I just had a four wheel alignment done at the local dealer, since the place I usually go to said he could not get the shims needed for the rear axle adjustments.

Turns out the alignment was not all that bad, according to the dealer, but there were a few interesting take-aways:

1) My front bushings were replaced at some point with an improved model by the dealer. Apparently, there were two or three variations of these since the first ones from the factory were too soft and several people complained about premature tire wear and poor alignment. Dealers replaced them and, in some cases, the front tires of irate customers too. I do not know how he was able to tell the difference between the bushings I had and others from 1997, but if your front tires are wearing out faster than normal, this area is worth a look.

2) The right upper control arm of the early XK8 (including mine) is the wrong length. Yes, from the factory it was a slight bit shorter/longer than the one on the left and a replacement is available for $695, not including labor. I did not opt for this as even with the odd-length part in place the alignment was still not bad - caster is affected with the odd control arm, but only slightly. regardless, it is disturbing that something as basic and symmetrical as a control arm could be made so incorrectly for so many cars - British car stereotypes and nightmares of a long-forgotten TR7 of mine came to mind.

3) The shims are available for the rear and there is a certain amount of trial and error to get them right, but if your alignment isn't too bad it may not be worth it to adjust this camber if it is off only slightly. The real problem with early XKs is the rear springs start to sag, leading to wear patterns on the back tires. Mine were not so bad, so I left it the way it was.

Hope this helps.

 

So what were the final settings out the door, and how does it feel?

 

They did not give me a spec sheet for what is done, but I found a posting on this web site a while back which details what they should be (damned if I know where it was - probably a sticky if you search for XK8/XKR alignment how-to or similar thread).

Anyway, yes, it is aligned just fine. Actually, it felt ok going in, I was just curious if the tires were wearing properly. The inside edges seemed to be wearing slightly faster than the outside edges (just slightly), but other than that no pulling or other oddities.