Is it really necessary to get an alignment if i am only lowered on eibachs? it doesnt seem like that much of a drop. Also has anyone purchased or used the alignment kit from eibach or one like it to adujust camber? if so how does it work cause it just looks like a bolt with a protruding lobe on it? and alignment can only be adjusted on the fronts right? no need to worry about the rear?
Thanks

 

you do need an alignment since all the steering parts are in different positions now.

 

can i use the bolts from eibach or isnt that enough?

 

you need to adjust more than the camber

 

how much is an alignment from like a local shop?

 

around $60 i would say

 

cool thanks

 

it varies...go ask around

 

Firestone has lifetime alignment for about $150. Definitely a good deal if you are lowdered...I get mine checked about every 6 months.

 

^ +1 I intend to get a lifetime alignment from them once I drop my Max. If you can find it on special, you'll get it for about $100-$125.

 

Make sure that you get a 4 wheel alignment. Anything else is a fools errand - a waste of time and money.

 

How do they adjust the rear wheels?

 

you dont......

 

Is that guy just misinformed then? (up two)

 

i wouldnt call him an idiot....i would say he is misinformed.

you only do the rear wheel with cars with independent rear suspension.

on our cars, they align the fronts with the rear (along with caster, toe, etc)...but the rear cant be adjusted.

 

The only thing I'm "misinformed" on is my knowledge of the rear suspension, as I've never personally done an alignment on a Maxima. I wasn't aware that the rear suspension wasn't "adjustable". I don't have a line-up book in front of me. Nonetheless, I'll stand by my advice.

After working in a frame shop, it is very clear to me that ANY car can be adjusted, irreguardless of whether or not the factory offers adjustments. You just have to have the right tools.....

Back into a parking curb really good once and find out how much you can move the rear suspension out of alignment....Then have the local tire & alignment shop tell you the "frame is bent". Our shop got all of the "bent frames" that the local alignment shops couldn't do.

In this case, since you'll not likely take the car to a frame shop to get an alignment done, you'll want to get a thrust alignment. A thrust alignment takes into account the geometry of the rear wheels in relationship to the centerline of the car and then sets the alignment of the front wheels in accordance. Quite often this is billed as a 4-wheel alignment or done in lieu of a genuine 4-wheel alignment.

If you have a 2-wheel alignment done, then the alignment is done based solely upon the centerline of the car for the front wheels only. And this presumes that the rears are in line with the centerline of the car and the frame (unitized chassis) is not genuinely bent/cracked. IF the rear wheels are not square with the centerline of the car and/or there is a bent rear suspension component, the fronts will track properly but the rears will crab one direction or the other. This will cause ill-handling - or from the drivers perspective, constant course correction.

Sorry to have caused confusion over this.

 

Yup, I paid $120 total for mine.

 

well yeah, you can bend the rear beam to zero out toe (VERY good mod) but there are not very many people that are willing to do that. As for regular maintenence alignments, the fronts are the only wheels you should worry about....