Originally Posted by
Zerodefect
I've seen plenty of these out there. Damn near every 1/8th scale ONroad driver has one.
It is what it is. You can get by with a camber gauge, but if your trying real hard to get a good setting with a camber gauge alone its going to take a while.
There is play in the suspension so you kind of need to set "nominal" camber and toe settings. With the stand you can see the play, and even measure how much play you have. Can't do that with a pop can.
If your wheels are 2 degress warped (Proline) your going to be way off. The stand takes care of that.
The stand is just plain faster to use, unless your ok with a sloppy alighnment. I do an alighnment before every race, using a damn camber gauge alone makes it tedious work.
I have to agree here. The reason every on-road racer and his brother has a setup stand is because even tiny differences have a large effect on handling. That said, it's not a necessary thing for off-roads as they do have more play/slop in general from higher abuse & wear.
As others have stated, camber/toe gauges or even the Soda can "eyeball" will method work but the advantage of a station is greater *consistency* in your setup.