umakemekissu

So i was thinking of getting the Firestone lifetime alignment deal for $170. my car is steering leftward and i'm planning to drop it about 1.5'' so why not right? It's 6k miles or whenever requested, yes I called and confirmed. they also work on dropped car as long as they fit on the machine.

I was looking into camber kits which cost about them same if not more than $170, but after doing some research, proper alignment is way better choice.

Have anyone had any problem dealing with Firestone alignment?

SharksBreath

iTrader: (33)

i have the lifetime alignment and i've def got my moneys worth. i've had it there at least 4 or 5 times in the past few years after changing ride height, wheels, camber kits, etc.

i say go for it.

Bearcat94

I got a 3-year deal (2x now) for (??) $149. Definetly worth it to me. I need an alignment about every other oil change (roughly every 9,000 mile).

Whether it's lowering springs or some other factor, my car is usually pulling a bit by the time I roll in for an alignment. Some of it might just be from potholes.


I will say though that I don't think frequent alignment is a substitute for camber kits if you're dropped. I really could use a rear kit to dial in the camber in the rear; to get it even on both sides and maybe at the outer edge of the Acura spec.

umakemekissu

http://www.heeltoeauto.com/tech-arti...amber-kit.html
this is the article i read about camber kit. based on my interpretation, camber kit needs is a debatable issue and proper alignment is a better choice. but i could be wrong. anyhow, since Sharkbreath and you are happy with the lifetime alignment deal, i'm gonna do it as well

Bearcat94

Yes, I've read that article. I don't disagree with it.

What I'm saying is 1.) while it might not destroy your tires, you can still get some camber wear on the edges that can reduce usefull tire life, especially on long-wearing tires and 2.) perhaps more importantly you can set the camber where you want it IF you have a camber kit.

Right now my rear camber is out of spec by a couple of tenths on one side and in spec by (iirc) 1/10th on the other side. I can't do anything about it - it is what it is. BUT if I had a camber kit I could set BOTH to be, say 1/10th in spec. This would be generally better for handling AND wear. Maybe only slightly, but at least you have the option to choose.

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

The lifetime feature is a good deal if you’re going to have suspension changes and the need for the car to be put up on the rack at various stages and the need to establish the correct specs.

Alignment is a better choice only if the stock alignment specs can be made, but once the settings venture outside the factory specs, there will be uneven wear as BC94 posted. When you lower the car get the camber kit so the specs can be set properly or tire wear will be recognized.

For most, alignment certainly doesn’t go in and out of spec so the lifetime alignment for toe is probably not worth the money, and most with stock suspensions will never need an alignment so no worry about an out of spec rack, or a tech screwing up the settings.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

yup i have it and use it....

i do my oil change every 5K miles and take her in for a rotate/balance/alignment every 5K miles.....

i have gotten that done since 105K miles and am at 160K miles....you do the math

just a word of caution....make sure the firestone has a in-ground rack as compared to a drive on rack....i used to go to this firestone that had a drive on rack and it took them forever to get my car up and down....the inground rack is off the hook....no more scraping on the rack

vietxquangstah

iTrader: (7)

I say play it safe and get the camber kit.

SSM4DR

iTrader: (1)

I have a similar plan, but with Tires plus. If you change your ride height often or during Winter/Spring. Then I say it's worth the investment .

RU_JELLY

iTrader: (1)

youll definately get your moneys worth. and as far as the camber kit get it if you need it.... if you plan on going slammed or running aggressive wheels you might need one.

umakemekissu

thanks for the heads up... the one I just went to like 15min ago was a drive on and it was definitely came close to scraping my aspec... I told them I'm planning to drop it so it won't work the next time.. they said they have something to help with it next time i come and just remind them..
But i'll call several surrounding firestone to see if they have the in-ground rack.. better be safe than sorry...
no i'm definitely not slamming her.. just ~1.25'' drop.. so i dont think i'd need the camber kit!! i mean it's a nice addition but i have other priorities i wanna get to first!

vietxquangstah

iTrader: (7)

~1.25"-1.5" drop than a camber kit is not necessary. It won't change the camber on your car THAT MUCH.

Anything close to 2 inches and over 2 inches you bet your ass you'll need a camber kit

Also, how are you dropping your car? Springs + strut combo or are you doing coilovers? HT-Spec coilovers are very good and affordable. $600

Shoeface

I plan on getting a 2nd set of wheels (18's) for spring/summer, and then use my stockies for winter, in addition to a small drop, hopefully with some coilovers so I can adjust.

Because of my future plans, I bought the lifetime deal at Firestone about 2 months ago. I'd say it's definitely worth it if you're keeping your car more than 3+ years, no matter what you plan on doing to the suspension. It'll eventually pay for itself.

It's rotate, balance, and alignment - can't go wrong!

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

Don't know where everyone gets their ideas as I believe Bearcat94 has the H&R springs with a 1.4" drop and has camber wear, minor, but still camber wear. Enough said, at least from me.

umakemekissu

i have the H&R sports sitting in the garage. I'm leaning toward getting the Koni's due to its notorious level of comfort. but i have not made up my mind tho because I can't raise the Koni's to the stock height with my H&R springs (i wanna drop for summer and raise for winter).

shenrie

if you want max life from tires consider this. a full set of camber kits is cheaper than a set of tires. that being said, i run Nitto neo gen tires which are designed for camber impared cars. they really do cut wear considerably. Ive ran 5.5 degrees on one of my cars (yes its dumb, but im lazy) with those tires for years with very minimal wear. cars toe was set exactly on zero though.

nobody offers that deal here. if i didnt get that stuff for free and it was offered here, Id be all over it....if the techs at that firestone were decent. that would be all I really worried about. an oldschool alignment tech can dial in a alignment with out an alignment rack. seen the old timers do it with tape measures and string and be freaking spot on. those are the guys i like working on my cars. they understand how to align properly for tire longevity and performance, not just follow instructions from a display.

wilztlxs

iTrader: (8)

I got my lifetime alignment from Firestone when it was on sale for $149. +1 on the alignment rack built into the ground, glad the brand new Firestone by my house has it, cause all of the other ones are the drive on.

Every 6 months or so I'll have them re-check the alignment specs to ensure everything is within spec so i don't eat up tires. Its usually the toe that they have to adjust, so it only takes like 30 minutes.

Bearcat94

That is correct. It is light wear, but it is there and it 'builds up' over time. And, fwiw, I don't usually have anything of any weight in the back seat or trunk 'adding' more camber; just whatever camber the lowering springs added.



mmade22 (who put about 5,000 highway miles per month on his car) was wearing out tires faster than usual with just H&R Sports due to camber wear. He eventually added Camber kits and Konis. Pretty sure he had a thread on it.

sweeT n Lo

PSA - The Firestone lifetime alignment will be on sale nationwide for $119.99 on New Years Day. That's the lowest price that it'll be all year. I just got some new tires installed and I also plan on lowering my car in the Spring on some coilovers, so it should pay for itself relatively quickly.

http://www.firestonecompleteautocare...k_affcode=0000

Not sure if I linked it above properly, but you can search the internet for the offer.

holaroznic

I have 5 vehicles on the lifetime alignment. It was 120$ when I started. Last one was a few months ago for 200$. Unless you get the 20$ off coupon, but with tax and shop fees it's still 200. If your in with the crew, they will give it to you(20$discount). If not, they issue the coupon once or twice a year. Check the webite or app. Just hit a pothole and had it checked. One alignment is 80$ last time I checked a while ago. The con: don't keep your vehicle long, have to drop off or wait a while. Four times I had it done, 1)put new tires and alignment an envoy, wife wanted to sale just after. 2)just bought new tires and alignment and wrecked the g6. 3) bought civic si, alignment. Hit high water during rainstorm, crashed all four sides, totaled. 4) bought Volvo xc90, alignment. Way too expensive and complicated to work on. Now have 2008 MDX and 2006 TL. They did tell me the TL is out of caster and can't be adjusted. It does pull to the right a bit. Hope there is some to fix that. May have to be put on the frame straightener..