What alignment specs are you using with Bridgestones?


M

MNJason

GT Owner
May 14, 2010
2,097
San Diego
My car is lowered an inch and Im running OEM alignment specs with the Bridgestones.

Is this what everyone else is doing with the Bridgestones? Or something different? I have heard there may be a TOE adjustment.

Thanks!
 
I am having my Bridgestones installed tomorrow @ Polito Ford, They have done a friends car, and did correct the alignment for him.
I will post the alignments specs up tomorrow.

Mike
 
Your alignment was done after the T&A kit and bridgestones were installed. Your alignment should be just right......
 
MNJason is asking because he is finding that she is sniffing around abit when at speed; I referenced to him that with the Bridgestones that they like a bit more toe-in this not knowing what the setting presently are.

Here is a comment from a Forum member a couple years ago and I have followed this with great success

Takes care

Shadowman

"I however did also experience what Fubar is saying regarding no longer feeling as comfortable driving with two fingers as the vehicle, for me, no longer feels as planted or wanting to stay dead centre especially in the ruts. That being said I had a discussion at the rally with Alex of T&A who didn't seem surprised and felt it was just a matter of adjusting the car's toe in about 1/16 of an inch since the Bridgestones are alot softer than the Goodyears."
 
C'mon, it was a Canadian that said that.
 
fjpikul said:
C'mon, it was a Canadian that said that.
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And .... a damn fine one I might add

Shadowman
 
I have found that going to a wider tire in and of itself will increase the "sniffing" for a track in ruts. Glad to hear more toe in helps.
 
Shadowman said:
MNJason is asking because he is finding that she is sniffing around abit when at speed; I referenced to him that with the Bridgestones that they like a bit more toe-in......
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When I switched from the stock Goodyears to Hoosier R-6s, I did not change my alignment. The car tracked straight as an arrow with the Goodyears but hunted all over the road with the soft Hoosiers. Above about 55 MPH it tracks fine with the R-6s but it keeps me on my toes below that. If I knew a simple toe in adjustment would cure that I would have done it already. The R-6s have amazing grip that has to be experienced to be believed.

Chip
 
ChipBeck said:
When I switched from the stock Goodyears to Hoosier R-6s, I did not change my alignment. The car tracked straight as an arrow with the Goodyears but hunted all over the road with the soft Hoosiers. Above about 55 MPH it tracks fine with the R-6s but it keeps me on my toes below that. If I knew a simple toe in adjustment would cure that I would have done it already. The R-6s have amazing grip that has to be experienced to be believed.

Chip
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Chip; my gut tells me that it will help your too.

Remember to keep your eye on the Hoosier tire pressures as they do bleed.

Takes care

Shadowman
 
Sounds like a personal preference then. I imagine that may make a difference, but what effect will it have on your tire wear?
 
I am finding some hunting, which I can live with as its only on non-smooth roads.

My other concern was if this affects high speed stability?
 
Most Viper drivers are very aware of this, the best answer is wheel trammeling caused by wide front tires.
 
paul b said:
Most Viper drivers are very aware of this, the best answer is wheel trammeling caused by wide front tires.
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By THIS, I assume you mean a slight shake at higher speeds?
 
MNJason said:
By THIS, I assume you mean a slight shake at higher speeds?
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More a matter of following irregularities in the road. If you don't hold the wheel the car goes where it wants.
 
paul b said:
More a matter of following irregularities in the road. If you don't hold the wheel the car goes where it wants.
Click to expand...

Ahh, ok. That I understand. Im trying to figure out if this has anything to do with my front end shake.
 
Front end shake is most likely a balancing problem. You want to take it to a shop the has lug-centric wheel adapters and then it is easy to get a perfect balance. Our lug-centric adapter plates cost almost the same amount as the balancer but allow us to balance down to the gram (weight of a dollar bill).

If you have a friend or connection at a Lexus dealership, they are required by the Toyota mothership to have and use the adapter plates when balancing the wheels of a Lexus.

Regarding Toe, this is something that you (along with a friend) can check and even adjust yourself. All you need is a string and/or a tape measure. Probably Google can offer better and more thorough description than I can here.
 
nota4re said:
Front end shake is most likely a balancing problem. You want to take it to a shop the has lug-centric wheel adapters and then it is easy to get a perfect balance.
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I am confused!

Doesn't the FGT use hub centric wheels? If so, then the wheels are located and centered by the hub flange, NOT the wheel studs. If you are running aftermarket wheels that are not hub centric, having a wheel center that is too big (not a good idea) then a lug-centric adadter makes sense. That said, other cars may have lug centric wheels, then the adapters should be used.
 
kinda on the subject of balancing, I used to take my truck to a shop that was able to balance the tires/wheels while on the truck.
 
shelbyelite said:
Sounds like a personal preference then. I imagine that may make a difference, but what effect will it have on your tire wear?
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Indeed.... some folks like a tight feel whereas others a lose feel in the same way some like a bit over steer or under steer.

Now as for tire wear; different tire tread patterns. width, and compound can affect the overall feel and tweaking the toe can make a significant difference without adversely affecting tire wear.

Takes care

Shadowman
 
I am confused!

Doesn't the FGT use hub centric wheels? If so, then the wheels are located and centered by the hub flange, NOT the wheel studs. If you are running aftermarket wheels that are not hub centric, having a wheel center that is too big (not a good idea) then a lug-centric adadter makes sense. That said, other cars may have lug centric wheels, then the adapters should be used.
Click to expand...

Indeed, the GT wheels like virtually EVERY oem wheel on virtually every car for the last decade or so, are hub-centric. IMO, hub centricity is something that you MUST insist on whenever you are looking at an aftermarket wheel. The conical lugs nuts on the GT (the same for both the std and optional BBS wheels) do a fine job of centering the wheel, but the hub centricity is there to absorb sheer forces that the wheel is constantly absorbing. So, Clinton, I think we are in absolute agreement on the importance of hub-centricity.

The issue is that on a typical balancing machine, the OEM wheel is mounted to the balancer and it sits against a steel cone with the idea being that the cone will fit into the hub of the wheel , "just right". It doesn't often happen that way and the main result is improperly balanced tires. At play here are the surfaces of the wheel's hub edge and how/where it contacts the cone, as well as the taper of the cone itself. In some cases, this contact patch within the wheel hub is not even a machined surface. Keep in mind that the objective is to get the wheel mounted onto the balancer in as perfect a way as possible. Using cones and occasionally non-machined surfaces is a terribly imprecise way of accomplishing this. 90%+ of tire shops use the cone method. Avoid them if you want a really good balance.

Lug-centric adapter plates are THE answer - as they use the OEM conical lug taper on 5 fingers (or 4 or 6 deopending on the car) and they orient the wheel onto the machine in a very precise manner. You can mount and un-mount a tire/rim onto the balancer using lug-plates and the read-out and results will always be the same. Try that with the less expensive and infinitely more common cone method and you will get results that are not repeatable. This is why the high-end car makers (lexus led the way) forced their dealers to use ONLY lug adapter plates. As I mentioned previously - this is what we use as well and I haven't met a wheel balance problem that I couldn't absolutely solve.

One more tidbit on balancers. Have you ever watched someone balance your tires? Ever see them spin the tire, add the weights at the locations shown, and then re-spin the tire. What usually happens with the second spin? Tyically the machine shows "00" indicating that the tire is balanced perfect. Is it? Probably not. The issue is that the major brand-name tire machines are default programmed to display "00" on a second spin if they're within a tolerance of ~10 grams..... because; 1) you don't want your worker-bees chasing balancing down to the nth degree and; 2) the customer is occasionally watching the spin... and you want him/her to be happy. I kid you not. This is how the majority of balancing machines work. There is typically a button you can press following the second spin to tell you the TRUE imbalance numbers. Like anything else, balancing tires is something that must be learned. We're gonna have 2 TT's at the Mojave Mile this weekend.... and I have no doubt that neither of them will experience tire balance issues.
 
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