Jani Anttila

My car just had an alignment done, but i am not 100% satisfied for it because i am missing some straight line stability. Not bad, but i think it should be like a freight train up to limiter. My suspension is 100% rebuild including new rims & tires, so i checked the alignment report...

Front overall toe is adjusted to 0.34 degrees, which is optimum by the guy who did the job but WIS tells it should be 0.60 +/- 0.10 for euro spec C32. Can anyone confirm which one is correct? It will be re-aligned tomorrow so which one i will pick?

If there is some good known configuration for alignment, please share...

Eleventeen

From what I understand, more front tow-out will lead to less straight line stability (car will wander). I would opt for tow specs closer to zero if you're looking for stability. Also, did they adjust camber and/or caster? Those specs can also affect stability. Don't forget, rear alignment is equally important.

CynCarvin32

If you want stability I would go with .6 toe in. More toe in the more stable the car will be. It will turn in slower and be less responsive but it will track better.

Also look at add some caster if you want it more stable.

SilverBulletAMG

This is slightly off topic, but I have the "lifetime" alignment deal through Firestone. Never had an issue getting my alignment done in the past and now this last time I went there the mechanic told me I needed to buy some tool or part from Mercedes in order to allow him to do all the adjustments needed. Mine is pulling fairly hard to the right and he said there are different numbered parts/tools needed to adjust it properly. I was in a hurry at the time and wasn't able to go into much detail about it but in the end this guy is saying he cant complete the adjustment until I buy something from Merc.
Sounds screwy to me and I've never had a problem getting it aligned in the past. If there is a part needed to do the alignment, it sounds to me like THEY need to buy a part or tool, not the customer. Anyway, is this guy full of crap or have any of you had issues getting yours aligned in the past outside of the dealership?

M_M

Factory spec for euro c32 with stock 17" tires:
Front range: 0.08-0.25 degree per side
Rear range: 0.22-0.34 degree per side

so your front toe-in angle is within the spec. for straight line stability, you should be focused more on the setting of your rear wheels.

Jani Anttila

Thanks! Where did you find these specs?

My rear overall toe was adjusted to 0.48, so it is within spec, but on the limit. Do you think it should be more in? If so, how much?

Jani Anttila

According to WIS, they should first measure ride height with special tool. Secondly there should be used a bar between front tires, pushing them away each other.

I thing these are not necessarily needed if the tech is a pro and knows what he is doing...

I could attach factory instructions, but they are copyrighted. Please pm and i will email them if you want...

ohlord

does not have the hunter machine you are wasting your time.Find an indie or the mb dealer with the hunter machine and the lock bar and get it aligned properly.It may be worn to the point of needing front camber eccentrics.This is one job you trust to a good mb shop with the hunter machine.Not firestoned
ohlord

Eleventeen

No, it's true; you are supposed to use a "spreader bar". If they did your alignment without one last time, they probably didn't do it right. It might have seemed okay, but most likely it was a bit out of (factory) spec.

SilverBulletAMG

Thanks for all the replies guys. I am pretty sure they have the "hunter machine". I'm not sure what that is, but they had my car parked in front of a large machine with blinking lights and several electronics. I would think that is the machine you are referring too?
As for the part they said they needed, he showed me a quick picture and it looked like it was to adjust or replace something by the suspension.
This all might be too vague to diagnose and I apologize, I was just suprised that this one particular time they couldn't finish the job properly w/o me getting something else from the dealership. Doesn't sound like that's happened to anyone else here either....

M_M

well, your toe setting looks fine to me, but if you want to enchance "a little bit" more straight line stability, you can adjust the rear total toe to 0.6 to 0.65 degree. that said, with too much toe-in angle, the steering response would be slower during the turns.

bumpnzx3

if it's a relatively small part he was telling you to get- i would venture a guess that it's the camber eccentrics or "crash bolts" as i've heard them be called before.