suspension camber etc

[dnalunchie]

I have a question

When you take a car in to have its suspension alignment checked how does the show know what to set the castor and camber etc to ? I am assuming that performance based cars that have some adjustability would have pretty specific settings to perform best so how is this choosen/set?>

[Lloyd]

They'll have a list of factory specs, much like how you get books of torque settings for specific engines etc

If you get a wheel alignment done at Firestone then you'll get a print out of that particular models maximum and minimum settings for each setting as well as the before/after settings for the vehicle they worked on.

[Bling]

Have you really never had an alignment done and got the print out?

[iOnic]

^ this. They set it to what it's sposed to be. Unless you request otherwise.

[dnalunchie]

ah okay, and what if you buy something like a castor or camber kit for a car? would it come with reccommended best settings ?

[phoenix]

You should know what settings you're after before you buy the camber or castor kit.... Isn't that why you're buying it?

[Lloyd]

If you're modifying suspension angles and ride height etc then there wont be any best recommended settings. It'll be completely different on every car and up to the owner to decide what they want really.

[1I1]

If you're modifying suspension angles and ride height etc then there wont be any best recommended settings. It'll be completely different on every car and up to the owner to decide what they want really.

This. Will come down to how the driver wants the car to handle. And then you either have to tell the place what you want the settings to be or take it to a speciality alignment place that does race setups etc

[wde_bdy]

Most places you go to will have trouble working out what can even be adjusted on your car. Work on the assumption that the "expert" doing your wheel alignment knows less than you do.

Callum

[Lurkin]

^this.

In the end I think I got my alignment suggestions off here.

Really depends on the vehicle.

[Truenotch]

Take it somewhere that sets up racecars. Should be a few places in Dunedin?

[dnalunchie]

ah this is a totally hypothetical question, I dont know that my corona will benefit from a bit more camber. Was just wondering as was reading a thread about someone fitting some antilift kit etc and that it altered the camber/castor and I wondered how you would know what was the best/right set up specs

[sergei]

ah this is a totally hypothetical question, I dont know that my corona will benefit from a bit more camber. Was just wondering as was reading a thread about someone fitting some antilift kit etc and that it altered the camber/castor and I wondered how you would know what was the best/right set up specs

your corona will benefit the most from replacing all the worn components with OEM stuff. As all of the bushes and shocks will be stuffed. Passing WOF does not mean that bushes and shocks are in good and working condition. but then it will cost you the cost of the car to replace all of that... far better off saving for your sti, since it is just an old corona.....

Antilift kit is great (I have it in my 165), not sure how it will work in FWD.....

[Akane]

Don't go nuts on camber, it's stupid. You lose braking ability, basically you're turning your car's handling into shit for "fatlace" and "stance".

[touge_ae101]

Don't go nuts on camber, it's stupid. You lose braking ability, basically you're turning your car's handling into shit for "fatlace" and "stance".

camber is one of the many geometry's/components which attribute to how a car handles. I agree in general public/average boyracers car will handle like shit with heaps of camber. not to say that it won't work on some cars. my ae101 is a perfect example. camber and castor compensated for soft springs and swaybars as a compromise between road and track suspension.. worked awesomely on the road - would be a good targa setting but to get the full potential of the cars handling capabilities I need harder springs less camber to make the tyres work properly

there are a lot of alignment places out there that don't know what they are talking about. standard settings aren't going to make your handle the best they are developed for tyre wear and understeering on the road. some later model cars such as Evo's have a choice of two different alignment recommendations depending on the customer.

probably most importantly its better to get to know your car, explain the symptoms of what you want to change to a racecar alignment specialist and get them to drive the car. they will make recommendations/changes based on your driving style and experience.


Adding camber, castor and bump adjusters etc for the sake of it is gay. it should be there to be functional.

[Flannelman]

Changing the camber also affects tyre wear. More camber may help with cornering in some cars but it does come at a cost to tyres.

As a race car, maximum grip for a tyre is paramount so the suspension is set that max grip is for a set amount of laps. No point loosing 2 seconds a lap just so the tyres can go 10 more laps before changing if the car needs to be refueled 5 laps earlier.

However, on the road is far different. Those same suspension settings wont be kind on tyres resulting in changing them within 5000km. Stock settings wont give the best handling, but when driven nicely, will return tyre wear in the 25-30,000km. As a daily driven car, running cost is paramount or you will be taking the bus or riding a bike so you can afford to drive your beast in the weekend.

[tsoob]

Depends on what you are setting the car up for. A drift spec alignment is miles from what you would do with a circuit car, and again miles from your average street car.

[d1 mule]

dont spend money on a 89 corona...... simple