SteveNC

What direction should the arrow point on the strut mount bearing plate?

Looking for the factory position and/or the "best" position for street. I've seen lots of threads about best max camber/caster, but no good photos.

I am in the process of replacing the strut cartridges, all bushings, and springs (Racing Beat) and while I marked everything I discovered that the driver side had the arrow pointing forward and in (toward the radiator/engine), the passenger side had the arrow pointing forward out toward the right signal light marker.

If it matters, I'm using Racing Beat springs, Energy Suspension bushings, KYB inserts and the KYB SM5304 plate. I don't do any track driving, just trying to improve on 35 year old parts and maybe get a little bit of budget performance.

I've included a picture of the passenger side so you can see what i mean. My current assumption is that the passenger side is wrong and that I need to set it like the driver side.

GSLSEforme

To address your question of best strut mount position for the street,disregard current positioning of strut mounts and install them with offset facing in toward engine and back toward windshield-both sides. This gives max amount of negative camber and maximum amount of caster. There is not a lot of gain for either, about .5 degree,but enough to make doing so worthwhile. Only a very thorough alignment shop would take time to disassemble and orient mounts for best handling,most will simply set toe. Might as well do this for yourself now as it requires no extra effort at this point.

The increased negative camber helps turn in/cornering and this moderate amount of negative camber will not affect tire wear. Caster change helps with straight line stability and aids in steering wheel return to center after turning a corner. More caster can be added to accentuate this trait (my preference) by adjusting strut rods but adds to a slight increase in steering effort which is magnified by wider tires/wheels but not objectionable in stock configuration.

After completing suspension work,drive car for about 100 miles then get aligned. This will allow time for new springs to settle. Have alignment shop set your toe in at 1/16". Have them give you the before and after printout of your cars specs. There are many here who prefer a simple string alignment at home,partly due to bad experiences at alignment shops. I prefer knowing exact measurements as it helps in tuning,problem solving of handling/tire wear issues. I'm fortunate in that i have access to an alignment rack to do my own cars.

Pic of driver side strut mount position on my SE...