So I don't post here often, but I'm getting an alignment on my car. It's currently dropped on coilovers with less than a one-finger fender gap. (Yes, that's a standard unit of measurement )

I plan on using -1.4* of camber on the front, but does anybody have any suggestions for optimal camber/toe settings for a car that's this low. Some alignment shops told me they would have a hard time getting the car within factory specs, and something tells me factory alignment specs aren't optimal for a low car anyways.

Thanks!

 

Factory specs may not be "optimal" on a lowered car, but you will certainly want to get close unless you have cash to burn. On my SER I am lowered with Sportlines and also have about a finger's width of space. The issue, assuming the max is similar in chassis design, is the rears. Since the Altima doest have as much adjustment as say a 350Z because of the lower control arm, this is where an alignment shop will have issues getting the car's rear in spec. The fronts are adjustable enough to get in spec, but on my car, i had the master tech at Nissan bend to lower control arms slightly to get the car in spec. Worked great, but it isnt for the faint of heart. If you bend them too much or at the wrong angle, you may get all sorts of vibrations. Luckily this tech knew what he was doing. Rare, but he has done quite a few of these and thus has perfected this technique. I am on 19" wheels, and before i had him do this, we couldnt get the rear in spec, and I chewed some of that expensive rubber up. lol. Now, I just rotate at normal intervals and all is well. See ya back over at NYCMaximas.

 

Thanks for the help!

 

My old 02 was as low as yours at one point and the fine folk at Nissan got it to factory spec.

 

Well my question is are factory specs with this kind of ride height optimal for handling, or no? And if not, how should I set up my alignment in order to maximize handling?

 

Moncef measure the height of your fender to the ground for me, and i will do the same tom, I have the best handling at -1.4 camber in the front. it goes straight, tires wear fine and let me tell you something, "you can throw it into some corners like never before.

just remember a good alignment with adjusting camber should be done by a reputable shop, I payed 150 for mine and i would do it all over again. It Rides perfect!!

 

you also have IRS and we have a solid beam, big difference, also springs tend to sag a bit more than the coilovers he has. I mean that you have more suspension travel than us 5th gens with just lowering springs compared to coils.




BTW moncef I made a thread that asked the same question about 6 months ago lol

 

Thanks for the help, Perky

 

Factory specs are NEVER ideal for handling- they're set for comfort and tire wear.

the fun part is, setting the car up to handle always results in very short tire life. it'll be grippy as hell, but tires will last 10k miles at most. been there, ran the -3.5* camber on the street, bought the tires. moved back to -1.5* camber on the street and zero toe and was much happier with tire life.

 

Exactly, and I think thats what Moncef is looking for.

 

I was waiting for you to chime in, Matt

Thanks

 

i find the hardest part of getting an alignment is getting the car onto the ramp safely...

 

Thats a question I have. What happens when you are lowered to the point of only 2" off the ground? Like how do the shop put your car on the lift if they can't get the lift arms under the car?

 

mAd CaMb3Rz yo0oO.


one mistake alot of people make is thinking camber kills tire wear(shortens it by like 2000 miles), make sure ur toe is str8 and ur all good.

 

I think I'm gonna go with -1.5 camber and then zero toe.

 

1. that's stupid to go that low.
2. it's illegal. DOT has restrictions on how low a car an be. I think it's like 3.5 or 4.5" of ground clearance.
3. most likely a shop won't align it if it's that low.

 

that's going to be the best. toe it out a hair if you want better turn-in for Auto X, but it'll kill tire life. zero toe is better for road courses and stability and tire life.

 

Our Nissan dealer over here has an alignment rack that's flush with the ground. And my boy's S13 you can't even fit the toe of your shoe in between the FMIC and the ground, and he got it aligned with no drama

Yeah that sounds good to me.

 

lucky u guys. we are searching around our area for a place that can do alignment for extremely low cars.

My car can no longer get on lifts

 

I knew there were places that do alignments for cars that low. I've seen PLENTY of cars that were. Driving on the road too.

 

If yall have any NTBs around, the newer ones typically have in ground alignment racks.

To the OP: Your car should get on most racks anyways. Im assuming you have atleast 17s on your car. I tuck the tires on my 17s and my 18s almost tuck the lip of the rim. I can get on some lifts. I have 1.25, maybe 1.5, inches of ground clearance up front by the way.

 

I am running -1.5 degrees of camber using camber bolts. The rest of the specs are factory

 

i just like to bump threads that i find useful that i know/figure someone will be needing to know very soon...i will be using the camber and toe settings i found in this thread when i get my alignment via this thread aka Matt

 

When I was that low I was running -1.5 degrees of camber and 0 toe and I was pretty happy with it. A shop shouldn't have a problem doing it if its reputable and they know what they are doing.

I have since raised the car a bit and got it realigned to the same specs because I was getting a little tired of the bump steer and the horrible camber/toe curves for spirited driving.

 

and you didnt have too many issues when it came to it eating up your tires correct?

another wierd, probably retarded question, granted i dont change my height by adjusting the coilovers, and i put on a different set of wheels, maybe same or different diameter i dont have to worry about getting another alignment correct. in essence, the specs should remain the same, right?

 

A little toe in/out and -1 to -1.5 negative camber is ok, but don't expect to get 20K or more miles out of your tires.

So far I've found the best handling for my car to be with a 0.5~1.0" drop from the stock ride height with -1.5 ~ -2 camber with a little toe out. On some of the tighter turns I need more front bite and hoping to correct that in the future. Bumpsteer is ok but the handling can be a little unstable at times with uneven roads and bumps.

These soft coil over setups with 3" ~ 4" drops from the stock ride height are counter productive causing the car's roll center to end up being a foot or so below the ground.

 

well i like riding this low...i do plan to auto-x one or two events, but track right now is not my main concern. i appreciate your input though man. thanks alot

 

changing wheels and tires doesn't change your alignment. changing ride height does, however.

 

Depends on what you would define as "issues". I ride on start specs and I'm going to hit about 10K miles pretty soon with aggressive driving from time to time. No camber wear or uneven patterns, but all four tires have been wearing pretty evenly and I only rotated once.

Getting 10K out of star specs is pretty average from what I've seen so I'm not complaining. I never believed in getting tires for their tire wear. They hold my car on the road, I'm going to spend the money to do it right and I'm going to do it often.