a1racer

first off i know a lot of people will say oh you can just drop your car and not worry about aligning it. or neg camber just help's me in the corner's. last month i installed my tien ssp's and my hotchkis rear control arm's i drove the car for about 2 week's to let the spring's settel i only lowered the car about 1.75 inche's. here is the before measurment's front toe was -1.15* dealer range is -.20 to +.20 front camber was -1.59 per side dealer range was -.10 to +.10 . the rear total toe was 0.78* dealer range is .10* to .50* camber was at -1.8*per side dealer range is -1.4 to -.4 . what does this mean it mean's that if you are lowering you car by any amount you should take it to an alignment shop. i know there are still people who will say who care's but let me put it to you this way say you just put on some aftermarket rim's and tire's say 225x40x18 you have a wider tire but less contact patch due to neg camber . hope this help's some of you if you are debating getting you car aligned after dropping it.

engifineer

For those that argue, just let em drive for a while and watch those expensive tires get chewed to hell

a1racer

that's what im sayin and a properly adjusted suspension will put more rubber to the road

SXT_HuntToKill

or you could just set your neg camber to about -1.75/-2.25 and get the nitto neo gen tires and not worry about camber wear... there problem solved

DJHypnotic

If you have a camber kit, you wouldnt need to get a alignment done right? and would you still have to get an alignment done if your rollin on trd springs?, because many ppl have told me inless its more than an inch and a half, there is no need.

a1racer

if you read above i only lowered the car about 1.75 inches that's only .25 inches more than the trd spring's . and also just because the neogens say they will last longer does not mean that the tire contact patch is at an optimal level so you are still not getting all the traction you could be getting.

B1uEsC1uEs

id also want this question answered

The_Instigator

You would still want to get the car aligned when installing a camber kit as it wont fix the problem by installing it. What it allows you to do is adjust the camber after the springs are installed where the stock arms wont allow for adjustments. An alignment shop will be able to correct the camber to stock a to a setting of your choice using the adjustable arms.

B1uEsC1uEs

oh ok thank

how much do they usually charge for an alignment?

The_Instigator

You should be able to get it done at a good shop for $75 or less

B1uEsC1uEs

sounds good enough. thanks again

a1racer

yeah most shop's are pretty reasonable 100 buck's or less and dont forget that the camber kit does not fix the problem unless you take it to the alignment shop to have it set.

mbaledge

$49.95 fea at your local Les Schwab Tire Center.
Camber kits are not necessary unless your camber is our of whack. And, if that's the case, it is usually a bushing with an eccentric. I haven't done a tC yet, but I'm an alignment tech and do this stuff all day. When you raise or lower a vehicle, always have a 4 wheel alignment done to ensure even tire wear patterns. For those who think you might need an alignment because your car pulls one way or another, check your tire pressure first ;)

a1racer

thank's for the support there are a lot of people who tell other people dont worry about it the extra camber will just help you corner better only problem is that as you corner the outside wheel will add in camber as the suspension compresses so it put's the camber even more out of spec.

O5_TRD_tC

a1racer, im running the same setup as you, how long do u think I should wait for the coilovers to settle before getting an allignment? Also any specs that I can tell the shop?

a1racer

i waited about 2 weeks if they have ever worked on a car with adjustable coilovers than they should be fine if not just set your ride hight before going in so that once it is aligned you dont through off the settings by having to raise or lower it any more also keep an idea of were your ride height is so if you do lower it for a show or any other reason you can place it back at the same ride height and your alignment will still be ok.

bubblemyster

wow its enginfineer. I haven't seen you on here in a long time. I thought you died or something.

O5_TRD_tC

and im guessing you cant take it to your local auto parts shop? anyone know where in the bay area wher they specialize in alignment for lowered cars?

killerxromances

Wow guys.

Neg. camber does not chew up the tires, toe does. Neg. camber will increase handling performance within reason and the neg camber acheived by just lowering, is not enough to hurt performance at all. While yes, it is a good call on having your car aligned but it also varies depending upon drop.

Camber does not equal toe. My last car i ran with neg. camber, and with the box i have had neg camber with a 2.2-2.3'' drop for about 10,000+ miles now. (have a little over 18kodo) My tires are now chewed up and the tires are just fine.

a1racer

you all ready argued your point on the other thread now you are trying to bring it up agine when the facts are in your face the toe as well as camber were changed by lowering the car yet you still try to argue your point let it go and realize you are wrong. i dont go in the xb fourm and tell you how to work on your box this is a totaly differant car. and a totaly differant suspension . just to make thing's clear no body ever said cambet = toe your just to lazy to read the entire post where i listed that the toe as well as camber where both not with in factory spec's