I am about to get my new tires put on and the car is in very serious need of an alignment. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to differentiations from the stock alignment that it would be good to request when I go to the shop. I intend to autocross the car extensively but also drive it on the street. Thanks in advance for your thoughts and suggestions.

Ben

 

bump

 

http://www4.tpgi.com.au/adsy01/s123.htm
from adys site at http://www4.tpgi.com.au/adsy01/ in the tech section

the sites a good read, i knew i had seen some specs before.....

 

First off, make sure all your steering components, tie-rods, ball-joints etc are in good shape and aren't worn. No sense messing with your alignment if you've got crappy parts.

For autocross you might want to dial in a little less caster than stock. 4 degrees is pretty close to the stock setting. It'll cause the steering to react a little quicker. On the other hand you might find it to be a little more "darty" at highway speed.

As far as camber goes you don't have much choice with the stock components, you can either go either 1 degree positive or 1 degree negative. Go for one degree negative. If you can pony up the bucks you could get adjustable camber/caster plates but that's a whole different ball game.

Start off with 1/8" toe-in.

Basically, if you have stock suspension parts dial it in with the mfr numbers to start then work from there.

 

Thanks for the advice, have RB springs and Tokiko blues. But I will take that under advisement when I go to the alignment shop.

Ben

 

Toe: 0*
Camber: the strut tops are not symetrical - turn them so the little triangles (visible on the black rubber on the top) are pointing back and center. This should give the best camber and caster settings.
Caster: you can dial in a little with the tension rods, but not much. I leave mine pretty close to stock.

 

I have found that caster can be dramatically altered with the tension rods.

 

toe in? toe out 1/8" for better turn in and tracking. more caster to help increase camber when turning. grow muscles to compensate for the stronger wheel. i agree with the placement of the tower. the strut nut is closest to one stud. that stud should be back and toward the engine compartment. start with the front struts a little looser then the rears to promote oversteer. if it is too much, bring them even, still too much soften the rears. remember this is just to control how the car will react on entry. the springs and tire alignment will take over after the shocks have settled.