Alignment and Camber questions for Dummys(me)
 

I recently bought some Enkei RPF1s 17x9 +45 and Nitto NT05 235/40/17
Im getting them installed today and they are giving me an alignment
They are also putting in my whiteline camber bolts for free during alignment

Im just wondering what is an optimal Camber for my car?
I DD it but also take it to the occational AutoX

I was reading that -1.5 is a good start?
please help lol

Zero your toe front and rear.

Go for -1.75 degrees front camber if they can get it. Rear isn't adjustable without extra parts but should be OKAY.

Enjoy. :)

- Andy

Thanks, yeah im on RCE yellows as well, feels great..
and is it worth buying somerthing to adjust the rear?

I'm very anal about alignment, so I probably would. But in reality for a mostly DD car you don't need to worry about it with our springs since the drop isn't huge.

- Andy

I have found, through trial and error, that alignment is probably the most important part of setting up for autocross. Like Andy said for DDing, not as big of a deal. However if you find that you do not like the balance of the car in terms of oversteer and understeer, adjustability in your alignment settings is key. Ultimately, what you want with your car is your choice. Also, check out the this thread: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45554 The info in that thread is invaluable to figuring out your suspension needs.

Normally I would say max out the camber you can get from the bolts, but with 17x9 +45 I doubt you'll have clearance between the wheel and lower spring seat (strut) for that without a spacer.

You definitely will not be able to run anymore camber with a 17X9 +45 (other than that gained by the drop springs) without spacers. I used to run 17X9 +35 on stock suspension and with -1 deg camber, the inner sidewall of my tires was millimeters from the spring perch.

I have -2* up front with camber bolts and slotted struts and next to no clearance with 17x8 +45's. 17x9 +35's would have ~3mm less clearance than my setup, but should still be able to get about -1.5*.

I did go with 3mm spacers.. dunno how much that will help but from what Ive read its enough to stop any sort of rubbing

Also I have the cusco strut bar,
is it necessary to preload the strut bar?

Once you get the adjustable parts for the rear, start playing with alignments that feel right for you. Also are you going to use this as a DD or a weekend warrior toy? I do a lot of mountain runs on windy roads, and found (personally) -1.75 front and a -1.5 rear camber with zero toe and zero caster felt awesome for my needs.


However I've also invested in all the adjustable parts I need for the rear. So remember it also depends on what you want to spend on your set up.

Problem is I commute 80kms a day(50ish miles)
so i dont want to go crazy, but I do like to autox..
so Im pretty much looking for the limit of camber that I can go to without wearing the tires out too much..

Toe kills tires, not camber. The combination of toe and camber is what gives camber a bad rep.

-2* with zero toe up front will be fine for commuting.

So I took it in for the alignment, and the guy there told me they had no problem getting one side to -1.5 but the other side wouldnt go passed -1.2.. so he put them both to -1.2
does that seem right?
also the rears are sitting at -2.2 and all I have done suspension wise is RCE Yellows

it's possible. Usually people equalize at 1.3.


1.5 on one side and 1.2 on the other could mean a very slightly mis-aligned cross member, but well within the specs.


remember that realistically 0.1 degrees is very very very small, it just seems large since everyone talk's so feverishly about it on suspension forums.