I just had new tires put on the car, and want to have the alignment checked. I also will have new bilsteins put on some time down the road. Should I hold off on the alignment until the shocks have been installed, or go ahead and do it now??
95 CRUZER said:I just had new tires put on the car, and want to have the alignment checked. I also will have new bilsteins put on some time down the road. Should I hold off on the alignment until the shocks have been installed, or go ahead and do it now??
Not true. I was told (by the Bilstein dealer) that the alignment is required, even when mounting it for the stock ride height setting.Daedalus said:If you keep your perch at the same height and don't change the springs the alignment won't change.
I sure would like to know know his reasons. A damper by itself has no effect on static height or alignment.nsxtasy said:Not true. I was told (by the Bilstein dealer) that the alignment is required, even when mounting it for the stock ride height setting.
docjohn said:I'm with Ken and bilstein on this one,not because the shocks per se change static ride height,but because alot of stuff gets loosened and unbolted in doing the swap.Therefore I would want to know that alignment was satisfactory rather than "looks good to me":wink:
W said:it is strongly suggested to redo alignment to ensure alignment has not drifted too far.
Daedalus said:I sure would like to know know his reasons. A damper by itself has no effect on static height or alignment.
A damper imparts a reactional force that is proportional to the speed of displacement. You can compress a brand new one with your bare hands and keep it compressed with little effort.clr1024 said:as dampers/shocks wear out the static ride height can change
Daedalus said:A damper imparts a reactional force that is proportional to the speed of displacement. You can compress a brand new one with your bare hands and keep it compressed with little effort.
Everything should go back to where it was before. Come on, you can dig deeper than that. It's not much different than a bolted joint grip length tolerance analysis which, as an engineer, you've probably done more than a few of. Every part in the stack has a certain height. The total height is a sum of the parts. Of all the items in the stack, which one's height can vary, assuming correct assembly?clr1024 said:the install will not put everything back exactly where it was before.
Daedalus said:Everything should go back to where it was before. Come on, you can dig deeper than that. It's not much different than a bolted joint grip length tolerance analysis which, as an engineer, you've probably done more than a few of. Every part in the stack has a certain height. The total height is a sum of the parts. Of all the items in the stack, which one's height can vary, assuming correct assembly?
On that point I'll agree to disagree. Washers are loose-fit too, but I still know what they'll add to a stack-up.clr1024 said:the suspension pieces are bolted together using clearance fits on most parts. This means that parts are in different places when they are reassembled than from dissassembly.
95 CRUZER said:I just had new tires put on the car, and want to have the alignment checked. I also will have new bilsteins put on some time down the road. Should I hold off on the alignment until the shocks have been installed, or go ahead and do it now??
Daedalus said:On that point I'll agree to disagree. Washers are loose-fit too, but I still know what they'll add to a stack-up.
Diggning up an old thread... what if I remove my shocks to inspect and replace the bump stops/upper mount rubber and then put them back in? Do I need an alignment??