Installing aftermarket springs.

[gavs]

Installing aftermarket springs.

Guy I disagree because I have put my mk4 golf on our laser aligned at work and yes, there was a change in camber caster and toe, but until vw start building in the proper adjustments then there is no way whatsoever to change the camber and caster.

Jake, it's not going to change enough for you to worry about adjusting. If you're worries about the change in toe, then mark 2 lines on your driveway, jack the car up, do the springs and then check it again after dropping it back on its wheels.

[bradsm87]

I'd get an alignment if it was me (yes, I only mean front toe). I'm yet to see a car that has zero dynamic toe (toe change when wheel goes up and down) so lowering the car is likely to change toe enough to want to check it if it was me.

[brad]

If you people think that raising or lowering a vehicle doesn't affect the toe then you are very much mistaken. Generally, lowering the front end will cause toe-in if the rack is behind the axle line because you are bringing the steering arms closer to horizontal.

Just replacing dampers (no change in ride height) in my Octavia changed the alignment settings & put the steering wheel about 2 degrees off horizontal.

A good (smart) workshop will include a toe check in their price because (a) it takes about 10 minutes to check & (b) there's nothing worse than a customer coming back after a few months bleating about how there expensive tyres are all chopped out.

A good wheel alignment is about more than fiddling with the available adjustments.

[Guy_H]

It's up to the OP if he does it or not, but from my experience, its money well spent. We see cars that are even delivered from the factory (VW) that are out of specification.

Spending money on suspension is always something I hate to see when the wheel alignment itself is probably the most crucial thing to have a car handle "well" - regardless of how many & how much adjustment is available - that's the first place to spend your cash.

There are adjustments available, the lower ball joint has an adjustment range as does the subframe. Certainly we would never send a car out after springs / suspension install without an alignment - but that's how we work.