I just got TRD springs and shocks installed, so I took it to get an alignment. I just have a few questions about it.

I'm having trouble figuring out the alignment sheet that they printed out. I am assuming that "Actual" means after. Is this right?
And if that is true than why are some of the numbers out of the specified range in the Actual column. Is this something I should be worried about. I don't know what all the terms mean like camber, caster, toe, SAI, etc.

I should have asked them after, to explain, but I didn't so I am asking others who probably know since a lot of you have lowered your tC.
They will guarantee the alignment for 30 days so if the springs settle than I can take it back and they will redo it, but I don't know if they can't make these numbers any better or what.

And one more quick question. It seems like the rear was dropped a little more than the front and a little lower than it seems like I have seen in pictures of other tC's with TRD springs. The gap is maybe about 3/4 inch less than in the front. Can anyone confirm that it is supposed to be lower than the front or is something wrong?

 

Looks to me like they couldn't get the rear camber to adjust to spec (or didn't try). I'd ask them to explain...It IS adjustable.

(If they tell you they tried and it wouldn't move, believe it. It DOES happen. Scion overtorqued the bolts for the rear camber adjusters and sometimes the inner bracket gets distorted and they won't adjust.)

Make 'em get it right, even if it costs more. That much negative camber is sure to cause cupping, uneven wear, meaning noise and reduced tire life. They obviously set the rear toe to "almost max" to try to make up for the negative camber.

I wouldn't worry too much about the rest.

 

yes that rear toe wasn't even done correctly. that should be reading between 0.12 and 0.15 for both left and right sides (total toe should've been 0.24-0.30) and yes sounds like they were LAZY in that they didn't really touch the camber settings in the rear

what is camber? look at a tire, it's the top tilting in and out of the tire. When looking from the tire while the tire is standing straight up. make them readjust it.. and get that toe in the rear to a better setting than what it is.. get it even in the 0.12-0.15 range

 

Thanks for the replies. I went back today and talked to them about it. They redid it and here is the printout.



As you can see the springs settled and the rear camber was even worse. He was able to get them to -1.4 and -1.0 but that is as far as he could get them. He said it was very difficult and he used all his strength.

He said there was no caster adjustment for the car, and that is why the Cross SAI is off. He said if he was able to get the caster within range then the Cross SAI would also be fixed but there is no caster adjustment. Does anyone else know if this is true.

What do you guys think. If possible I would like to see the alignment specs of others who have TRD springs and shocks so I can compare. Or just stock shocks with TRD springs if that doesn't make any difference. I don't know if it does. Thanks.

 

i did some searching around on the net after i read this thread and i found that there is no adjustment for the castor on the tc unless u get a full coilover system that comes with castor adjuster plates built into the top of it. from the looks of the 2nd printout everything is within specs. even though the ones in red says it out of specs its right on the border of the specs. ur car should be fine. i can't find my printout right now but i will put it up when i can find it.

 

djpax- yes your mechanic is right. There isn't a caster adjustment. The only thing that would fix the caster is by replacing the lower control arm, that would fix the caster.

The reason he was able to get it within range is when he adjusted the toe, and camber in the rear, it affected the caster in the front. It is on the edge, but if it's under warranty you could always claim that the lower control arm is bad..

But they can always come back and say that you must've hit something (always an excuse about everything).

You also could go to another dealer for them to check the alignment (put it on the rack and just see what the settings are). Sometimes if they don't put the sensors on the wheels correctly, or calibrate it, it can affect the readings.

 

i finally found a place that has an alignment rack that is flat on the ground (ala jiffy lube style) so i can get my car aligned without having to remove my front bumper.

 

I got a 4 wheel alignment the other day after getting eibach springs. I had some questions too and the place said that some things they can't change. I don't have a scan of my sheet, but the only number that's red in the "actual" section is front SAI. I'll go take a look at my sheet a little later and try and post up some of my numbers. Hope it'll help.

 

Steering Axis Inclination is NOT a wear angle. It only affects how fast/easy the steering wheel returns to center after turn...
Do not be alarmed about this reading. The only thing to look for here is whether they are equal...side to side...
I'm also finding it hard to believe that the rear camber can be that negative with a modest TRD drop. You don't carry around some 200 lb. box in the back, do you? That might explain it...

 

Gortok, thanks for the explaination of SAI. Whats the difference between SAI and Cross SAI? I would say my box in the trunk weighs about 50 lbs.

As I mentioned in the first post, the rear looked a little lower than the front, although now I think it has evened out to just about the same. The rear tires are a little farther into the wheel well than the front so that can also cause an illusion of the wheel gap being smaller. When you are farther away from the car and you put your eyes at tire level the wheel gaps look about the same now. I hope that makes sense.