Wheel Alignment Issues?

I agree the lower tire pressure just masks the problem. I would still want to get the problem fixed. If the car is still under warranty then I don't think it would cost you anything for a dealer to diagnose the problem. Good luck!

 

alright. sorry about the delay, my job is killing me lately. so is DH's job search. (well, that is killing both of us.)

so the tires plus store wouldn't be capable of performing the zero-point calibration because they don't have a dealer scan tool. you could take it to the dealer to get it re-calibrated, but if the VSC is really out it tends to apply brake above 9mph when the zero point is screwy.

is the steering wheel centered?

rear toe being out can affect stability- we've heard many complaints of stability problems that cleared up after a minor rear toe adjustment. you're in spec on both sides, but barely so on the right. while imprecise, a shim could knock that a little closer to center. as with the VSC calibration, there is no guarantee it will fix the stability issue. you've got multiple factors that have changed here, so isolating the cause is tough.

 

I wonder why the rear alignment would be off at the first place. Bad design? Poor manufacturing quality control? Damage during shipping? Damage by potholes?

 

It has been speculated previously that the damage may be occurring when the cars are shipped from port to dealer on the transport trucks. This would explain why it is just a small percentage.

My car had bad alignment from day one, so it wasn't a result of hitting potholes.

Toyota is known for outstanding manufacturing quality control so I don't believe it is due to a manufacturing issue. If it were, it probably would have been caught and corrected at some point.

 

just because there aren't built in adjusters for the rear alignment, does not mean it cannot be knocked OUT of adjustment.

 

Hi folks, since this particular alignment thread seems most active at the moment, mind if I jump on it?

Just got back from getting new tires and an alignment check. Expensive tires so I don't wan't to kill them prematurely! Alignment results were within spec, but not perfect.

One thing that jumps out in terms of tire wear is rear camber and toe:
-1.4deg camber on both sides
0.11deg and 0.23deg toe (L,R).
Knock kneed and duck footed!

Recommended camber is -1.5deg according to them, but even they think it could be more vertical for the sake of the tires. Any problem with going to around -1.0deg or so? They're familiar with using EZ-Shims and working on the Prius.

For the front:
Camber LF -0.4deg RF -1.0deg
Caster LF 3.3deg RF 3.2deg
Toe LF 0.04deg RF 0.02deg

So they'd usually suggest a camber bolt to make the RF better, but say the caster difference gets in the way, i.e., if they fix the RF camber the car will pull. Is this correct? Or should we just get the rear spiffed up and then recheck/rethink the front at that time?

Thanks,
- D

 

When I was looking for info about alignment when I was having issues, I remember that at least one site suggested that for a front wheel drive vehicle, you should align the rear first and then align the front. That made sense to me, because you don't want the rear tires steering the car one way or the other. Ideally, they should be as equal for toe and camber as practical.

 

My alignment spec sheet says the rear camber should be -2.0 to -1.0 degrees. and toe should be 0.03 to 0.28. So, you are within spec. I would like to see the rear toe closer to equal, but I don't know if its worth the $100 rear alignment cost(with shims).

For the front my spec says camber range is; -1.3 to +0.2 and toe range is; -0.10 to +0.10, so you are within the spec that I got from my alignment shop.

 

Toyota repair manual says

"Inspect with an empty vehicle (without the spare tire or tools)." for front wheel CAMBER, CASTER AND STEERING AXIS INCLINATION.

I wonder anybody bothers to do that.

 

I took my car to 3 independent shops and the dealer. None of the independent shops bothered with the spare tire. I have no idea what the dealer did, but I would bet money (that I don't have) that they did not remove the spare tire.

I question whether you would want to do that anyway; the spare tire is normally installed in the car so it seems like you would want to align it that way.

I have seen that some people will add weight to the driver's seat to simulate the weight of the driver; most shops wouldn't do that either.

 

Thanks johnjamis, yes, I'm within spec, but at the edge of it in some places. But my feeling, and that of the tire shop, is that spec isn't very tire friendly.
We actually went back and forth about whether it's worth it to do anything. Their main alignment guy wasn't there, so we're going to re-evaluate with him on Thursday. I'm encouraged that they seem interested in making an improvement (without pushing it) instead of just throwing up their hands at this oddball Prius thingymajig. ;-)

- D

 

Glad to know it worked out for you and thanks for sharing the good result!

 

Hello all:

Hmmm, this is really interesting. Maybe one of our more senior members can comment on this result.

The G2s don't have LKA (Lane Keep Assist) as far as I know (only the G3s with Tech Package??). If this is true, then the Zero Point Calibration on the G2 would only seem to make a difference in how the car reacts to a skid situation, inasmuch as it could change which brakes were applied and how much. Or does the electric steering on the G2s actually provide some degree of steering correction also?

Thanks!

 

Here is something I found in the 2004 manual (I added the bold for paragraphs (c) & (f) ):

 

Thank you, DF. That clarifies things. So it's not that the car is trying to steer itself in a different direction than your input, but rather that the amount of power assist changes if the ZPC is miscalibrated.