Alignment Questions

[koebbe14]

Im getting ready to drop my girlfriends 06 cobalt LS. I'm going to use eibach sportlines. Do i need the alignment kit, or is it possible to get it back to oem specs without it? The kit is fairly cheap, so if there are any benefits to it, i'll probably buy it. I seem on some other forums that people are having problems with the camber bolt not fitting. Has anyone else experienced this? I plan on having it professionally aligned with or without the kit. Please give me your thoughts/opinions.

[Montecarloman]

It really depends on what your alignment looks like already. Dropping the car affects toe the most but also has some effect on the camber. My alignment was all screwed up from the factory so after my first set of tires at 12,000 miles I did the alignment myself. The rear of a cobalt is "not adjustable" according to GM however the rear trailing arm is the same design as the cavalier. If you really want you can have your car set up as a cavalier on the alignment machine and have them install full contact rear shims. One note however the studs that hold the hub to the trailing arm are a little closer together than the cavaliers. All thats needed is to grind the shim a little to make room for the studs. You can change the camber without a kit, you just have to slot the hole in the strut. Its kind of a guessing game as where to lock the strut down but it works. The camber kit offers precise control over the camber because its an eccentric bolt with a bolt head so you can have the strut loose and twist the bolt one way or the other to get your numbers. If your going to get the alignment professionally done let them worry about parts. Also the GM alignment specs are very broad in terms of whats acceptable. If your looking for a specific set of numbers tell them before they start so they have something to shoot for.

[koebbe14]

Originally Posted by Montecarloman

If your going to get the alignment professionally done let them worry about parts. Also the GM alignment specs are very broad in terms of whats acceptable. If your looking for a specific set of numbers tell them before they start so they have something to shoot for.

Unless the alignment is way out of whack, would any parts even be necessary or could you get it back to GM specs without them? It's my girls car, so it's not going to used for anything but normal driving. I just want it to drive straight, and the tires to wear even.

[Montecarloman]

Chances are no, no parts will be required. The toe suffers the most from lowering but the tie rods are designed to be adjustable so it stands a good chance of being a toe-n-go alignment.