Get your alignment and balancing done

[kbk_75]

I just felt I should make a thread for the benefit of all the E92 M3 owners out there. I recently had my car's wheel alignment and balancing done and it has made a HUGE improvement to the on-road feel of the car. Before the alignment there were times when my car felt skittish and nervous when I would give it stick or brake fairly hard. After the alignment the car feels very much more planted and stable both under hard acceleration and braking. The one scenario where the car still loses its composure is when you go over a crest hard on the power.

I just assumed that the car would come from the factory with the alignment and balancing perfect. Guess I was wrong.

[consolidated]

Originally Posted by kbk_75

I just felt I should make a thread for the benefit of all the E92 M3 owners out there. I recently had my car's wheel alignment and balancing done and it has made a HUGE improvement to the on-road feel of the car. Before the alignment there were times when my car felt skittish and nervous when I would give it stick or brake fairly hard. After the alignment the car feels very much more planted and stable both under hard acceleration and braking. The one scenario where the car still loses its composure is when you go over a crest hard on the power.

I just assumed that the car would come from the factory with the alignment and balancing perfect. Guess I was wrong.

curious, do you have your before and after alignment numbers, toe, camber, caster...wondering how much negative camber is available.

[AwesomeM3]

How many miles on your M3?

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by AwesomeM3

How many miles on your M3?

Sorry for the OT post - but man your car (in sig) is just sick.

[kbk_75]

Originally Posted by consolidated

curious, do you have your before and after alignment numbers, toe, camber, caster...wondering how much negative camber is available.

I do have the print-out from the alignment job, but it's at home and I'm travelling until next Thursday. I'll put the info up when I'm home. One thing I was a bit concerned about when I looked at the alignment print-out is that it listed my car as E92 Coupe and year of manufacture as 2006. This made me feel that the parameters listed were for a non-M3 E92. Surely it should say M3 and not E92 Coupe? Also there were no E92 M3s in 2006, so something's amiss. I asked the dealer and they said that the system automatically brings-up all the info, they just enter the VIN into the system.

I know that the M3 and non-M3 E92 suspension settings, wheel widths, etc are all different, so this is bound to make the alignment tolerance limits different, but what I can say without a doubt is that the car FEELS very much better on the road, irrespective of what settings they have aligned the car to.

[kbk_75]

Originally Posted by AwesomeM3

How many miles on your M3?

Approx. 2400 miles

[AwesomeM3]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

Sorry for the OT post - but man your car (in sig) is just sick.

Thanks mkoesel!

[GT3 Tim]

Porsche is also notorious for having very poor alignment from the factory. I wonder if its a German thing? lol.

Thanks for the info...good to know.

[DJ9]

Bc of this thread, I'm going to ask the tech who performs my QC inspection (buddy i grew up with actually) to check my alignment upon delivery of that biatch.

Thanks!

[argonboy]

Well maybe they just gave you a less aggressive alignment, so that's why it feels better for you. I'll trust factory over my dealership for now, at 4100km.

Regarding the balancing, it good to get it done once in a while as removes some vibration, etc.

[DJ9]

Originally Posted by argonboy

Well maybe they just gave you a less aggressive alignment, so that's why it feels better for you. I'll trust factory over my dealership for now, at 4100km.

Regarding the balancing, it good to get it done once in a while as removes some vibration, etc.

By "less aggressive" do you mean less negative camber? If, so that would make handling worse off, not better.

[MVEED3]

Was this done at the dealer or an alignment shop?


Allen

[kbk_75]

At the dealership I bought the car from. I've had to redo my alignment multiple times since then. Price you pay for owning a nice car and then having to drive it on the world's shittiest roads!

[e46e92love]

Originally Posted by kbk_75

At the dealership I bought the car from. I've had to redo my alignment multiple times since then. Price you pay for owning a nice car and then having to drive it on the world's shittiest roads!

Yeah roads do suck all over India, but everything else about India I like.......going to be spending a lot of time over there over the next 5 years or so.

Your from Mumbai or just there for work?

[kbk_75]

From Bombay

[EvilTuna7]

Originally Posted by kbk_75

The one scenario where the car still loses its composure is when you go over a crest hard on the power.

I just assumed that the car would come from the factory with the alignment and balancing perfect. Guess I was wrong.

Alignment can't fix that, less grip + full power = twitchy. Just make sure your steering wheel and car are always completely straight when the car comes back down.

Slightly off topic, but subaru's are also notorious for having crap alignments from the factory.

[M3101]

Bombay was officially changed to Mumbai in 1995...

[NewM3driver]

OK guys, different car, BUT...

I Literally cut BOTH the rear tires off my '07 550 sport last month. Was driving home and got a flat... a FLAT with "run flats"... had to get the thing towed to my dealer. The left rear was flat, and when the car went up on the lift BOTH rear tires were completely cut off the car on the inside edge where the inside sidewall meets the tread, ripped cord showing all the way around both tires. The left tire sidewall had separated from the tread about 3/4 of the way around the tire!

The car had just 12,000 miles, and had been in for service just 1 month before. The techs were looking at one another, and there was a lot of talking going on. I do NOT beat on my cars.

Not going to say it was the cause, but it started me thinking... and now I have a new M in the garage.

The 550 was a great car. The M is in a different league. I'm getting my alignment checked at 1200.

[b16r1ch]

How do you 'balance' the car? The coilovers in front, and the springs in rear are not pre-load adjustable are they?

-Rich

[kbk_75]

Originally Posted by M3101

Bombay was officially changed to Mumbai in 1995...

Who gives a shit, it was Bombay when I was born!