Drift Tengoku — September 2004 · Page 72
Page 72 — English translation
Shop adverts often mention tuning with the latest four wheel alignment tester. If you can measure toe and camber yourself, why pay? A ¥20,000 measurement charge and ¥2,000 per adjustment may seem better spent on tires.
Professional alignment feels expensive because nothing visibly changes. Yet more competitors now have it done monthly. Suzuki at YMS says a change of just a few millimeters can transform the car.
After spending on suspension and track entry fees...
Most drift cars have coilovers or aftermarket arms, but how many have had accurate alignment? We have often encouraged DIY, yet a shop's four wheel tester and professional experience deserve respect. Having it done once and learning the methods is worthwhile. At roughly ¥20,000, though, make sure you get value. We asked alignment professionals how to prepare and what to request.
...the car should be in its best condition to enjoy the event fully. First timers may doubt the value when DIY is free and simple gauges are available. We watched the entire professional process and concluded the price was justified: 1.
Professionals pursue fractions of a millimeter without compromising. 2. Modern testers are accurate. 3. Experienced adjustment accounts for things numbers alone cannot describe.
DIY often includes compromises that paid work cannot. Good equipment and conditions support precision. Suzuki notes that tape measures marked only in millimeters are limited and viewing angle adds error.
But can such tiny changes really be felt? The shop repeatedly measures, adjusts and road tests...
When should you get a first professional alignment? Obvious changes are a reason, but many drivers miss the symptoms. Suzuki names three triggers: a major ride height change, fitting aftermarket arms, and an impact or hard curb strike.
DIY owners often assume matching arm lengths keeps alignment close enough, but professionals say it is not that simple. Curb impacts cause more misalignment than expected. A car can drive straight despite incorrect alignment; even new cars can be slightly off.
On a drift car this directly affects handling and can hinder improvement. Suzuki drifts himself, so he often adapts alignment to a driver's level instead of merely matching factory numbers.
Captions and page details
To avoid wasting your money
Getting the most from a four wheel alignment tester
Advice from professional shops
Photography: Hiroki Iwashima
Why pay for alignment?
1. For your first alignment, choose a shop with a drifting specialist. 2. Be honest about what you don't understand when requesting the work.
Rule 1
For alignment beginners: advice from the professionals
Rule 2
3. Bring the car in the same condition in which you drive it.
Four rules
To avoid...
4. Pillow ball tension rods and aftermarket upper arms are essential.
...Suzuki says the goal goes beyond driving straight: they accommodate requests and adapt settings to the customer's driving. Simply putting it on the tester and matching reference figures is not the end.
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...and
About this issue
ドリフト天国 (Drift Tengoku), September 2004, is a Japanese drifting magazine. This archive preserves 316 scanned pages in their original right-to-left reading order, including the covers.
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