October 13, 2023,
What's being done: Alignment
After the KW install, getting a fresh alignment was a must. I tried my best to get things into spec by eyeballing it, but it's always recommend to get a proper alignment anytime you change the height of the car. For me, I wait 2 weeks or 500 miles. Whichever comes first. Lately, the 2 weeks comes up sooner than the 500 miles since the fun cars don't get driven as much as they used to.
Hit up my favorite ship out in Montgomeryville, PA; RT Tuning. I have been going to them for the past 4 years and have nothing but praise. They helped me build up my STI to what it was. Amazing staff, true gear heads, and lots of knowledge to get the job not only done well, but right. STI, my truck, and now my M3 has gotten the RT touch. A bit of a drive for me, but 100% worth it!
Pat, the suspension tech, got the car on the rack and got to work. Thankfully, the car wasn't too out of spec, so dialing things in to where I wanted it was pretty straight forward. It's pretty amazing how low you can go with these cars and still get them into factory spec. Did a little fine tuning on the passenger front coil and driver rear to corner balance as best as possible and I was on my way.
My detailed alignment specs are in the video below, but I am sitting at -1.5 in the front and -1.9 in the rear. ideally, I would like to reverse that and have a bit more up front, but my main focus was to get into factory spec and keep the fitment as flush as possible.
On the drive home, I finally got to feel how amazing the car felt with all the new changes. KW's, RT660's, TE's, and a fresh alignment. The car felt like an entirely different animal. All the late nights in the garage getting everything installed was worth it. Anytime I am knee deep into an install, I always question myself why I am doing this, but I know the feeling I get once I finish. And this was one of those moments. The satisfaction of feeling and seeing the car exactly the way I wanted was pure bliss.
So pleased with how everything turned out. I've envisioned an f80 sitting exactly like this for so many years and pretty incredible to see it in front of me.
If anyone is in the tri-state area or willing to travel, make sure you hit up RT! Tell them I sent ya. Amazing shop for just about anything you need.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDy0MS9vtt0