Alignment of an 02 - WAY OUT!!!

[cprince]

I bought this car from a guy who knew nothing about cars and last mode of transportation was a Skoda pulled by a sick donkey...

The guy HE bought it from was anal retentive OCD guy who kept every bill for everything ever done to the car minus the gas bills.

All this being said, the last owner must have gone off-roading with this Bonneville... both outer tie rods were done for dinner... and the inner on the driver's side was BENT!

After they were changed, he put it on the alignment unit... and he started laughing and calling people over to see how far out this car was!!

Long story short though... he did not want to do the rear as they did not have the bolt kit for the back and the whole thing was rusty beyond belief likely to break apart when trying to adjust. I will get a kit and bring it back for another alignment in the spring if I feel it can wait...

The "Toe" in the rear:

Drivers side rear: 0.95
Passenger side rear: -0.25
Thrust angle: 0.6

Does this look like readings that would cause bald tires or crappy handling in the snow?

The Cambers all are supposed to be good in the rear @

Drivers side rear: -0.2
Passenger read: -0.8

Craig

[00Beast]

Toe being that far off would definitely cause odd tire wear and poor handling. These cars handle crappy in the snow no matter what...

[repinS]

These cars handle crappy in the snow no matter what...

That'll come down to tires and size selection. Both my Bonnevilles have been practically invincible in the snow! There is/was no hesitation to take them on snow covered highways and still maintain reasonable speeds. Snow braking performance is also quite good.

As for the alignment specs, the toe condition is the one that will cause significant tire wear. You could have some camber (up to 2 degrees, let's say) and as long as your toe is zero, tire wear won't be that bad.

[crash93ssei]

I'm with Jerry on this, tires are key. My '03 handles like a cat with claws out on carpet in the snow running Blizzaks.

[00Beast]

My car's been fine on the Altimax Arctic's, it just under-steers like a pig at low speeds in deep-ish snow. That's what I meant. It's still a Bonneville, and snow doesn't help anything...

[vogie01]

Every time I have my 02 SLE aligned the rear end is ALWAYS way out of whack.

[cprince]

I appreciate all the input from everyone! I am getting my Pierelli Ice Carvers and I don't want to ruin the tread by slapping them on before taking care of that rear toe... (lol... other side of a Camel Toe!)

The alignment kit seems to be stupid expensive for what it is.... a nut, a bolt and a couple of washers?!! They want $35 each side?!!

Is there an assembled kit that can be put together for a fraction of the cost?

I mean.. there are no bushings of anything crazy involved.... the bolt does seem to be a little different because it has two different threads on it...

Any of the Canadian members know where to get a kit at a reasonable cost up here?

Craig

[vogie01]

I appreciate all the input from everyone! I am getting my Pierelli Ice Carvers and I don't want to ruin the tread by slapping them on before taking care of that rear toe... (lol... other side of a Camel Toe!)

The alignment kit seems to be stupid expensive for what it is.... a nut, a bolt and a couple of washers?!! They want $35 each side?!!

Is there an assembled kit that can be put together for a fraction of the cost?

I mean.. there are no bushings of anything crazy involved.... the bolt does seem to be a little different because it has two different threads on it...

Any of the Canadian members know where to get a kit at a reasonable cost up here?

Craig

Are you talking about the shim kit?

[repinS]

http://www.RockAuto.com - and use the discount code from here: http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... c1677.html

[cprince]

The thing in the circle here... on mine it looks like breaded deep fried chicken with the amount of rust that is on it... so the nuts, bolts, washers and shims need to be replaced... left and right... (And bushings if there are any in there...?)

I can find the shims at Rock Auto... but that is it.

Craig

[repinS]

Sorry to hear, I was posting away from home so I couldn't check it for you before I posted.

Not sure where you might be able to get these camber bolts/alignment kits. You may be stuck with getting them from a dealer or directly from your alignment shop, whichever is cheaper. A friend of mine was chasing the same issue with a Saab 9-3, except that the previous owner of his car had previously put in a normal bolt. It caused all sorts of issues with not being able to be aligned properly.

[cprince]

Here is a photo of the crispy goodness...



I was thinking that if the shims are $30 bucks a side... and the bolts are a dealer only type thing... why don't I just get new Toe Compensator Link... that *should* come with all the new hardware and the bushings on the old one would probably do well to go in the garbage by now anyway! Besides, new links are about $60 bucks each.

Craig

[harofreak00]

I have that hardware in good used condition if you are interested, PM me.

[cprince]

Update on this situation:

I brought it to a GM dealership to get it aligned. I figured they would have all the necessary bits and pieces... and they did!

BUT...

They could only get the rear to this point:

Left Rear:
Camber: -0.6
Toe: 0.94

Right Rear:
Camber: -0.8
Toe:0.14

I was informed that due to: "Left rear in-board control arm to cradle mount is bent. All possible adjustments complete."

I have gone from the arse end wagging like a dog's tail in the snow... drift passenger side > SNAP back.... driiift... SNAP back....

To

SNAPS towards drivers side. Scares the spit out of me...

Then.... SNAPS again.... spit seepage...

No slip... no drift (That I could notice)

Crazy.

Craig