All of the methods for measuring alignment we just looked at have interesting advantages and disadvantages. It is clear that while some of the methods work well to check an alignment they are deficient while performing one. It is also true that there are different sorts of alignments to be had. The alignment I hope to perform on my Lotus Exige requires setting… ride height, corner balance, camber, toe, thrust angle, and steering center. For many other vehicles ride height and corner balance are not adjustable and therefore not a part of an alignment. The Lotus also has a four wheel independent suspension that provides opportunities to adjust the rear wheel, camber, toe, and thrust angle.
Adjustments to ride height and corner balance require clear access to the spring dampers (shock absorbers). The lotus in particular provides very little room to work on the suspension with the wheels in place on the car. The image below shows the rear suspension of the Lotus. With the wheel removed the adjustable spring perch is easily accessed.
Because of this many folks are drawn toward using Hub Stands when performing alignments. Usually a set of four stands are bolted to the hubs in place of the wheels. The stands usually include some sort of bearing surface for the vehicle to rest upon. Hub stands provide clear access to the suspension components in the wheel wells. The image below shows a set of stands from BBX Racing attached to a Porsche.
BBX Racing advertises their stands with the following statements…
On HUBStands, you only need to take the wheels off once to Corner Balance, Align and completely Set Up your car. With the wheels out of your way, you measue and precisely set everything directly at each hub. On a set of HUBStands, you eliminate all of the endless jacking, car rolling, wheel wrestling; and all of the tire variances. Everything is done far faster and set to far tighter, repeatable tolerances than can ever be done at the wheels and tires or on cheap, stamped steel stands.
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