Questions about RCE Tarmac 2
 

Good afternoon ft86, I am about to buy RCE Tarmac 2 for my 2013 Scion FRS so here few questions that I want to ask before purchase:
1. Would I be able to gain negative camber without the camber plates? If yes, then how much until I need camber plate?
2. I am really competitive, I want the best performance for my car. So which spring rate should I choose? I don't really care about ride quality or comfort.
3. I have a set of Enkei RPF1 17x9 +45. Do you guys think those will works with these coilovers without rubbing the inside? Again, would I be able to gain up to -3 camber, no rubbing?
I am sorry for too many questions. This is a really big purchase for a college student who wants to go fast, so I want to make sure everything works correctly. Thanks all for any inputs.
:burnrubber::thumbup:

1) Yes. There's a slotted bolt hole on the coils that you can use for a little camber. If you want more, you can get the camber bolts that are super cheap. Not sure how much you can get with those two, as I went straight for the Raceseng CasCam plates.

2) What sort of driving will you be doing, and on what sort of tarmac? I got the recommended 400/400 and they're great.

3) Yep, they'll fit. Should be fine with -3*. I say "should" only because I haven't seen that exact setup before.

Answers in bold:

The other's have answered your questions pretty well but I thought I'd chime in. :)

1. You can get around -2.5 or so without camber plates with our RCE Tarmac coilovers.
2. What type of tire and what type of competition? auto-x, time attack, track days? Do you have any other suspension mods?
3. You'll be fine.

- Andrew

I've actually gotten up to -3 camber just using the 14mm Subaru crash bolt in the slotted hole. Tons of room for camber adjustment like that.

17x9+45 RPF1 will fit fine, no rubbing on any bit of the car if your ride height is reasonable regardless of camber settings, might have trouble clearing OE coilovers but RCE is narrower so no problem, minor rub when you turn the steering wheel all the way to one side, should only happen in parking lots.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32719

Is that where it rubs the tie rod at full lock? I've often wondered if that can be cured with camber and/or toe?

That would be it, and the only real fix is a spacer (or different offset wheel).

Gonna bunny hop onto this thread and ask a question because I'm running a similar setup as well and was about to purchase the Tarmac 2's as well. I'll be running Auto-X & Track Days with Hankook RS3s this season. I'll generally be using 200 treadwear rated tires because of STX. Should the stock 400/400 spring rates be fine or should I get something higher? I've looked on the forums and haven't found any feedback on the higher spring rates.

Mine sounded like it was actually rubbing on the rubber fender liner, but I didn't care enough to check. Like was said a spacer is the solution, the +35 reportedly doesn't rub, I've got a 5mm spacer that I might try but I'm not too fussed about it, only happens in parking lots.

Changing toe and camber to prevent rub on these wheels and tires is totally counterproductive to my goals: maximum grip and performance. I would rather raise ride height or add spacers to solve the issue, the wheel alignment is critical to getting maximum grip and responsiveness. In any case if it is the tie rod changing the alignment wouldn't help, changing alignment is the same as moving the wheel hub which is attached to the tie rod, that rigid connection and clearances won't significantly change as the hub is moved. Kind of hard to visualize, but if you think in extremes like toeing in or cambering 45 degrees on the wheel, realize the hub and everything attached to it will move with the wheel and all the attach points... alignment won't get you significant clearance to the tie rod, control arms, strut, brake caliper is obvious but that sort of thing.

Moving the wheel alignment can affect clearance to chassis, fender etc.

First off I would call up racecomp, they'll have an opinion/suggestion and be happy to steer you in the right direction as they want you to have the best experience possible. Personally my opinion is stiffer does not mean better or faster. If this was pre-RE71R and BFGRS I probably wouldn't hesitate to guess that 400 is the better of the two options they provide, given how much grip those two tires have however I wouldn't be surprised if the 500 option is suggested. Otherwise I'd think the 500 would be reserved for someone running full race compounds.

^ Also feel free to PM me on here...I'm not always in the office (although Larry and Myles know their shit too). :)

If you're running a larger front bar like most in STX, then the standard 400/400 rates work really well.

- Andrew

Just out of curiosity, would one need to change the recommended damper settings if running a bigger front bar? Right now I'm using my stock bars and RCE's recommended settings on my T2's. More than likely I'm going to need to put a bigger front bar back on when Autocross starts though.

Won't need much, but in some cases yes you might find a click or two in front will help control the chassis a little better. Might need a click less comp.

- Andrew

You can fix this completely by just running a proper alignment. I rubbed the tie rod at full lock right after installing the tarmac 2's (when my alignment was way off) with 17x9 +45 rpf1s. After I got an alignment I've never rubbed at full lock since. I've tried this with both -2 and -2.6 degrees camber and 0 toe in the front.