Alignment after shocks

Post by **SuperHerman** » 14 Apr 2018, 10:33

Possibly. I say this for two reasons. 1) If the spring seats were well worn when the last alignment was performed and are being changed or the new ones are of a beefier size the alignment may be slightly changed (camber). 2) The two bolts that attach the strut to the knuckle allow for a very small amount of camber adjustment. This will affect alignment. On other Volvos (not sure on your car as I have never read them but the set up is the same) the instructions say to measure the distance and replicate on install. I think I have read one get get camber to move 1-2 degrees here, with special camber bolts more.

You can confirm this by loosening the two bolts, leaving them installed and push and pull the strut assembly in and out.

Post by **June** » 14 Apr 2018, 11:45

Yes, to protect your tires. Check Sunday paper for a coupon for a 4 wheel alignment. June

Post by **Rattnalle** » 14 Apr 2018, 12:01

On the P2s the bolts at the bottom allow enough camber adjustment to be clearly visible. I haven't had a P80 in a while but thought they were quite similar.

Post by **FlyingVolvo** » 14 Apr 2018, 13:31

misha wrote: ↑14 Apr 2018, 10:32 Yes really...change the allignment shop.
I wouldn't go back to them again.

So, question... because every time I've done an axle swap on my car, I take out the top bolt of the hub assembly and rotate the top towards me (leaving the bottom bolt in but loosened) to slide the axle out. When I put the top bolt back, there seems to be a small but noticeable amount of camber that I can change in the hub based on if I push the top of the assembly towards the car or not while I'm tighten the bolts. Is this bit of slop negligible then?

Post by **Rattnalle** » 14 Apr 2018, 13:39

ecbsykes wrote: ↑14 Apr 2018, 13:31
misha wrote: ↑14 Apr 2018, 10:32 Yes really...change the allignment shop.
I wouldn't go back to them again.
So, question... because every time I've done an axle swap on my car, I take out the top bolt of the hub assembly and rotate the top towards me (leaving the bottom bolt in but loosened) to slide the axle out. When I put the top bolt back, there seems to be a small but noticeable amount of camber that I can change in the hub based on if I push the top of the assembly towards the car or not while I'm tighten the bolts. Is this bit of slop negligible then?

If it's enough to make a visible difference it probably isn't negligible.

Post by **FlyingVolvo** » 14 Apr 2018, 14:09

Rattnalle wrote: ↑14 Apr 2018, 13:39
ecbsykes wrote: ↑14 Apr 2018, 13:31
misha wrote: ↑14 Apr 2018, 10:32 Yes really...change the allignment shop.
I wouldn't go back to them again.
So, question... because every time I've done an axle swap on my car, I take out the top bolt of the hub assembly and rotate the top towards me (leaving the bottom bolt in but loosened) to slide the axle out. When I put the top bolt back, there seems to be a small but noticeable amount of camber that I can change in the hub based on if I push the top of the assembly towards the car or not while I'm tighten the bolts. Is this bit of slop negligible then?
If it's enough to make a visible difference it probably isn't negligible.

Agreed, that's kinda what I'm getting at.

Post by **erikv11** » 14 Apr 2018, 15:59

WhatAmIDoing wrote: ↑14 Apr 2018, 10:22
misha wrote: ↑14 Apr 2018, 05:01 These cars have fixed camber and it's not adjustable.
On some cars it's adjustable,but on these cars it's not.
Really? Because every alignment shop I've been to says they adjusted the camber. They also say the rear-end alignment is non-adjustable.

Since the second statement we absolutely know is false and just plain wrong, why would you trust a shop that also said the first one?

Fine a shop that knows how to adjust the rear on a P80, how to do a proper 4 wheel alignment (and there are fewer than you may realize), then ask them what they think about the camber adjustment.

Post by **wizechatmgr** » 14 Apr 2018, 20:40

Just because a place owns an alignment rack doesn't mean they necessarily know how to utilize it properly.

Alldata only shows a 0 +-1 degree side to side front end camber "adjustment" on my vehicle. My guess is if you're further out of spec than that you have components that need to be replaced.

Post by **erikv11** » 15 Apr 2018, 09:42

I agree with him ^^

In all my years with P80 cars I've never once had anything but toe adjusted when getting an alignment. Just saying. When I install struts I pull the top of the wheel out, so that whatever camber there may be to adjust is maximally positive.

Post by **theWIFES_S70** » 15 Apr 2018, 10:07

Just want to throw in my two cents here. If you install struts and YOU DON'T push in and hold the rotor in as you're tightening the top strut-to-knuckle bolt, you'll throw off your alignment. There's almost a cm of play there that you have to pay attention to. Which makes me wonder if all shops pay careful attention to that...

Alignment after shocks

Re: Alignment after shocks