Alignment experts of the .org,

This weekend I lowered my car 2 3/8" F & 1 3/4" R and just returned from the shop after receiving a 4-wheel alignment. (AN ABSOLUTE MUST). For those of you wondering, I paid $60 CDN, it took ~1hr. and I have camber plates that they did not need to adjust. I don't have a lifetime or one-year guarantee, but these guys will stand by their work and take the car in if I notice a problem within a reasonable time frame i.e. one week.


***FRONT***

----------LEFT--------RIGHT
Camber__(-0.6*)_____(-0.5*) - should be okay
Toe_____(+0.08*)____(+0.08) - should be okay
Caster___(+3.8*)_____(+4.0*) -

***REAR***

----------LEFT--------RIGHT
Camber__(-1.2*)_____(-1.3*) - should be okay
Toe____(+0.17*)_____(+0.34) -

- Thrust angle = -0.1*
- SAI +9.3*L / +9.9*R Should be +14.3*? What is this?

Besides the obvious questions that everyone asks: "Will my fancy new tires wear unevenly? If so, what wear pattern should I look for" and "Will my car pull to the left / right?", I would also like to ask the more obvious question: "Are these settings unsafe and more dangerous than the shop tech led me to believe?" or "Is this going to cause me to die prematurely?" I do a lot of freeway/highway driving and this is a concern.

Thank you in advance for your help.

----------------------------------------------------------

For the rest of you who are curious on what your settings should be - Information courtesy of the STICKIES. Thanks guys.

What are the alignment specs for my car?

FRONT WHEEL ALIGNMENT

Camber, in degrees.
-1.00 Minimum
-0.25 Nominal
+0.50 Maximum
+0.75 Maximum left and right difference

Caster, in degrees
+2.00 Minimum
+2.75 Nominal
+3.50 Maximum
+0.75 Maximum left and right difference

Kingpin inclination, in degrees
+13.50 Minimum
+14.25 Nominal
+15.00 Maximum

Total toe-in disTance, in millimeters
+1 Minimum
+2 Nominal
+3 Maximum

Total toe-in angle (left plus right), in degrees
+0.09 Minimum
+0.18 Nominal
+0.27 Maximum


REAR WHEEL ALIGNMENT

Camber, in degrees
-1.75 Minimum
-1.00 Nominal
-0.25 Maximum

Total toe-in distance, in millimeters
-3 Minimum
+1 Nominal
+5 Maximum

Total toe-in angle (left plus right), in degrees
-0.27 Minimum
+0.09 Nominal
+0.43 Maximum

The rear wheels aren't adjustable, and the front toe is the only spec specified for adjustment from the factory. Camber is the most important spec on our cars alignment, and if it's not perfectly even on both sides you tend to get a slight pull. If the mechanic is a cool person, they will adjust your lower strut bolt to adjust the front camber.

Compilation from Daniel B. Martin, njmaxseltd, and Eric L.
Last edited by clee130 : 02-27-2002 at 03:58 PM.

 

Those specs are just fine. Your tires will last a long time. The heavy caster helps in straight line tracking.

You shouldn't have any tracking/pulling issues, your front end is very even.

Your rear is Ok as well, it's just sitting on the Max spec.

Enjoy your new handling setup and remember to rotate every 7500 miles.

 

njmaxseltd - awesome! Thank you for the quick reply. I'm glad I can drive with confidence. I didn't think I would get a response from one of the guys who wrote the sticky! Are there any fine-tuning / DIY things I might be able to try to get the rear in order? I read some of your previous posts and you had mentioned there are a few 'unwritten' things a good tech could do...

 

Jumbo, sorry to hijack your thread but I have a very similar question.

What are the optimal alignment specs for spririted street/occasional auto-x for those with Illumina/H&R combo? Is it a good idea to set the front camber at -1.0?

BTW, here are the OEM alignment specs from the FSM if anyone needs them -> http://img201.echo.cx/img201/9937/alignmentspecs7tp.jpg

 

Jumbo - Leave the rear alone, trust me it's just fine.

mm347 - Run with the maximum amount of negative camber you can pull without a camber kit! You should be able to get about -1 degree. Make sure the toe is set to the factory spec so you don't chew up your tires.

 

Jumbo - like Tom said those settings are good. I'm thinking they added some positive camber on the plates; or maybe when installed. I would think you'd have about a full neg degree with that ride height. Stock ride Hf is 28.07" - are you actually at 25.7" in front to the fender? (assuming stock diam tires)

mm347 - neg 1.0 at a min. All the way to -2.0 won't wear bad (but toe does)

 

Ok, Njmax - I will relax. I just get a little jumpy when I see the 'red' figures outside the recommended alignment specs. Are you an alignment technician?

Bejay - I will measure and get back to you later today. I have about 50 pictures of the pre-drop but none for the post-drop since I don't think the springs are done settling. I measured every which way because it seems like everyone wants a different measurement to determine ride height and drop amount.

mm347 - hey, go right ahead amd I hope you got the answer you needed. I would sincerely suggest you consider donating to the .org. To be able to support a network that allows us to have the convenience of getting an immediate response from qualified people and have the peace of mind to drive safely is worth $20 to me! You also might want to try the autoX section and see what those guys are setup for.

 

Hi BEJAY1,

I measured 25 3/8" from ground to top of wheel well on 235/40/18 tires. I actually set my camber before heading into the alignment shop so I guess I got lucky.

 

correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the SAI is the distance to the top of the strut from the center of the wheel

 

Could someone please confirm this? It would explain my low numbers relative to spec. However, it would appear my car was unevenly lowered?

 

Steering Angle Inclination (SAI) is an angle not a length. When looking at the front of the vehicle it's the angle between the steering pivot line (strut) and true vertical.


Included Angle is the same with camber figured in.


The most correct way to measure ride height is from the center of the wheel hub to the fender (few people do that). That's because different tire sizes will affect ride height. Although the diameter of your 235/40/18 is nearly identical to stock 215/55/16, it drops your ride height .96" even on stock susp.

 

Thanks BEJAY1. 1 pic = 1000 words. 0.6* shouldn't cause a huge problem. I took a bunch of pics for the stock ride height and made the measurements you suggested because I've read previous posts. I'm sure you're about as tired of hearing: "yeah, like itz about 1 finga drop all around, dude" as I am.

Sadly, I might have to raise my car 1/4 inch due to slight, slight rubbing on the F pass. tire during spirited left turns. I'm trying to find perfectly level ground to take final measurements and I hope this won't affect my alignment - but I doubt it will.