Wheel Alignment Settings - what do you think?

[outatime]

I had a wheel alignment last weekend. My car has 16" rims and lowered on coilovers with 1.5 finger gap between tyre and fender. It doesn't have a camber kit.

Here are the final results. What do you think of these settings? How to interpret them? I'm just in doubt of the guy who did my car. He seemed to be rushing. :thumbdwn:


REAR AXLE

Camber Left: -2˚07'
Camber Right: -2˚27'

Toe Left: +0.4 mm
Toe Right: -0.1 mm
Total Toe: +0.3 mm

Setback: +0˚08'
Geometrical Driving Axis: -0˚02'

FRONT AXLE

Camber Left: -1˚55'
Camber Right: -1˚53'

Toe Left: +0.8 mm
Toe Right: +0.9 mm
Total Toe: +1.7 mm

Setback: +0˚19'

[SuiJin]

when he does a wheel alignment isn't he suppose 2 zero out all your toe in/toe out.

[fatboyz39]

toe in for front ? zzzzzzz

For rear, toe should be set ot zero. Fronts will be the same.

[SuiJin]

im running stock camber kits, and my camber arms are bent to lower the car, putting on my adjustable cambers soon.

But when I did my wheel alignment everything was all over the place. i watched as he tweaked it and everything went to 0 except for camber.

[outatime]

no camber kits. so you mean front and back should have 0 mm total toe?

[bennjamin]

yes front n rear toe should 0 or as close to 0 as possible.
Is this the before or after readout aris ?

[string]

Unless you ask for something different, alignment shops will just put your toe to within standard tolerances - which is what they've done to you. If you want zero toe you have to ask for it beforehand.

[outatime]

yes front n rear toe should 0 or as close to 0 as possible.
Is this the before or after readout aris ?

That is after the readout Ben...

Regarding the alignment above, do I need another alignment? I'd like to try another shop who has good alignment device..

[bennjamin]

this is since u got the OEM bushes installed yup ? you should go elsewhere perhaps.
With OEM bushes , you should be able to dial in 0 front n rear.

[outatime]

this is since u got the OEM bushes installed yup ? you should go elsewhere perhaps.
With OEM bushes , you should be able to dial in 0 front n rear.

Mugen not OEM lol

yeah that's why i had wheel alignment because of the new rta bushings.. i dont wanna go to that alignment near your place because they like to road test the car, and there are so many potholes and ripples near that area.. who knows they might run on them on purpose.

btw what about the camber? does it matter? if toe is set to 0 what would be the camber?

[bennjamin]

mugen the same thing as oem just a tiny bit more rubber lol.(stiffer?)They still move in every axis all the same. Why would the guys near my place ,run on pot holes on purpose lol ? Take it where ever you want , just know that your camber cannot currently be adjusted as you dont have a camber kit front or rear. So camber wont change its your toe that needs slight adjustment.

[trism]

alignment shops will just put your toe to within standard tolerances - which is what they've done to you. If you want zero toe you have to ask for it beforehand.

that^^

[nd55]

> I'm just in doubt of the guy who did my car. He seemed to be rushing.

Thus would apply to most tradesmen, in any industry these days.
Too many tyre places seem to be staffed by kids at apprentice wages.
Heck, even the Railways are going this way, although slowly.

> Unless you ask for something different, alignment shops will just put your toe to within standard tolerances

Standard practice, for better or worse. If you wan't something specific ask for it before, and schedule it when it suits them and maybe be prepared to throw a tip.

A little bit of front toe out will give you more responsive steering, at the cost of increased tyre wear and less stability. The figures you quoted aren't fatal.

> It doesn't have a camber kit.

Camber is much less of a concern, than toe. Besides you can't do much about it.

Nick.

PS> I've cut and pasted some specs from www.ek9.org. Don't know is they're accurate.

front left/right:
range
camber: -1.5° --> 0.5°
caster: 0.2° --> 2.2°
toe: -0.08° --> 0.08°
sai: n/a
turning angle diff.: -7.50° --> -3.50°

front:
range
cross camber: n/a
cross caster: n/a
total toe: -0.16° --> 0.16°

rear left/right:
range
camber: -2.0° --> 0.0°
toe: 0.04° --> 0.16°

rear:
range
total toe: 0.08° --> 0.32°
thrust angle: n/a

These are the figures i've copied from my US spec Honda manual

Total toe: Front In, 1 +/- 2.0 deg (1/16 +/- 1/16)
Rear In, 2.0 + 2.0 or - 1.0 deg (1/16 +/- 1/16)

I'd shoot for zero toe.

[outatime]

A little bit of front toe out will give you more responsive steering, at the cost of increased tyre wear and less stability. The figures you quoted aren't fatal.



is my front toe out? what about the rears? it's almost close to zero.

[fatboyz39]

you have toe IN.

[CB7_OWNER]

Can you adjust the rear toe on a honda accord 90-93? i had my alignment done, and was told he couldn't adjust the rear toe for me at the back..

[Eclipsor]

Yes. There are off centre washers on the inside of the rear (forward) lower control arm. I think it is fairly common for them to become seized though. At least in the USA.

[EK1.6LCIV]

I would love a shop in Bris to actually do a proper align...

[jeansey]

got an alignment yesterday after i changed my sussy.

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/8874/vhmghdjkknp6.jpg

[outatime]

^^ his settings are far from 0 - even higher than mine. is 0 mm really achievable?

[bennjamin]

ofcourse 0 is. its "centre" toe.
there is settings plus and minus in mm , 0 being the middle.
Suspension parts may prevent car getting true 0 degrees.

[string]

This is why I align my car myself with string - because I get more accurate than a dodgey shop, and it costs me nothing.

[Eclipsor]

I would love a shop in Bris to actually do a proper align...

Goodyear Northgate. Caleb there will do specific settings if you ask for them. He's been doing mine for a few years now. Camber kits, lowered etc. Gets the job done.

[unity]

^^ his settings are far from 0 - even higher than mine. is 0 mm really achievable?

May I please ask where you got your alignment done?

[beeza]

This is why I align my car myself with string - because I get more accurate than a dodgey shop, and it costs me nothing.

PLEASE DO A DIY THREAD!!!

It would be soooo beneficial for EVERYBODY :D :thumbsup:

[outatime]

This is why I align my car myself with string - because I get more accurate than a dodgey shop, and it costs me nothing.

lol so that's why your nickname is 'string' ?

anyways i had another alignment today done by ACE Tyres in Smithfield. They were recommended by some members and mentioned in some threads here.

They could not do 0 toes because my car is lowered and has 16" rims. The inner side of the tyres are already worn out as well. Putting it to 0 will speed up the wear. They said if my car was stock height and stock rims then 0 is appropriate.

So these are the settings they did. It's actually similar to what jeansey has (see previous page). They said it will help reduce wear on the inside and help balance the wear.



REAR (L/R)
Toe: +0.8 mm / +0.8 mm
Camber: -1°32' / -2°06'

FRONT (L/R)
Toe: +1.5 mm / +1.5 mm
Camber: 2°04' / -1°42'

[saxophonias]

There are two different set of opinions regarding toe!
I would recommend toe out in front and toe in for the rear. Of course you have to adjust the toe levels on the stock permitted range. Toe out in front gives you better handling in terms of faster and more agile turn in! If your set up is quite understeerish you will see some improvement! If you don't give excessive toe out in front you will not experience the negative effects of toe out in general, that is tyre wear and nervous steering at high speeds!
As for the rear i personally prefer slight toe in. If you can handle oversteer tends well, then try zero value.

Finally i wouldn't be so anxious regarding your camber figures! I have the same more or less. The front camber is ideal. The rear is a little bit out of stock range but it won't cause you any problems. I have 2.5 on the rear axle and i haven't experience any abnormal tyre wear. However if i could set it at about 0 it would be ideal for fast cornering, with the rear helping you to turn faster! However you can achieve that participation of the rear otherwise! So, if i were you i wouldn't bother!