Quote:
Originally Posted by wparsons
BS. I totally agree with suspension changes, even if you just pulled it apart and put the stock parts back in, but to say you need an alignment because you're running wider tires or a different offset is false.
Out of curiosity, what alignment specs would you set my car to running 225/45/17's on 17x8 +45, and why would you deviate from the factory alignment?
I fully realize that the factory alignment specs aren't the fastest specs around a track, but that doesn't mean you need to adjust based on wheel offset. If you're that concerned about on track performance you need to factor in a lot more data than just width and offset, actual logged data like tire temps across the width of the tire, pressure, etc all come into play.
None of that matters for the average street driver though. The only other time I can see this mattering is if you're setting camber for fender clearance, then you would need the final wheels to get the clearance right.
To answer the OP's question, just get the alignment after the suspension install, changing wheels won't change the alignment at all. A good number of alignment racks require removing the wheels anyway.
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If your wheel size and offset and tire size are fairly close to factory, of course then factory alignment settings should be fine.. However, given the variances of widths and tire size deviation from stock, the greater the variance, the greater the need to factor those changes into the alignment process. Especially since you can see on the forum how diverse the sizes go that deviate from factory settings, why would anyone not perform an alignment with wheels and tires to prevent uneven wear?
Its like hub rings, there are people out there who says its not needed... but from a manufacturers side, we recommend them because it is just one less factor to contend with in case there are shaking or vibrations on the car... that being said, as a wheel manufacturer, we always would recommend alignment after wheels and tires are put on to protect the consumer.