my area...

Also we don't have tracks like you guys do, there's like three tracks more or less in whole of the southern ontario and well actually they are not that southern the two of them, and you have to travel a looong way to get to them, need to prep for the whole day to just get there, reminds me of trips to ottawa, waking up 5am and reaching like 2pm lol... Plus when you finally get to them, they suck... crumbled track, short, etc... to the exception of mosport which is expensive. I wish the crappy commi government would build us a descent race track in toronto though...


Track days-wise i am going to go to ford svt racing track days lol... hopefully... just waiting now to get the car ready... **** the local 240 owners, at least the ones on the local forum, total idiots, don't want to go same days as they do even.

*end rant*

What I really want to build my car up for is targa rally in newfoundland... 1000$ 7 days of racing 2200miles of open road.... now that is amazing and fun! Very very far away from where I am... but about the only thing thats worth it in canada for racing. I love mountain racing, canyon racing that sort of thing... there isn't much here as there is in europe or africa to this extent... The kind of track racing I can only dream of like that is like the nurburgring... back in europe anywhere you drive is bendy and thats what I miss the most heh... so since a friend of mine showed me targa rally in newfie land, I am hooked... i dont care if it takes me 5 years to get there lol but thats what im hoping for :)

[racepar1]

Targa newfoundland would be sweet!

[McCoy]

A few of the instructors and several of the students at the BMW driving school at our local track are from Canada. They typically drive 11 hours to get here, just for ten 20 minute sessions...

Besides my local track, the next closest one is 6 hours away, of course I live in the NW where there is not that many tracks.

[a_ahmed]

Wow thats dedication and proof how our tracks suck compare to all that the states has haha...

Well I'm looking forward to mosport this summer... so we'll see...

[heyyouduh]

I would skip the corner balancing if it's gonna cost that much. I'm in the US and I get my car aligned to my specs, with me sitting in the seat by a great race alignment shop for about $100-120 using aftermarket camber plates and arms.

I've also had luck with franchise shops like NTB aligning my car to my own specs (with aftermarket camber plates and arms too), but I would call ahead to make sure, it's usually hit or miss depending on who's working. Could be an alternative.

[EG8steve]

It really depends on where you're located. Around where i live shop rates are over $100 per hour, and typically a full custom alignment with all the adjustments is at least 2 hours. unless everything is real close to where it needs to be and REAL easy to work with.

Corner balance should be about 1 hours labor, but if you want it really done right, the tech should be measuring the chassis from suspension mounting points to the ground (level surface at least) and equalizing ride height as much as possible WITH your weight in the seat too. When ride height has to be set, then corner balance, expect 2 hour charge for somebody who knows what they're doing.

Large chain stores can offer cheaper alignments b/c its a gimmick to get you in the door. They hope to find bad bushings, bad shocks, worn out ball joints or tie rods to get more work from you.. Thats the only reason they can charge $79 or whatever for a full alignment. Also some machines are MUCH eaiser to work with than others.

As PJ said though, NOTHIGN wrong with using strings, guages, toe plats. In fact after all teh machines and problems i've seen with them measuring INNACURATELY, i PREFER to use guages, strings, plates etc. Those items dont lie to the tech.

[EG8steve]

be wary of teh cheap alignment b/c its REAL easy to set everything, print out the specs, THEN go tighten everything.. and often times when you tighten it down, things change.. Now its small, but still. Its REAL easy to do that if people just dont care, and most dont.

Some cars are much easier than others, but if you have all adjsutable rear arms, camber plates, caster adjust too, it takes quite a while. One setting often effects another too. Most people just think you just wish these things into place and they happily go there.

-steve

[AceInHole]

I've been re-aligning my car so much lately that it's like second nature. It's definitely worth it to learn to do it yourself rather than get stuck on a slower setup just because you don't want to ruin your "high dollar" alignment. There's also the benefit of gaining experience in aligning your own car to the point where you can make eyeball changes on the fly in emergencies.

As for corner weighting... I've been able to do my car within an hour, generally. Most of it depends on if you need to pull tires to adjust things, but it's pretty easy on a 240sx with Ground Controls (no need for multiple spanners). The problem is: you're going to ruin the corner weights as soon as you touch the alignment again. If possible, make friends with someone that has scales.... you'll be on them a lot.

[EG8steve]

camber changes definitely effect corner balance, but toe hardly, caster probably does too, but havent confirmed that.

When i set a car up from the get go, i first set ride height, then equalize camber at each axle meaning make both rears equal, both fronts equal, close to where i want them if possible, but all that really matters is they're equal. Then I corner bal, then align. You could go in circles all day- corner balance, align, then re corner ballance, ooops that just messed w/ the ride height a little, so i 'll re align, then re coner bal... of course the amounts of change get smaller and smaller. Really though, you should be able to corner balance w/o really changing ride height. That is if you take your time and work with OPPOSITE corners. Raising a perch may not even raise the height on that corner, it shouldnt, it should just put more weight down-- when things are close to where they need to be. Ride height changes are what effects alignment.

I think we're ok if we're within .5 % on cross totals (eg: 49.5%/50.5%) but of course i am not satisfied unles its 50.0%! Sometimes i'd let 49.9/50.1 go=) I was justifying a 2 hour corner balance ONLY if it required leveling/setting ride height first. It usually should be done this way, unless the owner of the car really has set the car well to begin with, which i rarely ever saw in the business. Most cars that I installed suspension, once i had the ride heights leveled/equalized the corner balance was within 1% already! The worst i ever saw though was a 86 911 (torsion bars front adn rear- i didnt install suspension, jsut corner bal and align) he had 60/40 cross weights!!! I had to double check EVERYTHING i just didnt beleive it!! Everything was wired up and scales all in the right place!! man.. i was able to get it 50/50 though, and it SURE FELT BETTER!!

Defintely agree on learning to work the alignments yourself. We used to just use a string and a plumb bob to create a vertical alongside the wheel, (as long as the garage floor was level) and measure distance to the top of rim/bottom of rim, do some math and i've found that to be accurate within .1 degrees when i put on a hunter machine- which is the best alignment machine i've used out of the 4 i've learned. The only hard part about garage do it yourself alignments is caster. There are plenty of caster guages out there though, but i think they require slip plates that show you what degree of steering your at since caster is generally measured at 10 degrees of steering angle. I've never done that with the at-home method.