Do you really need an alignment...my thoughts

Hello folks.

I dropped into a highly rated auto service center today to get an alignment on my Prius - this is 3 months after having it lowered about 1 inch with Tanabe coilovers.





I didn't suspect anything wrong with the suspension specs on the car after the lowering since the tires showed no irregular wear, road noise was normal (excess toe in or toe out would most likely have louder sounding tires). Also, mechanics don't really touch your tie rods and other stuff when they install new springs/shocks/coilovers.

However since I have expensive sets of all season AND winter tires in the 17 inch versions, I figure I bite the bullet, pay the $100 to see how lowering has affected my car; just for the peace of mind. The results are above. Looks like I didn't have to worry about anything because everything is within spec. The shop told me the rear left toe is almost to the point of being out of spec (circled above) but there was either no adjustment for that, or they adjusted it to the max already.

For all you guys that do conservative lowering such as with Eibach pro-kit / Tanabe NF210 etc, I don't think you'll need an alignment as I've already proved...unless in the history of ownership, you hit a super huge bump on the road...or..you've bought a used prius and you've dropped a few hundred dollars on new tires and want to make sure they last. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, the only thing adjustable on our Priuses are the front toe. Caster and camber cannot be changed. The only reason I suspect that my printout above shows changes are because of variances in the position of the alignment equipment attached to the wheel of the car.

 

Agreed Xterra72. I just remember a few members here stating that an alignment should be done and would improve handling even more. I think it's overrated. One shop told me that if I change the height of the car again with my adjustable coilovers, I'll need to come in for a 2nd alignment. Totally BS IMO.