Quicksilver
01-31-2003, 10:42 AM
I just got done dropping my car about 2" with Tein SS coilover, and thought I'd share my experience with the wheel alignment afterwards. The camber was noticibly negative on both the front and the rear. So I ordered up the front and rear Ingalls camber kits and dialed in a rough 0 degrees in the front with a little more negative in the rear. In just the brief period that I didn't have a camber kit, I wore a noticible inside wear on the tire. If I hadn't gotten the kit, the camber numbers below would probably be off by another -1 degree in the front and -2 degrees in the rear.
In driving around before I could get the alignment done, I noticed that the rear wheels had quite a bit of rubber dust buildup in the back, but not in the front. This was a sure indicator that the rear toe was way off. Just for reference, our rear wheels toe out when accelerating (or after being lowered) and toe in under braking.
Here are the before and after results of the alignment:
Before:
Front wheel camber: 0.2/-0.4 degrees (l/r)
Front wheel toe: 0.11"/0.03" (l/r)
Rear wheel camber: -0.9/-0.7 degrees (l/r)
Rear wheel toe: 0.17"/0.13" (l/r)
After:
Front wheel camber: 0.1/0.0 degrees (l/r)
Front wheel toe: 0.00"/0.01" (l/r)
Rear wheel camber: -0.8/-0.7 degrees (l/r)
Rear wheel toe: 0.04"/0.05" (l/r)
Specified Range: (preferably in the middle of the two numbers)
Front wheel camber: -0.8 to 0.8 degrees
Front wheel toe: -0.06" to 0.06"
Rear wheel camber: -1.5 to 0.0 degrees
Rear wheel toe: 0.02" to 0.08"
This shows that the rear toe was indeed severly outside the specified range and would cause uneven wear on the tires. Without the camber kits, I don't think they could have gotten the wheels withing spec either. I also noticed that a humming/vibrating sound I had coming from what seemed like the driver's side of the car before the alignment was gone afterwards.
So for all those posts that say, "Do I need a camber kit with a 2" drop?" or "Do I need to get an alignment after I lower my car?", the answer is a resounding "YES!!!". Unless you don't car about replacing tires more often that usual and annoying road noise. :D
Happy Motoring!
Kurtis
In driving around before I could get the alignment done, I noticed that the rear wheels had quite a bit of rubber dust buildup in the back, but not in the front. This was a sure indicator that the rear toe was way off. Just for reference, our rear wheels toe out when accelerating (or after being lowered) and toe in under braking.
Here are the before and after results of the alignment:
Before:
Front wheel camber: 0.2/-0.4 degrees (l/r)
Front wheel toe: 0.11"/0.03" (l/r)
Rear wheel camber: -0.9/-0.7 degrees (l/r)
Rear wheel toe: 0.17"/0.13" (l/r)
After:
Front wheel camber: 0.1/0.0 degrees (l/r)
Front wheel toe: 0.00"/0.01" (l/r)
Rear wheel camber: -0.8/-0.7 degrees (l/r)
Rear wheel toe: 0.04"/0.05" (l/r)
Specified Range: (preferably in the middle of the two numbers)
Front wheel camber: -0.8 to 0.8 degrees
Front wheel toe: -0.06" to 0.06"
Rear wheel camber: -1.5 to 0.0 degrees
Rear wheel toe: 0.02" to 0.08"
This shows that the rear toe was indeed severly outside the specified range and would cause uneven wear on the tires. Without the camber kits, I don't think they could have gotten the wheels withing spec either. I also noticed that a humming/vibrating sound I had coming from what seemed like the driver's side of the car before the alignment was gone afterwards.
So for all those posts that say, "Do I need a camber kit with a 2" drop?" or "Do I need to get an alignment after I lower my car?", the answer is a resounding "YES!!!". Unless you don't car about replacing tires more often that usual and annoying road noise. :D
Happy Motoring!
Kurtis