alrite my story is that i installed my hotchkis springs and now im cambered like a **** in the back.. i heard some on here say that a camber kit is not necessary for hotchkis springs because it can adjust with an allignment or something.. is that tru? do i need a camber kit? and if i do where can i buy one for the 4 wheels. i found camber links or kit only for the back.. does the front need a camber kit also?

 

do you have camber in the front? I have it but only in the rear and plan on getting another allignment and telling them to see if they can fix the camber. I know Hotchkis only sells camber links for the rears only.

 

There should be enough adjustment in the rear with the stock setup without camber links, which Hotchkis makes. For the front, you'll need camber bolts, which you can order through Toyota for under $20 a pair (part# 90105-17011). However, your alignment shop will charge extra to install the bolts and camber links.

 

hmm thanks for the fast replies.. i know a shop that will install the camber stuff if i need to for cheap.. does anyone with hotchkis springs know exactly what i need to find out?

 

have you gotten an allignment yet? When were the springs installed? wherever your taking it to get an allignment ask them first to see if they can fix the camber with the allignment?

 

no i have not gotten an allignment becasue everyone says get a camber kit then go for allignment.. i installed them about 2 weeks ago..

 

the rear are adjustable... but its always good to be a little bit neg. in the back... as for the front... you can either get it done custom by elongating the bolt to make it adjustable or you can get the camber links...

I'm just passing my knowledge to you cuz i got raped @ the alignment shop... to slot my subframe to fix toe.... custom links.... alignment i paid 351... i know i know... its alot... but for the custom work done it was worth. it... but it kinda sucks now... my shocks are blown..

 

blown shocks?? do u have hotchkis?? how many miles u had on ur spring when it blew?? thanks..

 

i have 62000 miles, i have the tein s-tech springs....

 

62000 miles and you think your shocks going is bad? 62000 miles on a 2"+ drop I would say 62000 is amazing.

 

^^ True.

 

wow... thats a lot.. so i gess im safe on my shocks for a while.?.

 

I've done alignments on 7 different TCs now...one (mine) twice...
Only one of them had not been lowered. ALL of them were adjusted without having to install additional parts.

There is one problem, though. The rear camber is adjusted using eccentric cams on the upper lateral link. The bolt that goes through there (front to back) is ALWAYS too tight. Most of them were so tight that the brackets on either side of the bushing were distorted keeping the bushing from sliding, preventing any adjustment. The last one I did required pulling the whole damn thing apart.

The rear camber spec is -.92 degrees+/- .5 degrees.
I prefer to get the most life I can out of my tires, so I like to run -.5 to -.6 degrees. But if you have a big drop somewhere better than 2" on the rear, you'll get, at the most, somewhere around -.7 to -.8
The rubber can take a beating with -1.2 to -1.4 and usually end up cupping (making noise and vibration) and premature inside edgewear.

Front camber has never been a problem. It'll go from about -.4 to +.3
Unless you bend a strut (by hitting curbs or big potholes) the camber's slight adjustment range is perfect.

Caster is NOT adjustable. If your caster is "out of whack", you 've hit something hard enough to bend a lower control arm.

Hope this helps...

 

So I Do Not need a cmaber kit for the hotchkis drop? thanks for the help.. i really do not know what i need

 

do all alignment shops fix camber problems? I have a lifetime alignment with break check and just wanted to make sure so i can get this done before i get a set of spacers for the front & rear.

 

i had the same question. thanks for the answer. is it good to wait a couple weeks for the springs to settle first before getting the alignment done?

 

The alignment won't change much if it settles a quarter inch or so...besides it's best to get the alignment checked once a year anyway.
A reputable shop will align all that is adjustable. If it's not adjustable (and out-of-spec), they should be able to show you a printout of what's out and what it'll take to fix it. This will obviously be at additional cost...
Camber kits are probably not going to be necessary, regardless of your drop. If they recommend them, it's probably because the stock adjuster won't move and the kits provide a "better way" to adjust the rear camber.

I, personally, would not wait. A suspension drop will change toe as well. This is the main "wear angle". Most of the cars I've dropped have had toe change almost half a degree. This much change will wear tires quickly and will also cause the car to steer strangely...(wander side to side while attempting to go straight)

 

To learn more about the terms used in this posting and how things change when you lower a car go to www.ingallseng.com there is a very nice Tech section

 

thanks everyone..

 

No problem. Did you find the info you needed?