Hey all, I recently replaced my tie rods and lower control arms, and decided on the lifetime alignment from Firestone. My rear camber was also way off. I went to pick up the car and the rear toe and camber they are telling me cant be adjusted into spec and they say there are no adjustment specs for the rear camber. To me that seems wrong. The left toe they seem to have gotten but nothing else in the rear is in spec. Also the steering wheel was not straight on either when going straight.

Needless to say I have to bring it back tomorrow morning, they were swamped today. The front camber was also not properly adjusted. I really feel I shouldn't be paying for this service if they cannot complete it.

Is there something I am missing or some explanation of why they cant get these values into spec? Otherwise if they cant adjust the wheels into spec I feel I will need to ask for a refund, and I wonder how that will go. I will attach the printout as well.

Oh also, 2006 Convertible 6 speed, from texas never seen winter and no rust underneath, 125k miles. Thank you in advance!

 

 

Well, sad to say, you likely won't be getting a refund. Only thing adjustable from the factory is toe angle. Known fact BUT maybe they should have told you this.

Not true on the "unavailability" of rear alignment specs:



As you can see, rear camber have min/max values just as the front does. -2.1° to -1.1°. Achieving these specs is another thing. The following applies to both front and rear. In order to be able to adjust camber on either end requires replacement of factory non-adjustable parts with new, "performance" parts.

- For the front, adjustable FUCA or front upper control arms (2, L&R)

- For the rear, adjustable camber arms (2, L&R).

- In addition, to adjust toe in the rear, there are two ways: Offset toe bolts that have a cam shape "washer" that allows adjustment to proper spec OR if (and only if) you run "true coilovers" (spring and shock assembly as one unit), this allows you to remove the factory spring bucket and replace with adjustable toe ARMS.

Here are sample listings for the hardware I'm talking about (to give you a ballpark - these are midrange products, pricewise; there's options for +/- $)

Rear camber and adjustable toe kit. Note

Rear adjustable toe arm (for use with true coilovers only)

Adjustable front upper control arm.

There's really no way around this if you want to keep your suspension properly aligned.

 

Thanks for the info, values, and reply. Regarding the rear camber I have found in the suspension 101 thread that there are factory eccentric washers to adjust. Can you confirm/deny this? In the morning before bringing it back I am going to have a look to see if I have any there.

 

OK wanted to update. Before I went back I checked my eccentric bolts under the car and they looked in great shape for the camber and toe. I asked them to have a different tech look at it and to show me the issue.

The issue was that the tech from yesterday was lazy. The guy today was great and was able to get everything in the green front and rear. He was also a car guy who was great to chat with. The other tech was there working the front desk today, he was clearly an older heavier lazier guy based on his demeanor. Unbelievable that he tried to push this on me and tell me it was not adjustable. And the steering wheel not even being straight. Glad I pushed for someone else and to see.

 

oh it looks like you got your problem solved. I was going to drop this in to show you how much fun you can have with these cars. might as well leave it while I'm here.

 

thanks, what are we looking at on the front end here? The new parts?

I just got done doing my diff bushings as well today. Using the Z1 bushings and tool. Went really smoothly luckily. Tool now for sale haha.

 

Wait a minute, you're saying the shop was able to take a whole degree out of your camber using stock suspension? From -3.something back into spec < -2.1deg. I have never heard of this. Do me a favor, post up before/after alignment sheet and the shop's name. Would like to speak with them on how that was accomplished. Could mean a re-think to the way things have been done on a non-camber-adjust car.

Yes, I'm serious. If you're not comfortable posting it, you can PM me.

 

new diff bushings are a terrific upgrade! you'll love the firmness in the drivetrain.

racing hardware is a bad idea for a street car because of the rough ride. but if you upgrade the various bushings to poly, you'll notice a big improvement in handling without the harshness of solid aluminum and sphericals.

In this scene:
fortune auto 500 coilovers
SPL flca solid spherical bushings, sway end links
Gk-Tech solid steering rack mounts, tie rod ends

in new photos:
Z1 FUCA adjustable
SPL comp arm spherical bushings




Even with all of this hardware, the Z is still not as fast as a stock 1st gen Cayman. ;(

 

Is the factory rear suspension only have a toe adjustment. The bottom bolt doesn't adjust?
Maybe they put bolts in for him?