Camber adjustment+ steering rack bushings = different car

[Capt Spaulding]

I've had a set of SPC camber bolts and White Line rack bushings sitting in my BRZ parts bin for almost a year. Last weekend I installed them on my baby and today had an alignment done. I love the results.

A couple of interesting points. First installation of both was simple. I had to argue with one of the camber bolts to get it into the hole but that was the only snag. The old rack bushings came out quite happily and once the camber bolts were in their respective holes it was cake. My eyeball alignment was pretty close, I had the left front at -1.2 and the right at -1.8. The shop got them within 0.2 at -1.4 and -1.6. The left front was toed out a little over a tenth of a degree and the final setting was a little over a tenth in on both for a total of almost -.2,

Camber on the rears was -1.5 on both sides and that's where it stayed. Again, toe started and stayed at about .10 in on both sides.

I'd put a few miles in the car after I did the installs but before the alignment and was impressed with the results. After I picked her up from the shop we ran through some of the few local corners on the way home and I am tickled pink. My limited understand of the dark arts of suspension suggests that the slight toe in (the rear did not change) should make the car a bit more stable. If it did, it didn't detract from the enjoyment of the drive. The car is significantly, almost telepathically, willing to change direction. At the same time it feels much more planted when the suspension "sets." I'm pretty sure it's too stable for a track car, but for fun on the street at legalish speeds it's perfect (for me).

Next up, a <18lb set of 17x8 wheels and a set of decent tires (leaning toward Conti EC Sports in 225/45). Looking forward to it.

For the few folks who might be on the fence about these mods, time to hop off. So far, these are the best changes I've made. Installation is a breeze and the results are, if not transformative, well worth the time and small expense.

[Racecomp Engineering]

It's amazing what a few small key mods do to this car. Good job.

- Andrew

[Tristor]

I can concur, bushings were well worth doing. I didn't do one section at a time, I did the whole banana, but I will say the steering is much tighter and more direct after doing steering rack bushings and I had to change my rhythm on track to account for this as I was initially turning in too early by following my prior rhythm. There's no lag in steering input to movement now.

My favorite modification so far is definitely doing the bushings

[CoolHandMoss]

0.2 is a ridiculous tolerance for camber. Just for future reference, if a shop ever tries to give your car back with that much variance again, that is not the shop to go to. I do my own alignments with strings and a level sometimes and I still get it closer than a tenth. Leaving a 0.2 difference while it's on a commercial alignment rack is just being lazy and sloppy.

[Capt Spaulding]

Originally Posted by CoolHandMoss

0.2 is a ridiculous tolerance for camber. Just for future reference, if a shop ever tries to give your car back with that much variance again, that is not the shop to go to. I do my own alignments with strings and a level sometimes and I still get it closer than a tenth. Leaving a 0.2 difference while it's on a commercial alignment rack is just being lazy and sloppy.

Can you link a reference to the string and level? I'd love to give it a try sometime.

[CoolHandMoss]

There is an abundance of information about this if you care to tax Google a bit. Here is the first link to the method that I prefer to use that I found.

http://speed.academy/diy-wheel-align...ide-explained/