newbie alignement question

[grifferjr]

hello guys and gals!!!

I am a week old owner of a barely used 05 GTO and I have fallen desperately in love with her. I have been reading and searching this and another forum for GTO owners for potential problems that have arisen over the last few years that people have driven them. Why was I so skeptical?? Well nothing is perfect like GTO at such an affordable price. Something has to be up!!! I am a former 350Z owner and we had our share of problems!!!

After searching the threads it seems like the main thing that I can identify is the strut rub causing either abnormal tire wear or even causing the strut to leak. From what I have read this happens only with the 17 inch tires, which i have, and has been addressed one of two ways...either an alignment or people are going to aftermarket struts, ie the pedders. Do either of these eliminate the rub? Specifically the alignment? Does the rub/wear happen on all 4 tires or just the fronts?

I checked my rubber yesterday and the front driver looked perfect but the front passenger inside treadwear looked a little low compared to the rest of the tire. Almost like the wear I had on the 350Z I traded in. Is the abnormal wear on the tread or the sidewall?

Finally does anyone have the latest alignment specs for the GTO. Part of the deal whenI bought my car was that it got an alignment from the Pontiac dealer. I was just doing that coming from my experience with the Z. Little did I know that I was really doing a good thing. I would like to know the specs though.

[sccaGTO]

The alignment for the front tires should eliminate the strut rub. One thing that is barely talked about is the stock tires themselves. GM used BFGoodrich brand tires stock. After so many different owners have tried to use aftermarket wheels & tires, we have found out that BFGs run big. What that means is that the width is bigger than other brands of the same size. Toyo & Nitto are known to run narrow & typically fit (more of a problem with wider rear rims). Had GM used a different manufacturer for it's OE tire, the strut rub might not be such a problem.

I have the specs for the GTO in my book at work (I align cars all day). I can't guarantee 100% that they are exactly what GM's specs are, but I haven't had a problem with them yet.

One last thing. If the dealer tells you that you need to have extra parts to adjust the front end of the car, tell him :bs: (see diagram below). The rear end of the GTO will need extra parts in order to adjust it. This is because of the rear end's tendancy to squat down during hard acceleration. Giving the rear axle more positive (+) camber will offset the wear on the inside treads.

http://www.ls1gto.com/forums/attachment.php?attach mentid=40909&stc=1&d=1155679364

[RobertHammen]

Pedders' recommended alignment specs:

http://www.peddersusa.com/images/PDFS/Pedders%20GT O%20Alignment%20Specs.pdf

[grifferjr]

thanks for the info guys. i will be sure to ask the dealership if they aligned the car with the knowledge of the strut rub in mind and if that was the case then i will see if their latest specs match the ones from the link provided.

so the alignment seems to correct the problem.

also if i am not mistaken, our tires are able to be rotated from side to side and rear to front...right?? they arent directional are they?? i know they arent different sizes like the Z i had.

[Dan00Hawk]

Another solution is to buy aftermarket wheels, such as 17x8 or 18x8 with a 40mm offset (instead of the stock 48mm offset), or any set of wheels that moves them away from the front strut (yet doesn't move them too far out to rub the fender, of course...). :)

[grifferjr]

Again thanks for all of the help guys!!!!

One other question i have in reference to the alignment, can I get that done at any alignment shop or should it be a shop configured with a specific machine?

I say that again out of my experience with the Z. We had to make sure the shops we used had Hunter alignment machines as well as the latest software that Hunter provided with the correct info, cause Hunter machines use a simple green light/red light go/no-go system but the Z required alignments that were even more accurate than the go-no-go system, and required the numbers for toe-in to be matched by hand.

If I can go anywhere, I already have an alignment package that I purchased with the Z and have a couple of alignments left at the Firestone dealer here. They were the ones with the latest Hunter machine.

[sccaGTO]

Your stock tires are non-directional. They are however, asymmetrical. The tire has a side specifically for the outside of the car & the inside of the car. But, I presume that when you need new tires, you aren't going with these tires again. It is best advised to make sure that the shop doing the alignment has a machine that reads in numbers. The specific brand doesn't matter (to me, anyway). The simple red light/green light shit is for people who don't have to get real technical with their alignments (IMO). Also, the latest software is not gonna help if the technician isn't worth what the shop is paying them.

[teejay]

http://www.ls1gto.com/forums/attachment.php?attach mentid=40909&stc=1&d=1155679364

Is this a picture of the front? My guy told me he could not find this adjustment. There were even pictures of it on his software.

[nobdy1977]

what about the rear cradle alignment? I had an alignment done by a very reputable race shop, but didn't do anything to the cradle, do you guys think it would be worth having done (next time)?

[sccaGTO]

Is this a picture of the front? My guy told me he could not find this adjustment. There were even pictures of it on his software.
That is the front end of my car. It should be there. Not many people know what it's used for. So, I don't think anyone would have discarded those. If you were seated quietly in the waiting room, he might have "overlooked" this adjuster.

[teejay]

That is the front end of my car. It should be there. Not many people know what it's used for. So, I don't think anyone would have discarded those. If you were seated quietly in the waiting room, he might have "overlooked" this adjuster.

The manage showed me an illustration, very much like this one, on his software. Five minutes later e told me the technician could not find the adjustment, but his software was for 04-05, maybe they changed in 06. I’m thinking, the last year of the model they re-engineered the front suspension, right. :rolleyes: Well, I looked last night, and I can find the adjustment.

Either the technician is stupid, lazy, or the shop (a Firestone shop, btw) saw new Bridgestones in my future.

When I take the car in next week to replace the two rims I bent I am going to force him to adjust the camber. Under alignment warrantee.

[longhornbsbll15]

hey, what parts are needed to be able to adjust the rear camber? after my wreck he told me there was a slight camber that he couldn't repair???? will the slp camber kit work to fix this? can it be used by itself? also there is about a 1 inch spot on the inside of my right rear tire where it is worn WAY lower than the rest of the tire? looks like it rubs something. This is also the side the whole camber problem is on. How do i fix it?

[sccaGTO]

The manage showed me an illustration, very much like this one, on his software. Five minutes later e told me the technician could not find the adjustment, but his software was for 04-05, maybe they changed in 06. I’m thinking, the last year of the model they re-engineered the front suspension, right. :rolleyes: Well, I looked last night, and I can find the adjustment.
I was confused. I thought the dealership was telling you they couldn't find the adjuster.

Either the technician is stupid, lazy, or the shop (a Firestone shop, btw) saw new Bridgestones in my future.
How young are you? If you looked young, they may have thought that you would believe anything.

hey, what parts are needed to be able to adjust the rear camber? after my wreck he told me there was a slight camber that he couldn't repair???? will the slp camber kit work to fix this? can it be used by itself? also there is about a 1 inch spot on the inside of my right rear tire where it is worn WAY lower than the rest of the tire? looks like it rubs something. This is also the side the whole camber problem is on. How do i fix it?
The SLP kit will work. I believe there are kits available from Pedders & Noltec. Those will also work.
http://www.midwestpd.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=4 12_190_192_198_209 or PM Mike at DMS (http://www.ls1gto.com/forums/member.php?u=657) for questions about the Pedders parts.

[longhornbsbll15]

so would these parts here work for adjusting all the camber i would need? it seems much cheaper than what everyone else talks about for gettin the camber adjusted?

[sccaGTO]

so would these parts here work for adjusting all the camber i would need? it seems much cheaper than what everyone else talks about for gettin the camber adjusted?
Yes. All of the listed kits will be all of the adjustment needed for the rear end. Even if you lowered the car, it would still offer enough adjustment. Remember, GM already included the adjusters on the front. You just have to make sure the technician knows where to look. ;)

[longhornbsbll15]

thanks a bunch!