I would also like to know where the rest of you guys stand on damper settings.
People have advised me to go max-stiffness up front, and then stock to limp-dick soft in the rear. Doesn't sound right to me. Never really got a straight answer for FCs
BC coils, 8k front, 6k rears, 30-levels of dampening... Suggestions?

 

That wpuld be different between any coilover and driver. I suggest playing around with it. Feel what your car is doing and make small adjustments accordingly. I dont think anyone can give you a real answer on that.

 

I'd just like a general idea. I'm sure the difference in damping isn't all that drastic between brands of coilovers, and most of us are running similar spring rates anyway.

 

I could only get -4* in the front but I havent notched my coilovers yet
And I couldnt get my rear camber any better then -2*
Everything else I put to this spec. Just got back from my first event and I really like this a lot. Thanks for the tips

 

if the front feels good just leave it there... the extra camber in the front will just make the steering return feel better/faster..

for the rear the closer you get to 0deg will just help in tire wear, which will obviously also give you more rear grip. wondering why you couldn't get to 0 on the back though? do you have both the center camber link and individual camber links?

 

Yes, i have both the bar and the individual links in the back. I pulled your post up on my phone and said "do this" and he said he would do what he could. He told me he maxed out all the camber adjustments. He said it was -5* and -4.5* in the back and the most he could get them to evenly was -2*

But i do think me living in the middle of nowhere has something to do with it. My only option was a super old alignment shop with a manual rack(no electronics whatsoever) ran by a bunch of old stubborn rednecks. Now I know these old guys have way more experience in this area than I ever could but I know they dont have much experience on anything thats not a pickup truck or a camaro. I had to crawl under the car and explain to him what to adjust. So im guessing they just werent too sure what they were doing. I had to argue with them to let me drive out of there with -4*of camber in the front. They told me the car wouldnt drive right. I havent had any time to look for myself either because i basically loaded the car on the trailer the next day to drive to Florida

But overall, im very happy with how he car feels now despite my less than perfect rear camber tire wear

 

it might be worth it to you to pick up some longacre toe plates and camber gauge to just do alignments by yourself... it's possible to do it by yourself but easier if you have a buddy to help with the toe plates.. it's kinda a one time fee for alignment and also if you tap anything at the track you then have the right tools to adjust it if needed..

 

just to add....
Firestone has a lifetime alignment for $267. you could come as often as you want to check it or to make adjustments. There is one here that has the machine for lowered cars. im thinking about it

 

Will they do custom specs? I suppose this varies from location to location.

 

yea i told the dude that i wanted negative 4 degrees camber in front, blah blah blah, and he was like yeah we can do that

 

rumble strips can knock alignment out and just wear and tear on components as well. i personally think it is a good investment

 

ive always just eyeballed and did the alignment myself. i dont go to shops, but this deal is nation wide. so if you're out of state then your covered and can get the car aligned, no money out of pocket

 

Good stuff! Couldn't I just cut 2 pieces of aluminum and measure them (for toe)? Maybe I'm overlooking something...

Awesome this may be the best way to go if they honor this nationwide. Do they take your VIN or something to know who/what car has this. I did the online quote and for my area its only showing $169

 

just use a level app on your iphone for camber. toe is two alloy plates with slits in them for tape measures. caster isn't adjustable on fc.

obviously an alignment shop is going to be the best route, but the ghetto method works for quick touchups at the track.

 

Finally got a real alignment yesterday, Found out with my Parts Shop Max coils with the camber plates maxed out and extended balljoints 1.5", I have -6.3* camber up front.

Zeroed the toe all the way around, with no camber adjustment in the rear, it has like -4.1* camber in the back. Next up is knuckles

 

Just returned from another event at Central Florida Racing Complex, and I gotta say the info above and eliminating DTSS were two of the best things I have ever done to my car...predictability-wise. Made a huge difference. Thanks

 

Noob question below. I've decided to build my fc to drift and I'm reading and learning as much as I can. But I need some suggestions on things. I am literally new to building a drift.

For the fc in particular, is it suggested to run a dramatic angle when sliding before attempting? Can I just run "stock" angle with neg camber to get the fc to slide and transition just as easy?

 

yes. stock knuckles have been used for over 25 years. everyone that drifts an fc has used stock knuckles with stock angle at one point or another.

 

^ Modded knuckles are nice, but not needed in the least to get out there and drift.

 

Might get yelled at for this, but whatever.

I'm thinking of buying an FC for use as a drift missile. I don't know what my suspension plan should be as I'm new to the chassis. I think I have a good grasp of the front stuff. Its mostly the rear stuff confuses the hell out of me coming form S14 multi-link. I'll be doing coil overs and a welded rear end.

0 to -0.5 rear camber w/ a bit of toe in makes sense. But I have no idea what should be done link wise in the rear to accomplish that. From reading it sounds like the center link thing (sublink?) doesn't work if you solid mount the sub-frame and diff right? So that sounds like an either this or that question. I heard about cutting and welding something on the rear subframe, was it the sublink people are talking about with that? I wasn't paying too much attention to FC's back then.

Individual adjusters - fine tune camber based on what your center link thing, but not adjustable factory. Is that right?

Eccentric bolts for adjusting toe - outboard of the front side of the trailing arms. Are those generally to be eliminated? I hear weird things about a rear steer system on these things.

Lateral links - what the heck do they adjust? Looks like they keep the camber curve in check on the hubs for the trailing arms. But that's just a guess.

Subframe / Diff bushings - in my nissan, they're weak as **** and everyone runs aluminum, do these cars not have the same problem?

Picture of what I'm scratching my head over, let me know if I have any names for things *** backwards.

 

I guess to follow up my above post, what I'd like to know is this: What links are needed to get the rear of the car working with near zero negative camber, and a bit of toe in?

Assume it's going to be lowered a bit on coil-overs, probably won't be slammed because i tend to go flying over curbs at events.

 

the eccentric bolts should be maxed out towards the rear of the car to give you the most wheelbase(like 1/4" more). the FC susp tends to get shorter as it squats and it will rub on the front part of the fenders depending on tire/wheel combo.

center adjuster i just cut and welded a stock one shorter. you can't really adjust them anyway with stiffer subframe bushings.

individual camber links are cool so get those.

the "mysterious" link you mentioned are the toe rods. definitely get those. since you will no longer use the eccentric bolts, you will need the toe rods.

also get DTSS elimn.

also get a car first and just go drive it as much as possible and upgrade **** when you feel the need to.

 

Basically what George said. Really the most important thing is coils and DTSS eliminators, those will make the car solid and controllable. Don't even worry about aligning the back until you are able to consistently control the car. Run as much camber/caster up front as possible and either 0 toe or a little bit of toe out. If you plan on street driving the car much I'd go for 0 toe up front, if you're only tracking it toe out will give you a little more angle and make it feel better sideways, but it feels like **** driving it on the street, especially in the rain.

 

I've got a welder, so cutting and welding the center link shorter isn't a big deal. How much is removed from that link? Does it depend on how much the car's been lowered by?

I've got enough seat time in my S14 to not really want to be wasting my time on a compromised alignment. The rest of the car will be ratty as hell, but I'm determined to have a good alignment.

Cut / weld center link, Individual adjusters, and DTSS eliminators round out the basic rear suspension. Welding the diff and running some coilovers was already part of the plan. I'll leave the front stock. Might add outer tie rods after a while, but I don't mind rocking stock angle.


I don't know how much it will see street driving, I might give it some historic tags just to hoon about on.

 

Looking to get some rear overs for my car. I've never messed with any flare type panels on any of my cars. What are peoples suggestions? Do some have well lines that sit higher or lower, fitment, etc. Looking to stay at 30mm. Don't need anything above that.