Crash bolts alignment change
 

I have been seeing some of you that installed crash bolts getting from about -1.2 to -1.5 camber. What I haven't see is how much toe-in are you getting before you change it to your desired settings? I'm debating on installing them for a couple runs this weekend but I won't have time to string up the car until the following weekend. If its minor, I'll just deal with it and maybe guess a couple flats change on each side. If it major though, I'll just hold off.

I did not do a "before" toe measurement, but the "after" measurement was exactly zero. That made me happy. I haven't checked my final camber numbers either.

Strange. This would mean either your toe was a bit out or it didn't change which seems less likely given the geometry. Did you check your camber before?

i'm new to these crash bolts. can someone explain what they are? from what i understand, our car's alignment settings cannot be adjusted with the stock suspension components? can i still race in stock class with these crash bolts installed?

On the strut where the hub connects it, there are two bolts the hold the angle of the hub relative to the strut. In stock form, this is roughly 0 (perfectly vertical). The crash bolt has a slightly smaller diameter and replaced the upper bolt on that arrangement allowing the top of the hub to "tilt in" relative to the strut producing negative camber, around -1.3 on the FRS/BRZ in stock form with the one allowed crash bolt per side for SCCA stock class.

do all 4 wheels need crash bolts? is there a reason why subaru didn't include the bolts and allow end users to adjust the camber?

No the rears aren't struts so it wouldn't work. Also, for SCCA class, you can only do allowances based on the service manual for street use repair. Crash bolts are really for correcting alignment issues after a crash or other incident where you can no longer get within factory spec.

As for why, I don't know why we didn't get adjustable camber bolts like the WRX does on a car that seems even more destined for motorsport use. But it is what it is.

got it. it's like a bandage when your alignment is out of spec.

are the rears non-adjustable, period?

i find that interesting as well that they didn't include components to make it adjustable from the factory. what do other tuners do when they have a non-adjustable factory suspension? do they just install crash bolts as well?

Yes and no. You can usually loosen up the rear components and get a bit more negative camber and then tighten it all back up. I'll do this when I get it stringed up on the lift.

I hate the word tuner. :)

Depends if they are following any racing rules or just doing it as they please. Within SCCA stock class, this is your typical option for a McStrut car if its in the service manual to allow it. If there are no rules or they are less restrictive, you can do cam bolts (eccentric bolts), camber/caster plates, or new mounting points.

got it. thanks for all the good info.

I'm probably gonna try installing oem bolts tomorrow with diy tools, so I'll try to measure before/with just bolts installed.

Ok, an update.
Got my bolts today.
Measured my camber/toe in my apparently uneven garage. Came out to ~-0.1° on the left and about -0.9° on the right. And no, my fat butt wasn't in the car, and I shook everything well to let it settle w/o my weight in the car. The total toe (at ends of my basic tool, which is basically two horizontal bars leaning on the wheels) was about 4/32nds toe-out.

Put in crash bolts. Ended up with about -1.1°/-1.9° L/R camber and about 1/32nds toe-out.

Also, since I loosened the nuts on the steering arms in expectation of needing to adjust them, there's a possibility that alignment has changed by about one faucet between start and finish.

All in all, I'll call it good; and I am surprised that the toe changed that little.

Off to test-drive the thing.

Seems like a good post to bump.

Today I noticed again how little the toe changes with camber. I wanted more (and cheap) camber up front, so I added some SPC/Eibach adjusting bolts to the *lower* hole to supplement the stock bolts in the upper hole.

If I did everything right, I managed to get another degree of camber (now about -2.3 deg/side) with the added bolts.

Now, for the problem. I have plenty of tire-strut (specifically, the spring perch) clearance with the stock tires, but with 245/40-17 Star Specs on 17x8 +45 (RPF1) wheels that space goes to damn near zero (I measured about 1/16")

So, beware if you want to go this route. Probably fine with coilovers, but not so good with stock shocks/springs.

Adding a degree of camber to each side took me from 0 toe to about 1/16" in.

you want this
http://www.energysuspensionparts.com...sp?prod=KCA416
top hole