Proper Camber and Toe after installing lowering springs and spacers

[DanielS550]

Hello all,

Sorry if this has been posted already, tried looking for the info I needed without any luck.

I just installed the Eibach (Sportline) lowering springs and 20mm Hubcentric Spacers on my "17 GT with PP; right after that I aligned the car and the final results were this:

FRONT LEFT:
Camber: -1.9
Toe: -0.02

FRONT RIGHT:
Camber: -1.6
Toe: -0.01

REAR LEFT:
Camber: -1.9
Toe: 0.07

REAR RIGHT:
Camber: -1.9
Toe: 0.05


My concern is: Do I need to do something about any of this result? I am aware that since my car is no longer stock the "Stock set up" might not be needed or useful, but then again this is me assuming.

Thanks in advance.

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[jbailer]

It depends on what you want. The additional negative camber in the front might help with cornering but is probably a little more than you need and you tires will wear out faster. I would get Steeda Camber plates so it can be dialed back in correctly. I think about -1.0* in the front is good.

https://www.steeda.com/steeda-s550-mustang-camber-plates-15-16-all-555-8139.html

 

[MtnBiker]

I would get Steeda Camber plates so it can be dialed back in correctly. I think about -1.0* in the front is good.
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+1 for camber plates.

 

[ansibe]

IM(ns)HO, this alignment will work fine on the street, and even at the track. The high rear camber may lead to a bit of under-steer at the limit, but the car should still be fast and fun. It's true the tires will wear faster on the street, but if you go to the track with any frequency they might even last longer.

I don't like toe out, so I'd zero the toe up front. I also like a little toe in at the back, so your toe looks good for me. For me, your rear camber looks a bit high, but if you spend lots of time on road courses it might work. Unfortunately, changing rear camber is expensive, requiring camber links I think ($350 from BMR). But it's your car and you get to drive it, so my set up won't necessarily work for you. How do you plan to use your car?

General question for the well informed: why not use camber bolts? $30, and the OP could probably get from 1-3 deg of neg camber up front. I run camber bolts on my BRZ, and they work great, best $60 I ever spent (hey, I'm Canadian - everything is more expensive here!).

 

[MtnBiker]

IM(ns)

General question for the well informed: why not use camber bolts? $30, and the OP could probably get from 1-3 deg of neg camber up front. I run camber bolts on my BRZ, and they work great, best $60 I ever spent (hey, I'm Canadian - everything is more expensive here!).

Camber bolts obviously work. The OEM connection is a lot more robust however. The spindle bolts are torqued to 185 ft/lbs if memory serves. And the knurling engages both the spindle and flanges on the struts giving you a slip free and extremely strong connection...removal requires about a 3# sledge hammer and a lot of effort to remove. You are trading a lot of strength for camber adjustment.

 

[tj@steeda]

Happy to help with a set of Camber plates ... happy to help with pricing!

Best Regards,

TJ

 

[wildcatgoal]

Personally, I would not use camber bolts even if I was only driving my car to church on Sundays. Steeda camber plates is the way to go.

I ran -2.1 camber for an entire summer just so I could have the alignment I wanted for a couple track days... haha. Street tire wear wasn't abnormal - kept the toe to a minimum, which is what actually scrubs the tread.

 

[robwlf]

really bad - camber will make them wear a bit faster. but toe is a tire killer..
think im at 1.8 rear camber but i have 0.14 toe on each side rear . and like 1.2 camber front and 0.01 toe . and my guy used the ford settings or close to it i think for track .. i put 5 k miles on my stock tires rotated at 3k i didn't see any abnormal wear at all .

 

[thumper]

really bad - camber will make them wear a bit faster. but toe is a tire killer..
think im at 1.8 rear camber but i have 0.14 toe on each side rear . and like 1.2 camber front and 0.01 toe . and my guy used the ford settings or close to it i think for track .. i put 5 k miles on my stock tires rotated at 3k i didn't see any abnormal wear at all .

sadly for some of us who run staggered we cannot rotate argh :doh:

 

[thumper]

can people comment on this vorshlag camber plate?

http://www.vorshlag.com/blog/?p=1067

https://vorshlag-store.com/products...mustang-camber-caster-plates-coilover-perches

 

[Niz55]

Slotting the upper strut hole is the best way and free.

 

[Norm Peterson]

I don't like toe out, so I'd zero the toe up front.

This, maybe even +0.0x° (toe in).

General question for the well informed: why not use camber bolts?

Potentially inadequate clamping load. Potential for overstressing aftermarket crash bolts on initial installation (which in my opinion renders them only good as desktop conversation pieces).

There's nothing technically wrong with adjusting camber at the strut to knuckle attachment - as long as Ford's fastener installation torque spec is maintained. Keep in mind that torque is only an indirect method of estimating clamp load through the pieces being bolted together (that itself is an indirect estimate of how resistant the joint is to slipping). Bolted joints can and sometimes do slip because the holes are always bigger in order to permit the assembly of parts that have dimensional tolerances. Slippage in an inadequately tightened suspension joint typically results in at least an audible 'clunk' (the least of your concerns).

No Ford strut to knuckle fastener torque since the S197 has been less than 148 ft*lbs, and Ford eventually determined that even that might not always be enough. 75 ft*lb aftermarket bolts . . . just say no.


Norm

 

[thumper]

Camber bolts obviously work. The OEM connection is a lot more robust however. The spindle bolts are torqued to 185 ft/lbs if memory serves. And the knurling engages both the spindle and flanges on the struts giving you a slip free and extremely strong connection...removal requires about a 3# sledge hammer and a lot of effort to remove. You are trading a lot of strength for camber adjustment.

i'm glad someone brought this up. i'm not that mechanically inclined and made many mistakes with my old s197 that i don't want to repeat again...

i was also looking at these camber bolts from BMR:

http://www.bmrsuspension.com/?page=products&productid=1585

... so based on what most have said above, something like this for daily driver use is considered unsafe? according to the installation instructions:

http://www.bmrsuspension.com/siteart/install/FC003.pdf

the torque spec for the camber bolts is 125ft/lbs, and the factory lower bolt is 185ft/lbs... not enough?

 

[ansibe]

I appreciate the reply, Mr. Peterson.

It seems slippage is the main concern. FWIW, the camber plates on my s197 slipped out of position at a track day. At least it was easy to find the problem - besides the rather sudden and dramatic change in handling, I could see that the strut top bolt had slipped.

 

[msalvoni]

I appreciate the reply, Mr. Peterson.

It seems slippage is the main concern. FWIW, the camber plates on my s197 slipped out of position at a track day. At least it was easy to find the problem - besides the rather sudden and dramatic change in handling, I could see that the strut top bolt had slipped.

Im not sure what your point is and I am trying to understand. Are you saying that slippage can occur but its an easy fix? are camber bolts less or more likely to slip?

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