Alignments using your phone?

[Mooseman]

This video popped up on my YT feed and it would be a game changer as I can never find anyplace that can do a good alignment. Either the steering wheel is off-centre or it feels weird.

And their site:

Gyraline: The DIY Wheel Alignment Solution

Gyraline is an app and tool kit that allows anybody to do a four wheel alignment at home

gyraline.com

Only thing I think would be a PITA is do all your measurements, adjust, do them all again, adjust, lather rinse repeat. For me at home it would be a real PITA because my driveway is not level so I'd have to make my adjustments at home then drive to a parking lot somewhere. And on the GMT360 with the lower A-arm bracket system of adjustments for camber and caster, changing one can change both.

Right now it's just for iPhones but they have a beta on Android. At worse I could just borrow my wife's phone. Not cheap though at $160USD ($232CAD). Alignments here are about $140CAD so the second time I use it I'd be ahead.

 

[TJBaker57]

I have 'checked' my vehicles alignments several times using levels, framing squares, laser levels, tape measures and so on. Luckily the only thing I have needed to adjust has been toe-in.

 

[azswiss]

Interesting gadget. At the end of the day the key limitation boils down to the level of care and precision that goes into the mechanical adjustments. No amount of measurement ease or precision is going to make up for shoddy/clumsy/not-my-vehicle workmanship.

 

[TJBaker57]

Interesting gadget. At the end of the day the key limitation boils down to the level of care and precision that goes into the mechanical adjustments. No amount of measurement ease or precision is going to make up for shoddy/clumsy/not-my-vehicle workmanship.

Very true.

When I was in elementary school, in like 4th or 5th grade, my teacher was watching me do something with a compass or protractor or the like and stated "Whatever you do in life, YOU are going to do it with precision."

She was correct, and I am slower than damnit because of that !

When it comes to alignments it helps that I did a few back in the '70s, before computers with those "old school" alignment "instruments".

 

[Mooseman]

No amount of measurement ease or precision is going to make up for shoddy/clumsy/not-my-vehicle workmanship.

Herein where the problem lies. I had the TB alignment done at the dealership I worked at and did an OK job. Then I had the Caprice done. I even talked with the tech about the uniqueness and rarity of this car, and the differences with other vehicles. Tried to make him interested in the job to try and instill something in him to do it right. He even said he was able to adjust the rear camber that the previous shop said wasn't able to do because the bolts were too rusty (on a vehicle that isn't driven in winter). He even took it on a test drive after. It sorta tracks straight but the wheel is a little off to the left.

It always comes down to it can never be done better than yourself unless you really don't know what you're doing unless you find a really good shop, which are getting rarer nowadays. The South Main Autos and Royalty Autos are a dying breed.

Anyway, this may be a gadget but if I can use it easily without having to get out strings and levels, I'm all in.

 

[azswiss]

The South Main Autos and Royalty Autos are a dying breed.

And, sadly, it's not just auto repair. I see this across a broad range of trades (plumbing, roofing, carpentry, computers, etc.). Aside from the fact that I enjoy working with my hands I am increasingly frustrated with not just the lack of pride in workmanship but the lack of knowledge in the underlying fundamentals (e.g. theory, how does/should this work, technical skills, etc.).

 

[Mooseman]

According to this video, the Gyraline may not be that precise:

 

[azswiss]

Did a little googling to try to understand how it works; specifically, how it makes relative measurements without having to rely on a fixed reference (e.g. the level floor for squares or the string box). Turns out the process relies on the phone's internal accelerometers & MEMS (micro-mechanical) gyroscopes (see iPhone4 Gyroscope Teardown for an overview). This leads me to believe that the overall condition of the phone (i.e. it hasn't been dropped too much or otherwise abused) is as important, maybe more so, than the level of care taken while making the measurements as well as the condition of the wheel surfaces. I would also take multiple measurements in order to get a consistent reading. Regardless, seems like an intriguing alternative.

 

[Schurkey]

I don't see any compensation for wheel run-out.

They say it needs to be performed on a flat/level surface. Good luck with that. Ordinary pavement is rarely level. Takes significant effort to set-up an alignment rack so it's level side-to-side, and front-to-back.

The way I see it, this device plus lots of care and lovin' is about equal to a real alignment machine and a typical half-ass tech.