At home wheel alignment

[TheEuronater]

Are there any reasonably priced DIY alignment systems? It would be nice to be able to do alignments at home. I don't mind investing in some equipment, but don't want to get crazy and spend a fortune either. I was looking at the Trackace with mixed reviews or the Tenhulzen 3300, but I have lowered cars which could be a problem. I don't want to waste money if I can't get good results, and I know shops have some crazy equipment these days for alignments so not sure if its worth it. Thanks

 

[The Cobbler]

I've not had many alignments in my life that warrants a machine at home. I can probably count on both hands the alignments I've had done in 45 years of driving. JMHO

 

[TheEuronater]

I've not had many alignments in my life that warrants a machine at home. I can probably count on both hands the alignments I've had done in 45 years of driving. JMHO

The roads around me are terrible and I would like to be able to do quick checks. Im also planning on doing a front end refresh on an F150 in the near future so it would come in handy if I didn't have to take it to a shop. Not to mention the peace of mind knowing a random stranger isn't burning out my clutch or beating the car.

 

[Farmall450]

I've not had many alignments in my life that warrants a machine at home. I can probably count on both hands the alignments I've had done in 45 years of driving. JMHO

Agreed. When in doubt any new dealer has free alignments setup if you pull in, so you know ahead of time what to expect.

 

[drewvdw]

Check on a Motorsports forum. There are a few different methods that you can do for cheap. You'd just have to figure out what your specs should be.

 

[zkdiesel]

The roads around me are terrible and I would like to be able to do quick checks. Im also planning on doing a front end refresh on an F150 in the near future so it would come in handy if I didn't have to take it to a shop. Not to mention the peace of mind knowing a random stranger isn't burning out my clutch or beating the car.

Your worried about them burning up clutch and beating car? Nobody cares enough to go beat customer cars......


Anyways you can find an old shop system with a level floor you can get it pretty decent with a fair amount of work

Hard to replace the 40k I have invested in a top of the line hunter that allows me to make quick checks with a 5 min setup time......

Most farm it out because it’s not worth having the equipment or the hours messing with it to get it to what a good alignment guy can do in an hour for $110

 

[TheEuronater]

Your worried about them burning up clutch and beating car? Nobody cares enough to go beat customer cars......

First hand experience tells me you're incorrect.

 

[Revtach]

Lots of chains like firstone and pepboys allow you to buy in once for a lifetime alignment. It is well worth the price if you plan to keep the car for a long time.

 

[DGersic]

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/precise-alignment-with-a-digital-level.413853/


Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Revtach]

First hand experience tells me you're incorrect.

I agree. I feel very uneasy when I see them get in my car and drive off for a test drive. Although I haven't seen them abuse my vehicle, they have gotten out and handed the car back to me with oil stains on the seat and steering wheel. Most of the mechanics do a good job and are careful but some of them are truly braindead monkeys with no consideration for other people's property.

 

[In The Doghouse]

I did my own alignment just to prove I could. Haven't done it again but I could. It was a good learning experience. The details are posted here.

https://www.camaros.net/forums/16-brakes-suspension-steering/214082-diy-front-end-alignment.html

 

[zkdiesel]

First hand experience tells me you're incorrect.

If your that worried then go buy the equipment

Most people are t that worried about it in life

 

[ChrisLS8]

I have a Firestone Lifetime alignment I got on Groupon for 90 bucks

 

[unslow1]

If you are worried about abuse then stay within eyesight of the car. You can also take it to a higher end shop.

 

[James-W]

For the average homeowner, some things just don't make economical sense to own. I tend to think a wheel alignment machine falls into that category.

 

[Garett]

Lots of dealers have the hunter quick alignment checker, it takes literally 3 minutes to check. See if you can roll into a local shop for a free check. Of course if you fail I’ll try to sell you an alignment, lol.

 

[theamcguy]

Tenhulzen 2 Wheel Alignment System Tenhulzen 3300 Kit $209.00 Free S&H

Available from Summit Racing

 

[slowTA]

If your that worried then go buy the equipment

Most people are t that worried about it in life

Isn't that why this thread was started, to see what the options are?

 

[fsae0607]

Tenhulzen 2 Wheel Alignment System Tenhulzen 3300 Kit $209.00 Free S&H

Available from Summit Racing

Adding this to my tool wish list...

 

[Black300zx]

The roads around me are terrible and I would like to be able to do quick checks. Im also planning on doing a front end refresh on an F150 in the near future so it would come in handy if I didn't have to take it to a shop. Not to mention the peace of mind knowing a random stranger isn't burning out my clutch or beating the car.

So it sounds like you'll be looking to do a full alignment setup one or twice and the occasional sanity check that it's not drifting?

I'm in the process of refreshing the suspension on my 300ZX. 196k on the chasis results in a lot of sagging bushings and springs

I bolted together a simple t-shaped framework out of some 1.5x1.5 square perforated steel tubing from Home Depot that makes repeatable 3-point contact with the face of my wheels. Coupled with a $40 magnetic digital level, I can make repeatable camber measurements with suitable accuracy.

For right now I'm using the good-old tape measure across the front and back of the tires for toe-in measurements, but I plan to fab up a similar toe-plate for more consistent toe-in measurements. Next up is planning out how to rig up a jig for caster measurements.

It's far from ideal for using regularly, but so far it's allowing me to get the job done well enough to eliminate pull and uneven tire wear.

 

[Stooge]

my alignment stuff basically just consists of the Longacre toe plates, a few measuring tapes and a Longacre bubble caster/ camber gauge. the gauge was probably $120'ish, and the toe set was probably $60. the bubble gauge works great, and overall it all works well for the old cars it gets used on, but I've never tried to use it on anything late model or built within the last 30yrs.


https://www.summitracing.com/parts/lng-79501/overview/

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/lng-78260/overview/

 

[dledinger]

You can do it with stakes, mason twine and a torpedo level.

Not a fast process, but definitely can be done.

I had an SUV a few years back where the manufacturer had published erroneous specs. They were way off. After multiple trips to have it adjusted, and seeing it eat tires within a few miles, I gave it a go myself and it worked. Wasn’t easy, but definitely worth my time under the circumstances. That’s been years now and the car still drives great and no longer eats tires.

 

[kythri]

If you are worried about abuse then stay within eyesight of the car. You can also take it to a higher end shop.

Considering that's why the OP started the thread, thank you ever so much for that brilliant contribution to the conversation.

 

[TheEuronater]

Tenhulzen 2 Wheel Alignment System Tenhulzen 3300 Kit $209.00 Free S&H

Available from Summit Racing

This is the one I was mentioning in the original post. I was wondering how good the results really are. I don't mind if it takes me a little longer to do the alignment, only that I am able to get accurate results.

 

[TheEuronater]

Isn't that why this thread was started, to see what the options are?

It was.

 

[scubadoober]

Your results with that setup will be as accurate as you are. Toe is relatively easy to set,and remember you want them slightly toed in. Do you really car about caster and camber? If not just get the longacre toe plates for $60. You can check it without all the tools with a set of jack stands, some fishing line, and calipers. I bet the toe plates have less resolution, but the setup time is a lot less.

 

[ovilla]

Lots of chains like firstone and pepboys allow you to buy in once for a lifetime alignment. It is well worth the price if you plan to keep the car for a long time.

This is the route I’ve gone for all of my cars. So nice to take them periodically to validate that everything is perfectly aligned. Plus I also like not having to worry about additional alignment costs whenever I need to swap out an inner or outer tie rod or ball joint. If you get at least 2-3 alignments done, you’re already breaking even in the lifetime alignment costs. Note that Firestone typically runs a sale of $150 for a lifetime alignment.

 

[tboy]

The Tenhulzen 3300 2 Wheel Alignment System looks pretty cool.

I've done the jack stands a string method and gotten pretty close. My Saabs do not have adjustable Castor or Camber, just toe. The factory service manual says if castor or camber is bad, you need to be replacing bad parts.

Twice now I've rebuilt the entire suspension and done the string method to get it close enough to not wear out a tire getting it down to the alignment shop (sometimes it takes me a few days to get there and the car gets driven a bit). It does seem somewhat wasteful to pay the 100$ or so for them to set the toe, on brand new parts. The last car I did (my dads) I bet took them all of 15 minutes, every part was new and not seized, and I had it pretty close already!

One thing not mentioned is the "cost" of taking the car to be worked on. I hate that part, and is often the most difficult. Either waiting for it to be done, or taking two people to drop off a car and pick it up again. Super inconvenient, and I would much rather do it myself if I can.

 

[tboy]

The Tenhulzen 3300 2 Wheel Alignment System looks pretty cool.

I've done the jack stands a string method and gotten pretty close. My Saabs do not have adjustable Castor or Camber, just toe. The factory service manual says if castor or camber is bad, you need to be replacing bad parts.

Twice now I've rebuilt the entire suspension and done the string method to get it close enough to not wear out a tire getting it down to the alignment shop (sometimes it takes me a few days to get there and the car gets driven a bit). It does seem somewhat wasteful to pay the 100$ or so for them to set the toe, on brand new parts. The last car I did (my dads) I bet took them all of 15 minutes, every part was new and not seized, and I had it pretty close already!

One thing not mentioned is the "cost" of taking the car to be worked on. I hate that part, and is often the most difficult. Either waiting for it to be done, or taking two people to drop off a car and pick it up again. Super inconvenient, and I would much rather do it myself if I can.