Front wheel alignment

[hognut]

Is there a way for me to check the front wheel alignment myself? Will measuring the distance between front tires at front and back of the tires give an idea of alignment? The spyder has a very strong pull to the right when going straight and wanders quite a bit at over 20mph. I have tried different and equal pressure in fronts and can't see much help. I did try 20 in right and 15 in left and it did seem to help the pull a little. Also when I start a turn the first half is fine but in the middle the the spyder seem to tighten up the turn and wobble. The spyder is a 2014 RT-S with 700 miles so the tires are new (so is the rider :sour: - which may be part of the problem). Thanks for any suggestions. - Gary C

 

[jerpinoy]

Take it to your dealer and they should cover that on the warranty.

 

[tip]

alignment

PM sent

 

[granpa in Cincy]

Switch tires right to left and see if steers in opposite direction. Dealer replaced my tires after doing this. The first time they replaced the DPS and that worked for 400 miles before tires took a dump. Bad tires are a known issue.

 

[BajaRon]

The dealer may or may not cover an alignment issue on warranty. The trouble is, if they don't have the laser alignment equipment, it's not going to be done correctly. Typically, dealers make a guesstimate adjustment and send it out the door hoping the customer is happy.

The alignment on a Spyder needs to be VERY PRECISE! Using the rear wheel as reference, not the frame. Virtually impossible to achieve without the laser alignment tool.

Measuring it at home is pretty tough. You need to measure distance at the very front of the tires and at the very back. Hard to do with all that Spyder in the way.

Then, when you're done it is very important to center or 'Zero' the Steering Angle Sensor. If you don't, you could end up in 'Limp Mode'. That requires BUDS.

 

[Gray Ghost]

Currently there are no dealers in Oregon using the ROLO alignment system. Procaliber in Longview WA has it. There is one independent in Montana, and Squared Away out of Las Vegas go to that area fairly regularly. Check www.spydercomfort.com/dealers for further info.

 

[SpyderAnn01]

Currently there are no dealers in Oregon using the ROLO alignment system. Procaliber in Longview WA has it. There is one independent in Montana, and Squared Away out of Las Vegas go to that area fairly regularly. Check www.spydercomfort.com/dealers for further info.

if he is near Portland the dealer in Vancouver does have the system. We were just through OR a few weeks ago. I do agree with Granpa, have your dealer switch wheels to see if that moves the problem to the other side. There have been more than a few bad tires (broken belts). They don't have to remount the tires, just switch wheels from side to side for a test. You don't want to run unequal pressure in your tires though.

If if you ever get to Las Vegas we would be happy to check it for you.

 

[StanProff]

Seems the factory can't get it right.

The alignment should be right when the spyder goes out the door. My new '14 (as in just bought it last week) has a very slight drift to the right when running straight on the highway. The dealer is going to do a laser alignment when I take it back at no charge to me (I have a good dealer).
My point is Why can't the factory get it right!! All the "old timers" on the forum know that the alignment has been an issue from day one. My 2010 rt was out from day one. After the laser alignment it was perfect! It tracks straighter on the road than the New '14 that I traded it for. It is a shame that 4 model years later BRP still can't get it right! To me it is simple, The Laser alignment system works, Period. Lamonster could show BRP in 30 minutes how to insure that every spyder shipped would be right. I would think he already has had discussion with them on this subject and I wonder why they are still shipping units to dealers that require an alignment after purchase to make them right. (many new owners are having to pay for this out of pocket). Really it is not the money that is the issue, 120.00 is nothing compared to a 25 to 30 thousand dollar Spyder. It is the fact that we are still having the same alignment problems that we were having 4 years ago. All realignments should be taken care of under warranty if BRP can't get it right at the factory.

 

[hognut]

Thank you all for the information. I will try swapping the front tires to see if that changes the pull. I guess the answer is to trailer it to WA to have the alignment done. I wont go in to detail but when I took it into the Medford dealer for the 500 mile service they said they were to busy to answer any questions or problems I had on my list.

I was hoping for a "ball park" way to check alignment that I could do here.

I hope you all have a great week.
Ride safe.

 

[BajaRon]

Thank you all for the information. I will try swapping the front tires to see if that changes the pull. I guess the answer is to trailer it to WA to have the alignment done. I wont go in to detail but when I took it into the Medford dealer for the 500 mile service they said they were to busy to answer any questions or problems I had on my list.

I was hoping for a "ball park" way to check alignment that I could do here.

I hope you all have a great week.
Ride safe.

You can't just swap wheels as this will put the tire rotation in the wrong direction (directional tires). You have to dismount the tires and remount them in the correct orientation on the respective wheel. At the very least it's a big pain. But it may help you to isolate the problem.

Sounds like you have dealer issues as well as Spyder issues. Sounds to me like they don't have any answers and they are throwing out the Red Herring of 'Time' constraints. I don't know how dealerships like this stay in business.

 

[BajaRon]

The alignment should be right when the spyder goes out the door.

So Very True! But the incredible fact is that they are not. Maybe 2015 will be the year this gets fixed.

My point is Why can't the factory get it right!!

A very good question for which there seems to be no reasonable answer.

From what I have heard it's not from a lack of effort. BRP has installed very expensive equipment on the assembly line to address this issue. But, as they say, 'The proof is in the pudding'. Unfortunately, we are still getting bad pudding I'm afraid.

 

[hognut]

You can't just swap wheels as this will put the tire rotation in the wrong direction (directional tires). You have to dismount the tires and remount them in the correct orientation on the respective wheel. At the very least it's a big pain. But it may help you to isolate the problem.

Sounds like you have dealer issues as well as Spyder issues. Sounds to me like they don't have any answers and they are throwing out the Red Herring of 'Time' constraints. I don't know how dealerships like this stay in business.

Thank you for the comment. I received your anti-roll bar yesterday and will try to get it installed this week. I hope it will help with the problem, but think alignment is probably the main problem not suspension. I just wish I could get it to handle well enough to ride to WA to get the laser alignment. At least I can sit on it and make Zoom Zoom sounds .

 

[StanProff]

So Very True! But the incredible fact is that they are not. Maybe 2015 will be the year this gets fixed.



A very good question for which there seems to be no reasonable answer.

From what I have heard it's not from a lack of effort. BRP has installed very expensive equipment on the assembly line to address this issue. But, as they say, 'The proof is in the pudding'. Unfortunately, we are still getting bad pudding I'm afraid.

I bet the factory could have bought a whole bunch of Rolo equipment in place of the equipment they have on the assembly line. Regardless, I am a Spyder enthusiast. The '14 has many positive improvements and, if the alignment is the biggest issue that we have, at least we do have an independent solution :2thumbs:

 

[cptjam]

Bring it

If you have to trailer it, bring it to us! We can align it, install your sway bar, and answer any and all questions you have. Sure, we are a few hours farther, but you will have your problems solved. Any excuse to come to Las Vegas! Come on down!

 

[Highwayman2013]

Vegas Baby VEGAS!:yes::yes:

 

[FLAspydergirl]

The trouble is, if they don't have the laser alignment equipment, it's not going to be done correctly. Typically, dealers make a guesstimate adjustment and send it out the door hoping the customer is happy.

The alignment on a Spyder needs to be VERY PRECISE! Using the rear wheel as reference, not the frame. Virtually impossible to achieve without the laser alignment tool.

BajaRon is correct...This is not “new technology”… This is 10+ years of Patented and Proven WINNING NASCAR technology…adapted to the CanAm Spyder in 2013.

Originally, Mike invented the laser system for his fleet of 14 race cars in his race school in 2004.

This has to be precise....and should not be done "homemade"...or you could make the Spyder a WHOLE lot worse..

 

[hognut]

If you have to trailer it, bring it to us! We can align it, install your sway bar, and answer any and all questions you have. Sure, we are a few hours farther, but you will have your problems solved. Any excuse to come to Las Vegas! Come on down!

Thank you. I will give that some serious thought

 

[hognut]

[
This has to be precise....and should not be done "homemade"...or you could make the Spyder a WHOLE lot worse..

I really just wanted to be able to check toe in/out to see if that was my problem or was it my riding style. I am very new to riding the spyder. I have read a lot of the posts from new riders etc. so think I am riding OK. I did see a RT rider from New Mexico at a gas station and talked to him about it. He felt it was an alignment issue. I did ask him to ride my spyder but he didn't feel right about riding someones. I do understand that so it was no problem. I do have a way to measure using some wood strips and that may give me an idea. Thank you for your comments. I an grateful for everyones comments and help. :thumbup:

 

[JayBros]

I wont go in to detail but when I took it into the Medford dealer for the 500 mile service they said they were to busy to answer any questions or problems I had on my list.

Unless you have major warranty problems why are you taking a 2014 RT-S for a 500 mile service when the first service is scheduled at 3,000 miles?

 

[BajaRon]

Thank you for the comment. I received your anti-roll bar yesterday and will try to get it installed this week. I hope it will help with the problem, but think alignment is probably the main problem not suspension. I just wish I could get it to handle well enough to ride to WA to get the laser alignment. At least I can sit on it and make Zoom Zoom sounds .

The bar will probably give you some improvement. But it will not correct an alignment issue. The good thing is that you can install the bar before or after getting the alignment with no worries as the bar does not affect alignment.

The bar won't alter a good alignment and it won't fix a bad one.

I know it may be frustrating now. But the problem is easily fixed and you'll be a very happy camper once it is.