All 4 wheel laser alignment (1 Viewer)

[LX_TREME]

Need alignment, just replaced thicker tie rod, relay rod and extreme duty 4 tie rod end kits. Do you guys know anything about all 4 wheel laser alignments and do you strongly recommend it or NO just waste money.
Also how much they charge for laser alignment?
And for those who live in So Cal do you know anyone?

Thank you.

 

[AMMO]

Need alignment, just replaced thicker tie rod, relay rod and extreme duty 4 tie rod end kits. Do you guys know anything about all 4 wheel laser alignments and do you strongly recommend it or NO just waste money.
Also how much they charge for laser alignment?
And for those who live in So Cal do you know anyone?

Thank you.

Not sure on the laser... Baggie and Son's Alignment does all the shops work, they are in Culver City straight across the street from the studios. They do great work, and from what I’ve seen they can even handle a rig like yours... Bling Bling and all... J/K

-Ammo

 

[Cruiser Jimmy]

I think it's a waste of money. The only thing you are confirming is that the front and rear's are aligned together. But since you can't change the alignment in the rear it's useless.

I just replaced my tie rods and the ease of alignment per the FSM was great.
Just align the front wheels with the rear tie rod.
Then, align the front wheel direction and the steering wheel with the front tie rod.


Now my former 300ZX TT, money well spent.

 

[Tools R Us]

Good investment for a fully adjustable sports car, waste of money on a straight axle lumber wagon where only the toe is adjustable.

 

[FirstToy]

I get my alignment done at a local Discount Tire. All they have is laser alignment and they dont charge extra for it or even advertise it as soemthing special.
I really think it's more about having a good tech b/c I've had bad alignments w/ the laser machine.

I thought that was one of the pluses of the 80, no need to mess w/ all that stuff anyway.

 

[cary]

1) There is no need for a 4 wheel alignment on an 80 series as there are no adjustments for the rear alignment.

2) It's not the machine that makes for a good alignment but the operator. A good alignment guy will get you a topnotch alignment on a 20 year old rack, while a crappy guy will give you a crappy alignment on hunters latest $100,000 machine.

 

[Rich]

There is a benefit to 4 wheel alignment regardless as to whether or not the rear wheel alignment is adjustable. The toe of the front wheels is best aligned to the thrust line of the vehicle. The thrust line of the vehicle is determined by the alignment of the rear wheels. If the rear wheel alignment was adjustable, then you would adjust the rear wheel toe (and therfore the thrust line) to be aligned with the center line of the truck. But even if you can't align the rear wheels, you still want the toe to be centered with respect to the thrust line. And you need to measure the rear wheel alignment to determine the thrust line. The end benefit of all of this is minimizing tire wear due to misalignment.