Automotive Test Engineer Raves About SmartStrings

In the world of high-performance racing, precision is everything. When you're pushing a car to its limits, even the smallest alignment adjustment can be the difference between first place and falling behind the pack. That's exactly why racers and engineers alike trust SmartStrings alignment kits - they deliver precise, reliable results right in your own garage or pit.

Just ask Devin T., Test Engineer at Honda Auto Development Center and racing enthusiast, who recently put SmartStrings to the test driving his 2019 Honda Civic Si, sponsored by Smart Racing Products. Taylor secured a 2nd place finish in the Street Touring Hatch event thanks in part to a perfectly dialed-in alignment using SmartStrings.

Why Alignment Matters In Racing

Perfect alignment makes it easier to optimize grip, balance, and handling. A proper race car alignment ensures that:

• The rear axle is correctly set laterally and square to the body. (Devin's Civic has a solid rear axle.)
• Camber, toe, and caster settings are precisely dialed in for maximum performance.
• The suspension is properly settled after adjustments, without needing gauge recalibration. 

For Devin, having his racer perfectly squared with SmartStrings, the ToeTal Tool Digital Gauge, and the Hands-Free Adapter Kit gave him the confidence to push harder through corners, maximize tire contact, and stay competitive on the track: 

^{"After losing access to the alignment rack at work, it was time to buy my own setup tools. Based off of reading on the internet I figured I could get away with making my own SmartStrings with some round conduit and 3D printed brackets. I was wrong. They wanted to twist all over the place while I was setting the bars up on the car, the strings moved every time you breathed on them, and they were only as accurate has my hacksaw blade was during tube cutting. Not ideal and extremely frustrating to use.}

^{SmartStrings solved every single complaint I had with my homemade setup. The square tubes and brackets included will stay in place even without the set screws during setup. This allows easy placement and adjustment on the car before locking everything in place. Then you get to skip the entire process of measuring how square the strings are on the tubes and instead just drop them into the provided slots. That leaves just squareness to the car to worry about. Even with my first time using them and examining all the details, setup time went from about an hour with my homemade system to 15 minutes with SmartStrings.}

^{But that’s really not the best part. I can’t count how many times I bumped the strings off their setting when using conduit. It got to the point where I just decided the alignment was “close enough” and went with it. The slots on the SmartStrings alignment bar means you can completely remove the strings if you need easy access to the suspension adjustments while still knowing they will be placed back in the same place. No more error introduced by not knowing if the strings have moved or not and more frustration from constantly having to measure to be sure they haven’t. Instead, I can spend all my time and energy just checking the car.}

^{Between the strings moving and my homemade tools I struggled to get to a repeatable measurement less than 0.5mm in any dimension on my own version of the bars. With SmartStrings and their digital toe gauge, I was able to repeatedly measure down to within 0.03mm every single time. I can be confident that any alignment I perform is correct and that I am not introducing unknown variables into the handling of my autocross car, or any of the other projects I’m working on. As I get more familiar with using them and mark the setup locations on the bars for each vehicle, I should be able to bring setup time down to 5 minutes, and total time to a half hour. That’s the same amount of time it takes me using a professional alignment rack, and more accurate.}

^{There is one other thing I can now do that I could not with an alignment rack. The rack works by measuring all four wheels against each other. What it can’t do is measure those wheels to the body. With the string setup I can now make sure that the wheels are not only aligned to each other, but that they are aligned to the suspension mounting points as well. This is crucial for me in setting up the Watts link in my solid axle car and ensuring that the axle is installed evenly from side-to-side and not introducing a dog-tracking effect into the car as it goes through its suspension stroke.}

^{I’m all about saving money where I can but sometimes the right tool is worth having. After using both I can honestly say that I would never go back to a conventional bar and string setup. It was just such a frustrating experience, and SmartStrings proves that it really doesn’t have to be. Why spend time fighting with your tools when you can spend it driving instead?"}

Take Control Of Your Alignment With SmartStrings

This unique DIY alignment system was first developed 26 years ago when SmartStrings’ creator realized he needed an easier way to fine-tune his car without relying on an alignment shop. Inspired by IndyCar teams at Laguna Seca, he built a system that quickly became a must-have tool for racers, dealerships, and even professional teams like Flying Lizard Motorsports.

Devin's years working for Honda taught him that having a perfectly aligned racer isn’t just a luxury - it’s a necessity. Whether competing in autocross, time attack, club racing, or professional motorsports, SmartStrings gives you the power to dial in your alignment anytime, anywhere.

• SmartStrings Kits
• SmartCamber Kits
• Smart Racing Measuring Tools
• Tire Tools
• Pads & Scales
• Performance Parts

Ready to fine-tune your race car’s performance? Explore the Smart Racing kits and products above and experience the precision, convenience, and reliability trusted by racers worldwide.