Going in for an alignment

[B-R-Z]

I recently installed Eibach ProKit springs and am going in for an alignment on Monday. This is the first time I've gone in for one, do I need to, or can I, tell the tech what camber specs I want? I bought the OEM Subaru camber bolts which I will give to the tech, if needed, to allow for more adjustment. What specs do you guys recommend for a DD? I don't track or anything. Current wheel setup is 18x8.75 35mm on Michelin PSS 225/40.

Thanks!

[JerryMichaels7]

stock alignment then...

[tyler_win_photo]

Usually they won't set your alignment to anything outside of stock settings as it takes more time. But if you're lucky and your alignment shop will allow a custom alignment, just give them the camber bolts and tell them you want the maximum amount of camber possible out of them, which is usually around -1.5ish.

Just a tip, save money, and install the bolts before you go. Shops will usually charge extra if they put the bolts on for you.

For a daily I'd recommend -1.5 to -2 in the front. And -1 to -1.3 in the rear.

[ZDan]

"Stock alignment" is a VERY broad range, IMO it's not worth paying the money just to get "all green".

I would ask for maximum camber they can get and zero toe front, minimum spec toe rear.

[B-R-Z]

So max camber all around, and 0/least toe front\rear?

Isnt too much camber bad for tire wear? I drive 24k miles\year for work so it is a concern.

[cdrazic93]

Dont question @ZDan

[drewbot]

Originally Posted by B-R-Z

So max camber all around, and 0/least toe front\rear?

Isnt too much camber bad for tire wear? I drive 24k miles\year for work so it is a concern.

You'll appreciate the max negative camber you gain from OEM crash bolts. Could be up to -1.5-2.

Since you're lowered on springs, the rears will be probably -2, and unless you bought a rear camber kit, not much you can do to correct it.

0 toe for front and back

[2point0]

Originally Posted by B-R-Z

So max camber all around, and 0/least toe front\rear?

Isnt too much camber bad for tire wear? I drive 24k miles\year for work so it is a concern.

Pretty much every car on the road has some negative camber in the rear even if not in front. I hate alignment techs who scare people with "camber wear." Bad toe settings eat tires (think of scrubbing the tire sideways instead of just rolling forward). When I asked Firestone for -1 degrees in front, the guy's eyes widened and he responded, "Don't you mean -0.1? -1 is too much for street driving."

Yes, excessive negative camber leaves you less of a contact patch and does not wear the outsides as much as the insides. I drive as much as you do and do not have any uneven wear on my MPSS. Rotating regularly helps as well. But -1 to -2 degrees is really not that much of an issue as long as toe is in spec.

[B-R-Z]

Originally Posted by 2point0

Pretty much every car on the road has some negative camber in the rear even if not in front. I hate alignment techs who scare people with "camber wear." Bad toe settings eat tires (think of scrubbing the tire sideways instead of just rolling forward). When I asked Firestone for -1 degrees in front, the guy's eyes widened and he responded, "Don't you mean -0.1? -1 is too much for street driving."

Yes, excessive negative camber leaves you less of a contact patch and does not wear the outsides as much as the insides. I drive as much as you do and do not have any uneven wear on my MPSS. Rotating regularly helps as well. But -1 to -2 degrees is really not that much of an issue as long as toe is in spec.

Thanks for the response.

So the fronts can be adjusted with the crash bolts. Can the rears be adjusted at all without a kit, or is the adjustment minimal without a kit?

And you agree with max camber for fronts (what the crash bolts will allow), rear cannot be adjusted, and 0 toe all around?

[ApolloSki]

Originally Posted by B-R-Z

Thanks for the response.

So the fronts can be adjusted with the crash bolts. Can the rears be adjusted at all without a kit, or is the adjustment minimal without a kit?

And you agree with max camber for fronts (what the crash bolts will allow), rear cannot be adjusted, and 0 toe all around?

I'm pretty sure camber in the rear cannot be adjusted at all unless you add some kind of camber adjuster (LCA..etc)

[wparsons]

^^ Camber is fixed at all four corners without adding other parts. Camber bolts or camber plates (or slotted struts) work up front, and either rear UCA bushings, or an adjustable upper or lower control arm.

Just out of curiosity, why does everyone suggest going to a track oriented alignment on a car that is just daily driven and will never see track or autocross use?

If you're purely street driving you don't need more camber unless you're seeing too much wear on the outer edge of the tires (which is unlikely unless you drive really hard on the street).

[colHolm]

I'm surprised at the 0 toe all around... I felt the car was twitchy at speed with 0 toe in the rear especially.

[2point0]

Originally Posted by wparsons

Just out of curiosity, why does everyone suggest going to a track oriented alignment on a car that is just daily driven and will never see track or autocross use?

If you're purely street driving you don't need more camber unless you're seeing too much wear on the outer edge of the tires (which is unlikely unless you drive really hard on the street).

I politely disagree, but then again it depends on the driver. I have a long commute but I also love taking corners and going on mountain runs. I added a set of camber bolts and am right around -1 degrees in front and just that change was a huge improvement when turning, even on stock suspension (now I'm on RCE Yellows...even better!). I don't chalk my tires or anything but I would like to max out the bolts at some point and note the changes.

For street driving, realistically, there's no reason to upgrade anything. But we still do it cuz it's fun. Besides, if there's any car to keep OEM, this is not it. That's why they make boring cars like Corollas and Altimas.

[eSOLOR]

I'm on the prokit as well and I set my rear camber at -1.5 with control arms. I wanted -2 for the front but was only able to get -1.1 and -0.8 with camber bolts maxed out..