sunq

hi...guys...
i just changed my front tires 245/40/18=>225/40...
no rub anymore thanks whitey...

i went alignmentshop this morning but i just waste my time & money...

anyone know best alignment shop in VEGAS...? i need repair shop too

The Godfather

ASk Fletcher Jones who they reccomend. Talk to ...**** I Forgot the guy's name, ok nevermind then lol. He's from Santa Barbara originally. Good guy.

Whitey

lol, what sort of advice is that...?. Nice of you to try tho'

Sunq, did you notice any great difference in sterring repsonse i.e. car turns quicker, steering wheel lighter, maybe even a slight improvement on pickup? You should.

sunq

hey.....doc & whitey

after change tires...my steeringwheel..much lighter than before... i didn't know tire size make steeringwheel's weight..

turn quicker..?m..m. usually i don't drive tough on street..i don't wanna make happy my insurance company i only drive fast at freeway..
i like highspeed cruise..


thanks..

rob_fed

Hi Sung,

What did the alignment shop do? Basically, the only thing they can set on a stock W210 is the toe-in/out settings. The camber/caster setting can be slightly adjusted via the lower control arm, but most shops won't take the extra time.

If you want better turn-in, then ask for a neutral toe setting or even a slight toe-out setting (1 degree or less).

If you want more self-centering on the highway, then ask for slightly more toe-in.

Ask to see the caster/camber measurements. If the difference between the left/rigth hand side is a big difference, then something is really wrong. W210s seem to wear the outter edges of the front tires quicker in stock form. You might want a little negative camber to compensate for this.

If you have the measurements from the 1st alignment shop, post them here so others can review them.

Whitey

Of course tire width makes a difference, less friction = lighter weight, quicker turns

sunq

hey...whitey..

this is what they did...

. . . caster . . camber . .toe
front:L 6.2 .. . . -2.0 . . 0.30
. . . R . 5.6 . . -1.9 . . 0.25

rear :L . . . . . .-2.4 . . 0.25
. . . R . . . . . -2.3 . . 0.25

right now my steeringwheel goes little other clockwise..when i drive it my car goes slight rightside...
but this is they done it twice..it took one & half hour..total..

funny thing is...shop manager said they have a best machine in nevada..
yes..it looks like super machine...but technician...looks youngboy..not much experience..
i'm pretty sure he did what he can do best

Whitey

Just take the steering wheel off and re-align that - it is possible

sunq

are you serious...?because i was think that..but i not sure that's a good choice...
and my car still going right side...

Whitey

If its just you're steering wheel that's off-center yes, you can take it off and re-align the steering wheel but if your car is drifting to one side, then your need a wheel alignment, in the worst case your chassis is bent or something

sunq

it was going straight...m..i think i shoud do again....thanks...man..

rob_fed

Hi Sung - Based upon the alignment settings, the camber angles are all about even, so I wouldn't expect your car to pull to one side. As for the steering wheel not being "clocked" correctly, I would take the car back, tell the tech what is happening and suggest that one tie-rod be shortened and the other lengthened by the same distance, this will center your wheel back. If you remove your steering wheel, and try to shift or reclock by one spline on the shaft, it will probably be too much.

You also indicated that you did not like the quicker turning response of the slightly smaller tire. Based upon your front toe settings, you are slightly toe-out, this makes the steering response slight quicker. For highway use, slightly toe-in will make the car feel like it wants to track better in a straight line.

The W210 is very sensitive in tire changes and minute alignment settings.