I just had a swap done, so I took the car in for an alignment for peace of mind. The guys said only the driver side rear wheel was out of alignment. He made a few adjustments, I left the shop and now the car feels like its "blowing in the wind" on the highway. Its not terrible, but its noticible and annoying.
Visually, to me, it looks like the driver side rear wheel has too much toe in. Would this cause the "swaying in the wind" feeling?
Any ideas would be great. The car is lowered with lowering springs and a cut coil in the front lowering springs. Everything else is stock, its an 86.
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04:28 PM
PFF
System Bot
Doug85GT Member
Posts: 9870 From: Sacramento CA USA Registered: May 2003
When the shop did the alignment they should have given you a printout of the before and after specs. If they didn't then don't ever go back there.
Too much toe-in or toe-out on the rear wheels will do what you are describing, especially when you go over ruts or a road that have small grooves in it. One tire will grab and toss the car one way and then the other one will grab and toss it the other way.
You should have some toe-in. 2-3 mm is usually about right. That makes the car go in a straight line even when you take your hands off the steering wheel. You are feeling what it is like to have too much.
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04:39 PM
doublec4 Member
Posts: 8289 From: Oakville, Ontario, Canada Registered: Jun 2003
the "blowing in the wind" feeling is usually caused by the car not being centered. you are going down the road slightly sideways - and in fact - one side gets ALOT of wind - hence the blowing in the wind feeling.
yes, bad rear toe can do this also - but this usually gives shifting feeling - where the rear feels like it shifting back & forth, as one tire dominates, then the other. and - you will notice tire wear also.
anyways - you can NEVER align just one wheel on a Fiero. all four wheels must ALWAYS be referanced to the centerline.
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05:14 PM
doublec4 Member
Posts: 8289 From: Oakville, Ontario, Canada Registered: Jun 2003
Well I wish somebody competent would be willing to work on my car. Every place I take it to breaks something, does something wrong etc etc and I end up with a bill and a car worse off than what it was when I brought it in
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05:31 PM
Doug85GT Member
Posts: 9870 From: Sacramento CA USA Registered: May 2003
My personal experience with alignments is that they will give you a receipt and a printout from the machine on how your car's alignment prior to and after. If you didn't get a printout I would go back and tell them that your toe setting on at least one wheel is off and it needs to be realigned and you would like a printout from the machine after they are done. They should do it for free since they want the business. If they don't i would never go back to that shop and report them to the Better Business Bureau, they do not need to be in the auto business at all. I found it was better/cheaper if they find a part broken/bad to replace it yourself, then take it back for the realignment since the shop will always charge you extra to get the parts, ie $19 for shocks would turn out to be $48 if they get them.
When i bought my 66 Bonneville and drove it from Memphis to Phoenix I found that my front passenger side wheel was way out of alignment. I took it to the local tire shop and they told me that my driver side shock was missing and the passenger side was just hanging there. To do the alignment right they were going to charge me an arm and a leg to do it (one of the things they were going to do was weld on the nuts for the lower shock mounts). Not happy with cost I went and researched the parts and then went and replaced them myself, I found the nuts for the lower shock mounts are not welded on but clip on nutplates.
Now I have my alignment do by a shop that does not mind if you sit in and watch them do the work, I get to watch the machine do it's thing and I'm always happy when i leave since i know the job was done right and i have the printout to boot.
[This message has been edited by Tanlrat (edited 07-13-2008).]
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02:36 PM
82-T/A [At Work] Member
Posts: 25153 From: Florida USA Registered: Aug 2002
Well I wish somebody competent would be willing to work on my car. Every place I take it to breaks something, does something wrong etc etc and I end up with a bill and a car worse off than what it was when I brought it in
OMG, don't get me started. It is for this reason alone that I decided to learn how to work on cars myself. I do almost everything myself... even most warranty repair work on my new cars because I'm afraid of dealerships messing it up even further.
Originally posted by Pyrthian:yes, bad rear toe can do this also - but this usually gives shifting feeling - where the rear feels like it shifting back & forth, as one tire dominates, then the other. - you can NEVER align just one wheel on a Fiero. all four wheels must ALWAYS be referanced to the centerline.
I got ridiculed for this on the 'other' forum, but some shops apparentaly base toe in without considering the relation of the wheel angle to the car. I constantly see vans and a lot of front-drive cars that are doglegging down the road. It is multiplied on the Fiero many times over. A good alignment is paramount. and healthy rear compnents too; namely the rear tie rods. I have a set of Rodney's, and they seem beefier than stock. Last, cradle bushings probably play into this too, but that's a more involved install. This only applies to pre-88's, of course. Last, if your tires are old/cheap, then imperfections or deterioration will make itself known there as well.
------------------ John DuRette Custom 85 SE/86 GT "Kinda makes you nostalgic for a Members Only jacket"
