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      07-10-2019, 11:32 PM   #1
AndyW
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Self-alignment

About to upgrade to the M3 control arms on my 135...am thinking of taking the plunge and getting a self-alignment measuring kit so I can stop spending money on "race" alignments at a specialty shop (since regular shops tend to not want to set camber and toe out of spec for legal reasons) and learn to do it myself.

Any thoughts on this setup?: http://www.wheelalignmenttools.com/p...gnment-system/

Any other recommendations?

TIA.
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      07-11-2019, 11:12 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AndyW View Post
About to upgrade to the M3 control arms on my 135...am thinking of taking the plunge and getting a self-alignment measuring kit so I can stop spending money on "race" alignments at a specialty shop (since regular shops tend to not want to set camber and toe out of spec for legal reasons) and learn to do it myself.

Any thoughts on this setup?: http://www.wheelalignmenttools.com/p...gnment-system/

Any other recommendations?

TIA.
I think you can save yourself a lot of money by just using 4 jack stands and thread...

Set them up around the car. Ensure the string is level with the center of each wheel. Then, ensure the jack stands are square to both themselves and to the car (use the center hub as a reference point). Once squared up you can then measure your toe and this will also ensure the rear wheels aren't giving any thrust.

Camber can be measured by purchasing the same gauge shown in those pictures for $30 on amazon.

Boom lifetime alignments. I will say that doing string alignments sucks. An alignment machine will be more accurate no doubt but you can get a decent alignment at home. It's hard to get down a string alignment to 1/32" increments. You really need to be accurate down to 1/64" measurement when talking about setting toe to 1/16" per side or something.

Last edited by bbnks2; 07-12-2019 at 06:56 AM..
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      07-11-2019, 01:07 PM   #3
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Here is a semi-recent thread about alignment setups.

https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1503027
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      07-11-2019, 05:28 PM   #4
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You can do a string alignment like bbnks mentioned using jack stands and have pretty good results.

Or you can invest in a proper string alignment kit. They aren't cheap but considering what a good alignment costs you can actually pay it off fairly quickly if you do frequent/even somewhat frequent alignments. A properly setup string alignment will be more accurate and more consistent than a digital alignment (IF the string kit is properly setup). This is the go-to method for most professional race teams, they'll rarely be setting up alignments on a digital machine.

I recently got one from BG Racing for alignments on my E92 M3 race car. Really happy with this kit. First time setup takes a while but after that it's easy to use and extremely accurate when setup properly.
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      07-13-2019, 03:35 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tsk94 View Post
You can do a string alignment like bbnks mentioned using jack stands and have pretty good results.

Or you can invest in a proper string alignment kit. They aren't cheap but considering what a good alignment costs you can actually pay it off fairly quickly if you do frequent/even somewhat frequent alignments. A properly setup string alignment will be more accurate and more consistent than a digital alignment (IF the string kit is properly setup). This is the go-to method for most professional race teams, they'll rarely be setting up alignments on a digital machine.

I recently got one from BG Racing for alignments on my E92 M3 race car. Really happy with this kit. First time setup takes a while but after that it's easy to use and extremely accurate when setup properly.
That Tenhulzen one is a proper kit. I am 90% convinced to get it.
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      07-27-2019, 11:23 AM   #6
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dtla1 linked to my thread.

Pick up a laser level, and some angles from your hardware store. It's the same process as a string alignment, but there's no string to trip over and lasers are cooler than twine

I've used it with good results, combined with an Excel alignment sheet I put together. I've found it difficult to get the steering wheel perfectly centered, but that's all my laziness and "it's good enough"-isms.
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      07-27-2019, 07:27 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chris_flies View Post
dtla1 linked to my thread.

Pick up a laser level, and some angles from your hardware store. It's the same process as a string alignment, but there's no string to trip over and lasers are cooler than twine

I've used it with good results, combined with an Excel alignment sheet I put together. I've found it difficult to get the steering wheel perfectly centered, but that's all my laziness and "it's good enough"-isms.
That sounds interesting! I'll have to price that. Getting the thing square is the key, from what i understand.

WRT the wheel, don't laugh, I bought one of these :https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My wife thinks it "looks like a robot". But it works...I just swagged my front toe out a half turn on each side after upgrading to M3 control arms and this thing kept the wheel centered.
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Last edited by AndyW; 07-28-2019 at 10:16 PM.. Reason: spelling
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      08-08-2019, 08:54 AM   #8
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What alignment kit did you end up going with?
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      08-08-2019, 09:50 AM   #9
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Doing an alignment yourself is time consuming and a huge pain in the dick. More annoying if you decide you want to corner balance your car, and then you're investing big money in scales etc..

Find a proper race shop. Alignment shouldn't be more than $125.
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      08-08-2019, 01:14 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by berns View Post
Doing an alignment yourself is time consuming and a huge pain in the dick. More annoying if you decide you want to corner balance your car, and then you're investing big money in scales etc..

Find a proper race shop. Alignment shouldn't be more than $125.
Totally agree. Just finished attempting to adjust my caster and camber at home. Used a tape measure and my professionally calibrated eyeballs lol. It is probably way off but I’ll know soon enough.
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      08-08-2019, 08:12 PM   #11
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Yeah, I didn't get it..took it to a race shop.
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