Are my alignment specs ok? Help!

[Sleipner]

Hi,

I've lowered my EU spec 2017 GT 5.0 with Eibach Pro-Kit lowering springs (EU Pro-Kit is linear) and wonder about the values I got when I went to the local shop (authorized Ford service center) for the alignment. The settings he used was for the PP / track pack GT 5.0.

I don't do track but I do like pushing the limit on fun, small, twisty roads and I therefore also mounted the BMR CB005 and the Steeda subframe alignment kit which are great! I also have 25mm spacers all around the car. I want good handling and grip but no excessive tire wear as it is my daily driver.

As you can see, the front camber is quite ok (i assume, a tad more aggressive than regular street if i understand this right) but I think the toe in is too conservative?
If i let go of the steering wheel after giving it a small jerk on the highway, I don't feel that it straightens up as quick as i'm used to, or at all. I guess the spacers are partially to blame, but is .02 degrees enough on a performance car?

Camber and caster is not adjustable in the front, so I guess I should be happy with those, or what is your opinion? Good enough? Bolts? Plates?

My other concern is the rear. As you can see, I had almost perfect symmetry on the rear camber after lowering it, but the right camber fell quite a lot when fixing the toe and the technician didn't know how to adjust the camber (i even pointed at the bolts) so he didn't touch it.

Is 2 degrees too much, or what do you think? How about the asymmetry of the left/right?

Due to the spacers, I'm a bit interested in keeping the wheels a bit tucked in due to legal reasons, but my main concern is the asymmetry between left and right camber and the tire wear / performance.

I know it's contradicting, and I might buy 23mm spacers for the rear, so give you opinion about the angles.

How about the rear toe in? Should it be higher than .07? The car goes straight as an arrow now compared to the slight righthand twist from before, so the thrust angle is perfect, but would i benefit from a more aggressive toe in in the rear in corner handling?

A lot of questions, but please - evaluate my wheel alignment and give me your opinion!

Just a quick crash course in swedish first ;)
Fram = front
Bak = rear
Vänster = left
Höger = right

Here comes the sheet! Top is before, bottom is after.

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[BmacIL]

Looks fine except left rear camber. They should be able to match the right and get it closer to -1.5.

PS, I just visited Stockholm for a week recently, my first time. It is a beautiful and amazing city and country!

 

[Sleipner]

Looks fine except left rear camber. They should be able to match the right and get it closer to -1.5.

PS, I just visited Stockholm for a week recently, my first time. It is a beautiful and amazing city and country!

Thanks for you're opinion!

Yeah I think so too - I'm not happy with the rear camber but he just shook his head and said "usually it's an eccentric bolt for alignment....." when i pointed at the adjustment bolt and went on with his day.

They should do a better job than charging 150 bucks for tweaking the toe angle in my opinion, but they took me in an hour too late, so I was in too much of a hurry to start arguing then and there...

Is it reasonable to go back and complain for that assymetry? How "bad" is it?
Is 2 degrees too much if i get them to push the right side in? 1.8? Or is 1.5 already pushing it?
(Tire poke comes to mind. Might as well by 23mm spacers straight away )

I've seen the instruction, but are you supposed to use a crowbar while trying to set the screw at the right point while the car is on it's wheels at the same time you are trying to see the reading on the machine? Really crappy design.... I've actually ordered the Steeda camber kit, but it's a bit pricy for making ONE alignment that should be possible with stock equipment.

Is it a bad idea to get more toe in at the front?

..

Yeah Stockholm is a beautiful city! Could be a great place if it wasn't on the wrong side of the country ;)

 

[BmacIL]

Thanks for you're opinion!

Yeah I think so too - I'm not happy with the rear camber but he just shook his head and said "usually it's an eccentric bolt for alignment....." when i pointed at the adjustment bolt and went on with his day.

They should do a better job than charging 150 bucks for tweaking the toe angle in my opinion, but they took me in an hour too late, so I was in too much of a hurry to start arguing then and there...

Is it reasonable to go back and complain for that assymetry? How "bad" is it?
Is 2 degrees too much if i get them to push the right side in? 1.8? Or is 1.5 already pushing it?
(Tire poke comes to mind. Might as well by 23mm spacers straight away )

I've seen the instruction, but are you supposed to use a crowbar while trying to set the screw at the right point while the car is on it's wheels at the same time you are trying to see the reading on the machine? Really crappy design.... I've actually ordered the Steeda camber kit, but it's a bit pricy for making ONE alignment that should be possible with stock equipment.

Is it a bad idea to get more toe in at the front?

..

Yeah Stockholm is a beautiful city! Could be a great place if it wasn't on the wrong side of the country ;)

For a street car I would not want much more than -1.5 deg. The alignment tech is probably not aware that the adjustment is a bolt in a slot. He can do better and I'd ask them to, if it were me.

 

[Sleipner]

For a street car I would not want much more than -1.5 deg. The alignment tech is probably not aware that the adjustment is a bolt in a slot. He can do better and I'd ask them to, if it were me.

Yeah I'll give it a shot.
Shouldn't need to install more stuff just for them to understand how to adjust it, although it can be nice to have in the future. Buying a full four wheel alignment for a S550 should give me just that - a full alignment of a S550.

Thanks for your help!

It's a great car, and with the lowering and the BMR/Steeda kits in the rear, it's so much better than stock!
Next step is the Steeda shifter base bushing to stiffen up the handling of that sketchy transmission.

I had a BMW M3 before and yeah, it was almost as good as it gets - it even had a V8 and a double-clutch gearbox, active suspension and perfect weight distribution, but my Mustang GT with the manual still gives me a bigger smile on the face while driving it and more thumbs up from people I meet.

 

[Roadway 5.0]

Is it a bad idea to get more toe in at the front?

No, it's not a bad idea at all. Going to 0.05 or 0.06 front and 0.12 for both the back left and right is a great setup for this car. The extra toe-in will give you more high speed stability.

For note, I was running 0.1 in the fronts/.12 in the rear while here in Germany for autobahn runs, now I'm set to 0.06 as I return to the US (and speed limits) in a few months.

 

[Mazman]

Välkommen

Maybe if you lived on the right side of the country the alignment would be spot on ... I also had issues had to do three attempts to get alignment ok.

I'll see if I can find my papers from the last alignment I did. Also told you that the CB005 is great

@BmacIL let me know next time you are in Stockholm

Thanks for you're opinion!

Yeah I think so too - I'm not happy with the rear camber but he just shook his head and said "usually it's an eccentric bolt for alignment....." when i pointed at the adjustment bolt and went on with his day.

They should do a better job than charging 150 bucks for tweaking the toe angle in my opinion, but they took me in an hour too late, so I was in too much of a hurry to start arguing then and there...

Is it reasonable to go back and complain for that assymetry? How "bad" is it?
Is 2 degrees too much if i get them to push the right side in? 1.8? Or is 1.5 already pushing it?
(Tire poke comes to mind. Might as well by 23mm spacers straight away )

I've seen the instruction, but are you supposed to use a crowbar while trying to set the screw at the right point while the car is on it's wheels at the same time you are trying to see the reading on the machine? Really crappy design.... I've actually ordered the Steeda camber kit, but it's a bit pricy for making ONE alignment that should be possible with stock equipment.

Is it a bad idea to get more toe in at the front?

..

Yeah Stockholm is a beautiful city! Could be a great place if it wasn't on the wrong side of the country ;)

 

[Sleipner]

Välkommen

Maybe if you lived on the right side of the country the alignment would be spot on ... I also had issues had to do three attempts to get alignment ok.

I'll see if I can find my papers from the last alignment I did. Also told you that the CB005 is great

@BmacIL let me know next time you are in Stockholm

Tackar!
I don't care how many times it takes as long as they make it right and I don't have to pay more for it

Your tip is very much appreciated - a completely different car with these simple fixes!
Had zero issues installing the Steeda alignment kit too, so I guess my subframe already was as good as it could be, but good to be certain!

Would be nice to see your alignment spec!

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