Alignment Specs for 96 Coupe

[Magster]

Can anyone lead me to a spot for the alignment specs for a 96 Coupe. It has 30,000 miles and the Goodyear EMTs are getting a little thin. I just want to make sure that what "they" say the specs are for a 4 wheel alignment is what I have heard here. The fronts wore pretty badly on the outside edges and I want to be sure this does not happen again. They have a great guy for the install, but I have no experience with them on alignment.
Thanks for all your help and knowledge.

 

[Ken]

To the top. Waitin' for an answer.

 

[Itshakes]

Marty-
Cor-Vette specs book page 242-Wheel Alignment 96 Corvette
Front wheel caster-6.0 Degrees, +/- 0.5 Degrees
Front wheel camber-0.8 Degrees, +/- 0.5 Degrees
Front wheel toe-in 0.0 Degrees, +/- 0.1 Degrees
Rear wheel camber-0.0 Degrees, +/- 0.5 Degrees
Rear wheel toe-in-0.0 Degrees, +/- 0.1 Degrees

I hope you find this information useful.--Jake

 

[c4cruiser]

A reputable shop with a computer-controlled alignment rack will have a large database of alignment specs for just about any car. These specs are typically the manufacturer's recommendations or data taken directly from the service manuals. The operator simply uses a menu-driven process to select the car being aligned and the correct specs will show up on a screen.

Most shops will align a car to a customer's specifications if you want a specific alignment setup that you would use for something like autocross or track use. A computer screen displays the alignment values that the car has and a tech makes any necessary adjustments to bring those values to the correct (or custom values) numbers.

This page: http://www.vbandp.com/instructions/htmlinstruct/align.htm has some good specs for street use (Daily Driver).

I have to disagree with the specs shown in the above post. Zero toe at both the front and rear will make the car vary "darty" on roads with ruts from heavy traffic. A slight toe-in will help with controlling the car and keep it from wandering. Front camber should be somewhere around -.5 degrees for better tire wear.

Be sure that the shop will do a 4-wheel alignment and not just a simple toe adjustment. Expect to pay somewhere around $75 for this work. Some shops will charge as much as a couple hundred simply because "it's a Corvette". That's total BS as most of the cars on the road have some sort of adjustment at all 4 corners and get a 4-wheel alignment when required.

Also get a printout of the before and after settings and keep with your service receipts. Most new alignment machines have a printer as part of the system to provide you with the specs.

 

[br96vette]

I ALSO DISAGREE WITH HIS SPECS. OUR COUNTRY HAS LOT OF TRUCK TRAFFIC AND LONG STUDDED TIRE USE RESULTING IN GROOVED ROADWWAYS
I SUGGEST A COUPLE DEGREES MORE POSITIVE CASTER THAN STOCK AND A COUPLE LESS CAMBER FOR THE WEAR ISSUE

 

[Hib Halverson]

Stock C4s with wear on the outside edge of the tire is fairly normal.

The next time you go for ft. end alignment, I'd have the tech. take the front camber 1/4 deg more negative when he/she does the work. That will help limit the uneven wear but shouldn't cause too much of an increase in trough wander.

If you're not an aggressive driver, I'd use the stock alignment specs but with 1/4 deg. more neg. camber in the front.

If you are a sporting driver, here's the specs I use on "agressive street" driven cars:

Ft camber: -1/2 deg.
Ft caster: the maximum caster available with the above camber. Typically this is 5.5-6.5 deg.
Ft tow: zero..
Rr camber: -1/2 deg. for base and -1/4 deg for ZR-1
Rr toe: 1/32-1/16" per side.

Note that you can only use these specs if all suspension and steering parts are at the minimum in "good" condition.