Alignment after installing new springs?

[cp5899]

So this is to adjust camber in the rear?

I just had my car aligned and was told there was only toe adjustment on the rear and that they didn't have camber adjustment. If this is how it's done then I'm going to bring it back and have them adjust it. My rear camber is at -1.9 on both rear tires.

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[peppersam740]

rear camber

Just have to know where it is. I just adj my rear camber in my garage. Hats off to Norm.

 

[dwaleke]

So this is to adjust camber in the rear?

I just had my car aligned and was told there was only toe adjustment on the rear and that they didn't have camber adjustment. If this is how it's done then I'm going to bring it back and have them adjust it. My rear camber is at -1.9 on both rear tires.

If you adjust rear camber I'd also look at rear toe. Seems like a lot of toe-in back there. I would put it closer to zero myself.

 

[Norm Peterson]

If you adjust rear camber I'd also look at rear toe. Seems like a lot of toe-in back there. I would put it closer to zero myself.

Agreed. Halfway between factory preferred (0.1° per previous post) and max toe in is not where you'd want to set it unless you were actively trying to dumb down the car's nimbleness. Even factory preferred is going to be a bit conservative.


Norm

 

[peppersam740]

camber bolt torque lbs

Hello Norm; Would you know how tight to tighten camber bolt. Ball park would be fine. Thanks

 

[Norm Peterson]

Hello Norm; Would you know how tight to tighten camber bolt. Ball park would be fine. Thanks

The camber bolt shown in Post #59? I have no idea, don't even know what the bolt size is. There might be a factory shop manual show up online somewhere sometime in the near future. I know I've seen S197 shop manuals online.


Norm

 

[peppersam740]

cam bolt

Bolt is 18mm I have tightened it at about 60lbs

 

[DickR]

The camber bolt shown in Post #59? I have no idea, don't even know what the bolt size is. There might be a factory shop manual show up online somewhere sometime in the near future. I know I've seen S197 shop manuals online.


Norm

From 2015 Factory Shop Manual CD:

Rear:

Loosen the upper control arm inboard nut approximately 2 turns, and slide the upper control arm inboard or outboard to adjust the rear camber.
Torque : 85 lb.ft (115 Nm)

Front:

On both sides. Tighten the strut-to-spindle bolts and nuts.
Torque : 184 lb.ft (250 Nm)

 

[DickR]

Bolt is 18mm I have tightened it at about 60lbs

From CD:

Rear Toe eccentric bolt

Using alignment equipment and the manufacturer's instructions, check the rear toe setting on both sides.
Use the General Equipment: Wheel Alignment System

NOTE: Make sure that the toe settings are not disturbed while tightening the nuts.

Loosen the toe link nut approximately one full turn.
Torque : 129 lb.ft (175 Nm)
Rotate the toe link bolt to achieve the specified toe setting.

 

[Norm Peterson]

From 2015 Factory Shop Manual CD:

Front:
Quote:
On both sides. Tighten the strut-to-spindle bolts and nuts.
Torque : 184 lb.ft (250 Nm)

Thanks for the data, maybe even more for that front data. Aftermarket front "camber bolts" that are only supposed to get torqued down to 80 ft-lbs or maybe even less now sound like an even worse idea for a S550 than they were for the S197.


Norm

 

[dwaleke]

There's no way a bolt that holds the front strut clevis bracket together can be held with 80 ft-lbs. That's a joke.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Tell me about it.

Then look up the torque spec for installing any of the aftermarket "camber bolts". IIRC, Eibach's spec is 77 ft-lbs, against the earliest S197 spec of 148 or the revised spec of 166.

It gives me the willies to think how many people will just slap those things on their freshly lowered car and call the job done.


Norm

 

[dubster99]

I wonder why there's no OEM camber adjustment in the front, but there is in the rear...because they are drive wheels?

 

[dtraill27]

Might be a dumb question but after dropping it and going for the alignment do you tell the shop its been lowered so they can compensate for it or do they just put in the factory specs?

 

[Grimace427]

Might be a dumb question but after dropping it and going for the alignment do you tell the shop its been lowered so they can compensate for it or do they just put in the factory specs?

Use factory specs. They specs have a range so things like camber will be slightly different than when it was stock.

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