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Alignment specs

 
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QwkTrip
11sec Club


Joined: 17 Feb 2004
Posts: 3942
Location: Peoria, IL

1989 Pontiac Firebird

PostPosted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 8:50 pm    Post subject: Alignment specs Reply with quote

What alignment specs should I use for my car?

17x9 wheels all four corners. 255 up front. 275 drag radials out back.
Lowered about 1.5" (Hotchkis springs)
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Dewey316
The Lama


Joined: 08 Jan 2004
Posts: 7295
Location: Bringing the tech

1990 Chevrolet Camaro RS

PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 2016 6:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've found it is pretty easy to go too extreme, I ran -1.5* of camber, and it did turn in pretty nicely there, but wore the inside of both fronts very quickly. I've backed it off since, and it still handles well, but the front tires held up a lot better.

Quick and dirty, max out caster on R side of car, go around .5* less on left side for caster. around -0.75 camber match it even on both sides, then a touch of toe-in, 1/16" or so.

If you have caster plates on the car, so maxing it out might be too much, shoot for 6*-6.5*. Chances are on a stock strut mount, you won't be able to get more than 6* out of it.
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Alphius
Peanut


Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 2429
Location: Grand Mound

1984 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28

PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 2016 1:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'll echo what Dewey said. I have stiff suspension, big swaybars and wide tires, so a lot of negative camber really doesn't help handling much at the expense of tire life. I run 7-7.5* of caster with aftermarket strut tops and about -.5* camber. More caster than most, but it seemed to help the front end bite a little better to help kill understeer. If I had different springs or swaybars, my alignment specs would be different. I also run just a hair of toe-in to help keep it stable because I do a lot of freeway driving. It's all a balancing act based on how the chassis responds with your mix of suspension parts, weight balance and driving style.

I will say also that some small changes make big differences. I used to run more caster because turn-in always felt soft and wander-y, like the car was taking a split second to settle into turns before it really stuck. I swapped A-arm bushings from cracked OEM rubber to Delrin, and turn-in was instantly better. I dialed back the caster to reduce steering effort and found it didn't make an appreciable difference now that the A-arm bushings positively located the control arm under transitional cornering forces. I guess I'm trying to say that you can get "good enough" by copying someone else's setup, but depending on how much you care you can match the handling of the car to your driving style even better by doing some experimentation. Dewey's advice is spot-on, and makes a great starting point for experimentation or just solid all around specs to set it and forget it.

_________________
84 Camaro Z28 - LS1/T56
85 Silverado - Low and Slow
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QwkTrip
11sec Club


Joined: 17 Feb 2004
Posts: 3942
Location: Peoria, IL

1989 Pontiac Firebird

PostPosted: Mon Mar 28, 2016 9:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you.
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