4 Wheel Laser Alignment and Corner Weight Setup

Here at Horsham Developments, we are committed to the core areas that make a performance car do what it is exactly what it is supposed to, perform. This can be broken down to three key areas, Power, Braking and what we are going to look at here, Handling.  Each of these are as important as each other, and if any are not set correctly on even a standard car, this will at best be unsatisfactory, at worst be outright dangerous.

This is why at H-Dev we are very pleased to announce our new Pro-Align 4-Wheel laser alignment system. This system has now been installed and already proving invaluable to help our customers gain the best from their cars suspension.

Alignment can be seen as a bit of a “black art” and you won’t have to look too far before you can find people entering into very heated debates, so for the purpose of this page, we are keen to keep things simple and cover the most common needs and explain why we think a “proper 4 wheel alignment setup” is important and why it is something you should consider.

• All cars, new or old can go out of alignment or not be correctly aligned from the factory.  Symptoms can include uneven or excessive tyre wear, pulling to one side of the road and the steering wheel not being centred when driving in a straight line.

• Factory alignment settings are not always ideal for the intended use, changing the alignment can optimise for drag, track, race or drift.

• The only points of contact between your car and the road are the tyres. Allowing the tyres to work as effectively as possible is absolutely critical to any performance car. An optimised suspension system and a 4 wheel alignment can help get the most from the tyres on your car.

• Whenever you fit or alter any components to the suspension of a car, the alignment should be checked afterwards, especially if the ride height was adjusted at all.

• A car that drives in a straight line, with the steering wheel straight, is a much more pleasant and confidence inspiring car to drive, especially at high speed or on/past grip limit.

• We would recommend that, if no suspension changes are made, a road car has its Alignment checked at least once a year, a track day car has its alignment checked at least every 3-4 track days and a competition car is checked after each competition.  We would also recommend that if any suspension component is disassembled, replaced or updated, that the alignment is checked.

Here is a very basic outline of what is done, taken from Pro-Align’s website:

Why Four wheel Alignment ?
Reduced tyre Wear Improper alignment is a major cause of premature tyre wear. Over the years, a properly aligned vehicle can add thousands of miles to tyre life. Better Fuel Mileage Fuel mileage increases as rolling resistance decreases. Total alignment sets all four wheel parallel which, along with proper inflation, minimizes rolling resistance. Improved Handling Does your car pull to one side? Does the steering wheel vibrate? Do you constantly have to move the steering wheel to keep your car travelling straight ahead? Many handling problems can be corrected by total alignment. With all the system components aligned properly, road shock is more efficiently absorbed for a smoother ride. Safer Driving A suspension system inspection is part of our alignment procedure. This allows us to spot worn parts before they cause costly problems.
Here's what we do: For vehicles with non-adjustable rear suspensions
1. Angle readings are measured at all four wheels. 2. The steering is centred. 3. Front wheels are referenced to rear thrust line and set to specifications. Result - All four wheels are parallel and the steering wheel is centred.
For vehicles with adjustable rear suspensions
1. Angle readings are measured at all four wheels. 2. Rear wheels are set to specification. (Rear thrust line corresponds to vehicle centreline.) 3. Steering wheel is centred. 4. Front wheels are referenced to the rear thrust line and set to specification. Result: all four wheels are positioned straight ahead and parallel, and the steering wheel is centred.

Corner Weighting

Corner weighting is the next step in suspension setup. You may have heard people talking about “centre of gravity”, “weight distribution” or “weight transfer”. Corner weighting is exactly as it sounds, a way of very accurately weighing a car but its 4 points of contact with the ground, e.g. its tyres. When this has been optimised, all of the previously mentioned areas, will have been helped to be at their best for any given situation or car setup.

Once a reading has been taken on our Intercomp 4-corner scales, we will accurately know the overall weight of your car as well as the weight on each tyre. This will then enable us to recommend various ways we can to improve this. On a car that has suspension with adjustable spring seats we can overcome small weight differences by adjusting the ride height on each corner.  If larger changes are required, we can recommend and/or carry out more involved work, including panel lightening and relocating heavy items like batteries or fuel tanks.

Pricing

4 Wheel laser alignments usually costs just £99* and includes a free 3 month check. This check means that after you have had your car set, you can use it for up to 3 months to see how it performs. Then, you can re-book your car in, where we can discuss with you your findings, anything that you might like changing, and work with you to make sure your getting the best from your car, suspension and tyres.

Feel free to contact us if you would like us to work with you and your competition car throughout a season. This might include multiple changes / checks / setups.

A corner weighting analysis costs just £29.99!** So there really is no excuse not to take advantage of one or both of these worthwhile services.

Please remember that we can supply and fit suspension components from a number of leading manufacturers if required.

*A 4 wheel laser alignment is £99. This price may be increased on a per car basis if we come across excessive rust in adjusting bolts that require extended work or replacement in order to free them so that they can be adjusted correctly. We will of course discuss this with the owner of any car in question, and we are in the best possible position to resolve any matters like this quickly and effectively with specialist tools and knowledge.

**Changes to suspension height and other work related to corner weight adjustment is done on an hourly basis – please contact us for details