Alignment problems

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pgriff

Guest
I have a 2001 LS V8 with 17" factory rims. I just had an alignment done at a Tire Discounters. Ever since the car has been skipping over bumps and feels like it is moving from side-to-side in the rear. Feels like crap, never felt this bad even when it was out of alignment. I had them recheck and they said it was OK. I took it to the local Lincoln dealership, but they said everything looked tight on the backend, obviuously couldn't reproduce the problem on the road. They did not re-align it though. I spend alot of time in my car, so I know how it drives and should drive. I plan to take it to the dealer and have them check out the aligment. Finally the question: Does anyone know if the dealer has any special tools or would do anything different in the alignment than an aftermarket place? I have heard that the LS is a pain to align.

Thanks,
Pete
 
Did they change your tire pressure? sometimes too much air in the tires can cause some strange ride problems.
 
AquaLS01 said:
Did they change your tire pressure? sometimes too much air in the tires can cause some strange ride problems.
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No I checked that before and after the alignment recheck. I was hoping it was that.
 
as silly as this may sound do you have anything heavy in the trunk? cuz i used to do alignments and every now and then id get a car with a bunch of amps and stuff in the trunk. after emptying them out most of the time the alignment would go fine. also is the car dropped? that will change the camber even if its a little tiny bit. there are several things that could cause your headache. tire pressure, saggy springs, bent suspension pieces (although now always visible) worn bushings.....maybe even a bad flux capacitor or continuum transfunctioner j/k on that last part.
 
2k2ls said:
as silly as this may sound do you have anything heavy in the trunk? cuz i used to do alignments and every now and then id get a car with a bunch of amps and stuff in the trunk. after emptying them out most of the time the alignment would go fine. also is the car dropped? that will change the camber even if its a little tiny bit. there are several things that could cause your headache. tire pressure, saggy springs, bent suspension pieces (although now always visible) worn bushings.....maybe even a bad flux capacitor or continuum transfunctioner j/k on that last part.
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Nothing in the trunk. Stock suspension, stock height. Dealer checked the suspension and didn't see anything over but didn't realign it. Guess realignment at the dealer is my only option for now.
 
pgriff said:
Nothing in the trunk. Stock suspension, stock height. Dealer checked the suspension and didn't see anything over but didn't realign it. Guess realignment at the dealer is my only option for now.
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One shop version of correct alignment might be different from another. When I had my Mustang aligned after doing suspension mods, it drove like crap. This was a shop that was supposed to know Mustangs well. I grabbed some alignment specs from Steeda (I was using their parts) and when I showed it to the guy who did my alignment, he said that it was WAY too aggressive. Steeda assured me that it would be fine and is how they align. He followed the Steeda alignment values and viola! All was great. It could very well still be the alignment.
 
one of the knocks that the early tester reviews of the LS were that the car was very 'unhappy' on rough roads and uneven surfaces.

you cannot do much camber alignment with the LS, there is no adjustment and no aftermarket parts to assist. Many of us who have lowered our cars live with a slight camber issue. Makes cornering more fun!
 
Problem solved, sort of. I have 3 terrific Michelins and 1 that is toast on the inside of the tire. I don't know how the Tire place and the dealer missed it. It was pretty obvious when I went to rotate the tires. Two alignment checks, one rear end suspension check at the dealer (it was in the air, how did they miss that). It's hard to find good help these days.
Guess I buy two new tires tomorrow.
 
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