SAKU SAKU SAKU

Hey guys. What a great place.

Anyways... My friend made a quick turn and bumped my BRAND NEW RX8's rear wheel. There is a big gash on the rim and I'm wondering if I should get an alignment.

I went to my local tire shop and they told me that the specs are not in for 2004 Rx8.

I am wondering if someone can give me the alignment specs so I can give it to him to have it done.

Also. Does anybody know of any performance orientated alignments that have worked out well for them?

Thanks. any help will be appreciated.

Gyro

Welcom to the forum

The search feature is on the top of the page.

I typed "Alignment specs" and was given pages of information.





https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...lignment+specs

SAKU SAKU SAKU

thanks a lot GYRO!

sorry! I 'm new here. Next time I will do a search.

SAKU SAKU SAKU

also...

I've noticed that my car drifts slightly to the right on the freeway

Does anybody know if this is caused by the wheel getting bumped or that it is simply the incline of the freeway.

mpt_yellowRX8

I've always heard that this is a safety precaution of the manufacturer so that you do not swerve into oncoming traffic if you were to fall asleep or pass out at the wheel. This way you only go into the ditch or hit the rumble strips on the shoulder and wake up. All of the vehicles I have ever owned or have driven slowly make their way to the right side of the road, it is usual in my opinion.

Rupes

I think the car pulls to the right because the streets are slightly angled as to channel the water off the road during wet conditions. Could be wrong though.

-Rupes

SAKU SAKU SAKU

THANKS A LOT! If that is true... maybe I dont' need an alignment then!

I was wondering why everytime my Rx8 would drift to the right!

But I should still get it checked IMO.

SAKU SAKU SAKU

recently noticed my 2001 9-3 drifts to the right a little bit
>> when I let go of the wheel, and the steering wheel looks off
>> center to the right -just slightly when driving straight.
>> [...] I wen't to B&B Saab in Santa Clara to get the alignment
>> checked, and guess what? [...] He also said it was normal for
>> the car to drift to the right! I asked why and he said it's
>> because Saab doesn't want you to hit on-comming traffic if you
>> fall asleep at the wheel. Is all this true? It sounds like
>> hogwash to me. All comments are welcome. Thanks
>
> AFAIK, this is completely true (although, of course, you may also
> have a fault in your alignment). On and off for the past 40-odd
> years in different countries, I have been told and had confirmed
> that cars' steering should be set up so the car will tend to move
> towards the near verge -- the left in drive-on-left countries or
> right in drive-on-right. This is a safety feature to catch the
> case where the driver releases the wheel (or possibly where the
> wheel becomes disconnected from the steering mechanism)..
>
> Think about it. If the driver releases the wheel, without this
> feature the car might wander anywhere. With this feature, the
> car is soon removed from the road and out of the way of traffic.
> If it harms the driver, well yes, that's sad; but at least other
> road users have not also been harmed. In any case, the sideways
> drift should be gentle, not a sharp swerve.

So, you're saying that to mow down a group of children, an elderly couple
and a pregnant mother pushing her disabled child in a wheel-chair when you
ride up onto the kerb is what the manufacturer intended? ... So long as the
oncoming traffic is okay, well, collatoral damage Hmmmm. Cars do drive in
city centres ... well, they do in my country, anyway

If I feel asleep at the wheel, I would not like to end up in the
verge/pavement, or the central reservation/oncoming traffic. I would like to
go in a straight line.

If my car drove towards the kerb as standard, and I had the tracking and
alignment adjusted to ensure that it drove in a straight line, should I be
telling my insurance company that I have purposefully *removed* a factory
standard safety feature?

SAKU SAKU SAKU

I was looking around the net trying to find someting that confirms what you said. Maybe it is true. I find that strange. Can i tell the alignment guy to tune it so that it goes straight?

EatMyBanana

IMO-Since your car is new, i would take it to the dealer and let thm drive it and see. At this time i would NOT take my 8 to a any alignment guy!! I would only let the dealer touch it, until these alignment Guy's get used to the 8. I believe the sensers on the tires and such , makes it risky for just anyone to do it. I mean , our 8 services guys are still not trained that while yet, much less someone thats never touched one.

SAKU SAKU SAKU

Thanks for the advice. I should just take it to the dealer then.

futureownr4sure

I don't know, but I'm pretty sure that we both have the same favorite hockey player....

beachdog

Search for a thread that Gord started on alignment. Lots of good info including specs.

SAKU SAKU SAKU

THANKS FOR ALL THE REPLIES!

btw... I found out that my problem was not due to alignment.... but rather different tire pressure! the passenger side had 29 psi and the drivers side 31

i set them all to 32 and now it does not pull anymore..

ahhh... we all overlook the simple things!

SAKU SAKU SAKU

ha. I was puzzled by that. I did a search and did indeed find a finnish player by the name of saku.

The saku that I like is SAKURABA KAZUSHI, the greatest fighter of all time. He defeated 4 members of the legendary Brazilian Gracie family.

TheDosDog

I just had my 8 aligned because it was pulling a llitle to the right after I switched the springs. When I test drove it the car still pulled slightly. Looking at the readout the caster differed .5 degrees, but was within spec. As it has been said in other threads on alignment, the tolerance in the Mazda alignment spec is too large. They put it on the rack again and carefully matched every spec L/R (camber,caster,toe etc). On flat road the car now goes perfectly straight but with any crown it follows slightly to the right. To verify I drove on the other side of the road and the car follows the road left. I had it aligned at Les Schwab tire. They had the specs in their system and had no problem working on the 8. I have not had good luck with dealers on alignment issues. In my experience alignment is rarely a warranty issue and dealership usually lacks the more sophisitcated equipment.

PUR NRG

I have a contrary opinion. I believe specialized alignment shops have better equipment and experience than general purpose dealer mechanics. Do a search for one of my alignment posts and you'll find the car as it came from the factory wasn't even aligned to their recommended specs.
________
HAND BLOWN GLASS

futureownr4sure

ok lol! Saku Koivu is the capitain of the montreal canadiens. He's an amazing player but he's much more than that. When he made his first steps in the NHL, he shown that he could become one of the best hockey player in his era. In his second season, he took the lead of the league in points and in the same game he got a career destroying knee injury. He came back and he got 3 knees injuries, and one shoulder surgery with many others injuries. He's a relatively small player by the way. Then one week before the training camp 3 years ago, he was diagnosticed with a very agressive cancer in a advanced stage. The doctors said that his chances to survive were less than 50%. He battled it successfully and in the same year he came back to help the team in the playoffs, and he was our best player (he's our best player when he's on the ice anyways). He also made a foundation to raise the funds to buy a sophisticated cancer detection machine for the city. He's a very great guy. This year in the playoffs, he was once again the heart and the soul of our team, he had cracked ribs, torn cartilage in the chest area and a bruised lung and he was hitting every on the ice and he also worked harder than anyone else. Well, Saku Koivu is the perfect exemple of what courage is.

shelleys_man_06

Aren't the alignment specs also in the FSM?

SAKU SAKU SAKU

what an inspirational player. I will look into the other SAKU. lol...