hey i just wanted to be informed.. i feel the guy lied to me.
it was at express tire since was looking at tires lol
anyhow.. i asked the guy i was buying sway bars and asked him if i would need an alignment after i got them installed he told me yes
is this true?

if it is might just wait to get a camber kit so i do it at the same time.

 

He's an idiot

 

thanks, i shoulda known.. express tire does seem to run a shady business.

 

I wouldn't trust a place named Express Tire in the first place.

 

Unless he noticed/you told him about your Z/coupe suspension, then he may have been recommending an alignment based on that. Yeah, I'm giving him wayyyy too much credit, he was just trying to hose you.

 

Surprised he didn't try to sell you muffler bearings or attempt to swap the 'winter air' in your tires for 'summer air'.

I do not trust tire shops with anything except tires and even that is sketchy sometimes. The best way to treat these guys is to ask yourself, "did this guy finish high school? Does he really think he can fool than me? Will I let him?"

Around here, the answers are usually 'barely', 'probably' and 'no'.

 

Tire shops always try to fool the customers, they tell you, you need this and that and everything. You learn so much from the forums, you could probably school one of the mechanics.

Sway bars have nothing to do with an alignment.

 

thanks for info guys, yea might not even consider express tires for tires anymore! they are like the stealerships..

 

not all tire shops are like that. alot of people have the wrong idea. I know at my shop we suggest things and give the customer the choice if they want it or not. Just check your tires and see if you have edge wear.

 

they are gonna say you need an alignment all the time.

 

I do an alignment after any change to the suspension....but I also do the alignments myself

 

^ how?

 

maybe he has the machine in his garage...... idk..

 

Probably the same way I do it; lasers mounted on panels that hang on the wheels

 

Ha, you guys would laugh.

Basically a combo of this tool plus some jigs I made up myself with a few lasers and stuff. Yeah sounds primitive, but if you know what you are doing, it can be done with good accuracy.


I was forced to learn to do it myself on my Mustang when the car became too modified to hand the keys over to a chain shop and they wouldn't set to non-OEM specs that I requested. The specialty shops that would do it were too far away for me or too expensive.

Do a google search on "DIY alignment" and you'll see a few write-ups. A lot of the serious road racers and AutoXers i know do their own alignments. Again, i emphasize it's effective if you know what you are doing. If you are reading DIY's to change the air filter on your car...then it's probably not for you.

I have not done it on the G because my suspension is stock and when you buy tires they throw it in for free, so i just let the chain shops do it. However, to keep this post revalent to the OP's question, i would not expect a sway bar to change alignment specs at all (at least the g35's style bars). However, any change in ride height, or anytime you unbolt a suspension component (strut, spindle, etc), i would get an alignment. The unbolting and bolting of any part that has impact on critical angles of the suspension can cause some changes in alignment. However, i know it's not usually done after a compression rod change.