I'm planning my new suspension set up, here is is whats in the plans:

Tanabe GF210 springs, with KYB AGX shocks/struts, full urethane bushings, and either DTSS elimination if my DTSS is bad, or keep it if its good.

Stock sway bars, possibly with spherical bearing end links, may remove rear sway bar if DTSS is elimenated, rear strut tower brace, (front one after I finish building the 13b-re/rew hybrid engine in my garage, I am currently running an RE of stock turbos)

I guess the real question here is will I need camber adjustment in the front from a 1.5 inch drop?

I don't want a crazy stiff coilover like ride, but I if I'm going to need front camber plates, then the cost of the KYB AGX + tanabe springs + camber plates is going to allmost be at the cost of MEGAN coilovers. And I'm thinking if I don't like the ride they deliver I can replace the springs with lighter eibach or similar universal strait rate springs, the adjustment range of the dampers should allow this to work reasonably well.

So yeah can anyone make recomendations, does this make any sense.

 

Well since most, if not all camber plates are designed for small diameter coilover springs, it's doubtful that they'll work with stock replacement type springs.

 

I am fairly certain that there is camber plates that will fit stock type springs, with a limited adjustment range.

but let me re arrange the question. Will I be into undesirable negative camber with a 1.5" drop.

If so how would that be corrected, with or without camber plates.

 

Front camber plates are needed if you want the best performance out of your suspension...usually for race-use only.
I think it's more headaches than it's worth for street use, since excessive camber (+ or -) is going to induce premature tire wear.


-Ted

 

Why not just use a camber bolt? Just get a better quality one and you can reduce your front camber.

 

thats an option, Ive heard bad things about those, but if used carefully I'm sure it would work reasonably well, providing its position is marked and its checked at least monthly.

 

I don't like them cause they can slip.


-Ted

 

Yup, why I said better quality ones =). I bought some from a local alignment shop here and aligned my car nearly a year later, and it was nearly the same.

 

The use really will effect the slippage to a large degree. If you autocross or race then it's more likely to slip than if you just drive to and from work every day and never really corner very hard.

 

i got camber plates, usually i have them on 3 degrees camber, just for looks.

but when i go to the track, i will be setting it to 0, because in high speed corners, i can feel its not having all the grip i want, which will cause understeer!

 

Back to the discussion, is there another way to adjust the front camber maybe 1 degree pos to compensate for a small (1.5") drop. Other than camber bolts or camber plates.

 

you wont need to compensate for a 1.5 inch drop.

the front does not change camber much from being lowered. and even if it does go from 1 degree to 1.3 degrees for example, who cares its not going to affect anything at all.

the rear on the other hand, goes to -40 degrees camber when you drop it down.

 

I don't want to roll around on the street with even 1 Deg neg. I'd like to get it as close to zero as possible. Maybe .1 degree neg.

I want Max tire life.

 

No camber will likely cause MORE tire wear, more specifically on the outside edge. Every time you go around a corner the tire rolls onto that edge, that's what makes more camber give more grip (to a point), because the tire's flat on the pavement with equal pressure across it, take some of that camer away and the outside edge has more pressure and will wear faster.

BTW, 0 degrees for the track is a bad idea, you should just leave it at the 3 degrees or so you've got now and you'll have more grip than if you had it at zero.

 

O degrees for the drag strip is probably a good idea, yes I relize that it wouldn't be good for autocrossing.

the FSM disagrees with you, with settings that are on the POS side and overlap 0. I would guess that the FSM settings are intended to maximize tire wear, after all Mazda did provide a warantee on the tires when the vehicles where new.


Here are the stock settings from the FSM:
Camber + 0.20 deg +/- 0.3
Caster + 4.40 deg +/- 0.45
Toe in + 0.12 in +/- 0.12

 

So if he went with the AGX and GF210's, the front will be ok, but the back will be at -40 degrees camber? So will that cause more tire wear ?

 

**** 0 camber.
seriously. mines kinda off, and its around 0/slightly positive. and this is dropped on GC's as low as they go, which isnt actually that low in the front which is gay, but thats a whole nother thread.

the outside edges of my tires are gone, its even wearing down to the falken logo on the sidewalls. you do NOT want 0 camber, unless its in the rear for drag racing. youll just get the opposite effect of having too much camber, and youll wear away the outsides of the tire, round the edges and start wearing ninto the sidewall, even with daily driving.


edit;

-40 was an exxagerated overstatement. with just springs and shocks it should be a little much, but again, it wont cause any detriment. however, if the toe is off any camber will eat the tires. on GC's with the back down reallllly low the camber gets very bad. im talking like after a few drifting runs on the track, the insides are worn to belts and the outsides are still full tread. but on daily driving it would never get that bad, even with the crazy camber ive got.

However, on just springs i dont suspect it will get as bad, but adjusting it out cant hurt.