If you've ever had the opportunity to visit the pits during preparation for a racing event, you might have observed someone stretching a string around the tires of a racecar. That individual probably had the expertise to use the string, a carpenter's level and a tape measure to evaluate the alignment of the racecar's suspension and steering. In fact, for most of the early years of motoring, those were the only tools available for wheel alignment. The mechanics who wielded such basic tools really had to know their stuff.

The "information age" now applies computer technology to vehicle suspension and steering alignment. In the old days the technician was hard pressed to measure to a tolerance of 1/16". Now, measurement to 1/100" is not only possible, but commonplace. The equipment also has the capability to compare measured values to the factory specifications, right on the computer screen. Unfortunately, factory specifications include a tolerance range for each setting that, in combination on the car, can cause driving problems like pulling, drifting, "dog tracking" and tire wear even though individual settings may be within acceptable limits.

Many of today's vehicles have very limited alignment adjustments, so overcoming some problems requires specialized equipment and expertise. There are also a number of vehicles that must be aligned outside of factory specifications to obtain optimum handling and road performance. Aligning a vehicle on a machine sitting still (static) doesn't always mean it's going to perform properly on the road (dynamic). We know what works with each vehicle design and can use our equipment to set up your car for maximum fuel economy and minimum tire wear. Inexperience can cost you!

Professional Performance.

Performance Alignment performs alignments for many area body shops. After a collision repair, especially one involving structural damage, ensuring that the wheels are back where they belong is critical. In fact an alignment printout is a "final exam" for our body shop customers.

A local dealer had a pulling condition with a brand-new vehicle that, according to even our equipment, was in proper adjustment. Even the factory service representative couldn't figure this one out! Our racing experience led to the solution. Competition road racing cars are set up, with the driver on board, for equal weight on all four corners of the car to assure neutral handling. By "scaling" the problem car (placing an individual electronic scale under each tire) we were able to ascertain that the factory had mixed up the springs and created a "wedge" condition that improperly shifted the weight of the car to one side. Substitution of the proper springs cured the problem.

There's No Substitute for Experience.

We have all the state-of-the-art equipment necessary to do the job right, including our "Hunter Engineering Computer" alignment equipment. But having the proper machines is only part of the equation. Adding proper technical education and years of applied, practical field experience on the highway and the raceway means Performance Alignment has the equipment, the education, the experience and the expertise to do it right.

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