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Got my 2008 aligned - how did they do?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by FreydNot, Apr 5, 2014.

  1. FreydNot

    FreydNot Member

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    I posed a thread about doing an alignment titled "Looking for a Seattle area alignment shop" while ago, but it appears to have disappeared.

    I was seeing some uneven wear on my old tires (I can post pictures if anyone wants to see). I bought new tires and decided to get a front end alignment as well. Found a local shop that specializes in alignment.

    I paid $102.93. They said nothing much was way off. I've attached the report they gave me.

    These numbers don't mean much to me. Does it look like they did a good job? Was there anything indicating strange tire wear? I saw heavy wear on the outside of driver front and inside of passenger front.
     

    Attached Files:

    #1 FreydNot, Apr 5, 2014
  2. Joe 26

    Joe 26 Member

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    The main thing I saw was you had excessive negative camber on the right front tire, and your toe was off.
    That would account for at least the RF wear, and, if the steering wheel was straight, the toe could account for the LF wear. Assuming the machine was set up right, it seems like they took care of things.
     
    #2 Joe 26, Apr 5, 2014
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  3. FreydNot

    FreydNot Member

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    Thanks for the feedback. The wheel seemed strait to me (it can be hard to find a good horizon reference in the car since the dashboard lines slope). I did have the steering column recall work done, so I would guess the dealer removed the steering wheel and mechanically set it to "center" when they were done.
     
    #3 FreydNot, Apr 5, 2014
  4. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    The rear wheel toe is at the maximum of the spec range. The effect of that is to provide good vehicle stability at high speeds, at the expense of slightly greater drag.

    Although rear wheel alignment is not adjustable per Toyota repair policy, a specialty alignment shop can insert shims between the rear axle and the rear wheel hub, to force the toe adjustment.
     
    #4 Patrick Wong, Apr 5, 2014
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  5. FreydNot

    FreydNot Member

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    Does that mean as rear wheel tow exceeds maximum spec I will loose or gain stability at high speeds?

    I did notice the car seemed more loose and jumpy at highway speeds. Almost like it was tracking the ruts more. To be honest, I wrote it off to trying too hard to feel if there was a difference.
     
    #5 FreydNot, Apr 5, 2014
  6. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    You will gain stability as the rear wheel toe exceeds spec.

    However, I notice that the front wheel total toe is now slightly negative which means the front wheels are pointing slightly outwards. That will make stability worse. Front wheel total toe should be exactly 0 or very slightly positive.

    If you are dissatisfied with the car's handling now, it would be reasonable for you to take the car back and ask for the front wheel toe to be adjusted so that the total toe is either 0, or if there must be some error, the error should be towards making total toe slightly positive.

    When you feel that the car is restored to being at least as stable as it used to be, then you can decide whether you want to work on the rear total toe or not.
     
    #6 Patrick Wong, Apr 5, 2014
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