I have lowered my past few daily drivers. Nothing crazy just an inch or so. Each time its gets aligned all is well. But I alwas wondered one thing.
How come when we get our cars aligend we dont sit in the car?? I'm married w/2 kids, but most of the time I drive alone. Wouldnt the alignment be more accurate if we were sitting in our cars when it was done ?
Most people are concerned,at least a little, how much this part or that part weighs. Doesnt the car get lower when you sit in it? Wouldnt, in my case, the 230 lb lump in the front seat make a difference?

 

Wow...great question....haven't see this one before...I'm curious to know the answer.

When you sit in your car, does the car settle/lower a noticeable amount?

 

I think it's to keep the car balanced. If you aligned with you sitting in your car and if you sat more than one person, wouldn't the car essntially be unbalanced then?

 

I may be wrong but what I understand is that the caster and toe will not be affected enough to make a difference. The camber will be a tiny bit off but that's not adjustable on the G anyway.

 

Right on Tim. In alot of cars, especially sports cars with stiffer suspensions, the travel in the suspension of an extra 150-200 lbs in the driver seat is not enough to make a difference in the camber/caster to cause the vehicle to pull. The tie rod ends used to adjust the toe (straightness of the steering wheel and wheels themselves) is part of the rack and pinion and is not affected by added weight of passengers in a vehicle.
-GP-

 

I was just wondering since driver weight is critical to some race cars and I think I'm about to alter my wheel and suspension. I was wondering if I could dial in the alignemnt even better if I sat in the car while it was being aligned. Or would the shop thin I some kind of freak.

 

Ha..that's funny.... FREAK!! (Just kidding)

I'm assuming when they do this, the car doesn't have to be on a lift then...cause if it did, I doubt they put you in the car on the lift.

 

IMO it would be better but you need to realize that most race cars have very little suspension travel and are at the limits of that suspension. I've driven my car hard but I doubt anything like that.