Hey P5ers, I've learned a lot from this forum about cars. But I just don't want to read the long threads about shocks. So, if i buy springs for my protege 5, is there any else needed for it to work properly, or would a 4-wheel alignment be fine? Thanks

 

If you don't care about handling and ride quality, you won't need shocks, the springs will do just fine. You could have a pro align the car, or you could eyeball it. All you really need to do is let the car settle for about a week, then use a right angle and hold it up to your tires on level ground. Then see how bad your camber is. As for toe, usually you can see toe quite easily. Or you could pull a string parallel to the car, and then measure the distance of the string to the tires to see if they point inward. Caster is usually non-adjustable on most cars. If you have negative camber, pat yourself on the back...that is good, and not even as bad on the tires as people say. If you have toe, take it in to a pro alignment shop immediately, else you will chew up your tires in a couple of months, depending on how bad it is.