Is it necessary to get an alignment after installing new struts?

 

yes

 

Find your local shop with the highest quality alignment machine and go pay for a "lifetime alignment".

I go to a local shop where many of the Porsche club racers and similar folks go. Once I paid my $70, I get my alignment checked whenever I make a change that might affect it.

 

no, but recommended.

 

What kind of shops (chain store?) offer lifetime alignments? None in my yellow pages offer that here.

Paul

 

Thanks, when I intall my new FSD's i will have it realigned

 

I need to get an alignment but some of the shops around me are raping on the prices, the dealer wants $149.99, 1 of the 2 MINI shops out here wants $160 and the other wants $80 none of them have said if that includes a lifetime warranty. PepBoys, told me they offer for $64.99 a 1 year and for $94.99 a 2 year warranty. My question is how long is safe to go without a alignment without noticable wear? I just put on Alta lowering springs and control arms, and a H&R 18-19mm sway bar on Wed. but i probably wont have the money to get it aligned till i get paid again which is like 2 weeks.

 

It really depends on how many miles you will be driving in the next 2 weeks. 500 to 1000 would not be recommended. you will notice wear at that time

 

I drive about 30 miles round trip to work Mon through Fri. So lets just say 300 miles

 

Don't go to an alignment shop where they use "an alignment machine."

Computerized alignment is a joke. The people operating the machines are not perfectionists, it's not their car, and anyway there is a pretty generous "range" where they consider your car to be "within spec."

A performance oriented owner, especially one who has done suspension upgrades etc., should be concerned with getting their alignment exactly right.

I had a vehicle once that killed the outside edges of tires. I took it in to a few different places after having it aligned twice, and they all claimed it was "within spec." I looked at the sheets and one tire was at the outside range of spec in one direction, while the other was at the inside rage of spec, the total difference making the car handle poorly and wear horribly yet all the while remaining "within spec."

If you life in the San Diego area, Tru-Line is the only choice. They have two locations and align to precice specefications (custom specs if you want) using hand measuring tools. Here in Las Vegas, Chicks Wheel alignment is the place.

My advice is to call around and find the shop that the racers take their cars to. Make sure it's a shop that utilizes old-school methods and not a computer alignment machine. It really does make that much of a difference.

 

All the places i know of (with the exception of the 2 MINI speed shops in the area) use a computer even the dealership. I got a quote yesterday from Firestone for $150 for a alignment with a lifetime warranty i remember someone saying to do that cause its a lifetime of alignments

 

There used to be a place like that here. He used a computerized machine, but also had lasers and adjusted it to the correct specs, not just in the range. He would even ask you what you wanted and recommend to you based on whether you tracked the car or wated a street setup, etc. He only worked on BMW and MINI and mostly did tire installs and suspension work. Did lots of race setups for people too. He went out of business though.