MA4

A friend commented that my rear wheels looked bent like this: / \ while driving.

is this normal or do I need an alignment? can the rear wheel even be aligned?

zwindsor

iTrader: (6)

That's normal. You may want to do a search about this very much discussed subject. Yes, the rear is adjustable for camber but the front isn't.

MA4

I've been reading the forums pretty much every day for at least a year, i've never seen anything pertaining to rear alignment, just front alignment. What words would you recommend I use in my search because i'm coming up with nothing for REAR ALIGNMENT

zwindsor

iTrader: (6)

I doubt you'll find a thread specific to "rear alignment". The subject has been discussed many times when someone lowers their car. Try the following: rear camber, lowering springs, alignment, camber adjustment, camber etc.

Didn't mean to come off so abrupt. Any car with independant rear suspension has negative camber. Some more noticeable then others. Check out some other cars like Porsches. Also if the cars you see have been lowered then that creates even more negative camber.

Jetpilot718

You sure about that?? Alot of cars do not have rear camber adjustments (at least the ones I have done alignments on so far).


On a side note:

Next time you guys get an alignment, ask if you can sit in the car while they do it. That way, it will be the most accurate it can ever be, as an alignment is done in unrealistic conditions (when was the last time your car drove itself). The added weight changes the alignment specs!

zwindsor

iTrader: (6)

Exactly what are you questioning. The fact that the Z has negative camber so the tires will look like that, that the subject has been discussed before or that you can adjust the rear camber on the Z?

As far as sitting in the car when they do the alignment, I'd love it, but finding a shop that will even let you in the shop due to insurance reasons are rare.

Jetpilot718

I was questioning if there is, in fact, an adjustment for rear camber in the Z. I know there are toe adjustments, but not aware of camber adjustors.

Come to Pep Boys in Nashua, NH. Ask for Steve. I'll hook it up

zwindsor

iTrader: (6)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Jetpilot718
I was questioning if there is, in fact, an adjustment for rear camber in the Z. I know there are toe adjustments, but not aware of camber adjustors.[QUOTE]

There are bolts with eccentric heads that hold the lower link to the sub-frame that are used to adjust the rear camber.


Promise not to scratch my wheels

MA4

So.....can the rear alignment be fixed to eliminate the / \ i am experiencing??

zwindsor

iTrader: (6)

It's supposed to look like that. If you think it's extreme then have the dealer check the alignment. They can adjust it.

mickey

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for bringing up the concern with rear wheel appearing as "// \\".

After my Eibach Pro Kit spring install, it has that same appearance. My negative camber is very obvious, so I hope awheel alignment service can minimize it.

I have an appointment for wheel alignment tomorrow. Will let you know how it turn out.

Additional question: Has anyone with aftermarket spring installation noticed that one side(passenger-side) is higher than the other side? What could be the cause? I have about 200 miles on these springs.

Thanks,
Mickey

screaminz

I noticed the same thing just before installing my new springs. Maybe it's just the body wrok being a little off?? I hope that is the case atleast..
Cheers,
screaminz

MA4

I asked for an alignment and they said it met factory specs, so i guess it is ok

04 Lemans

Negative camber is built-in even at stock ride height. This is common on high performance sports type cars to aid in better cornering. When unloaded and going straight, the tires run a bit on the inside edge.

Think about what happens when you corner:

The wheel on the outside of the turn compresses up into the suspension and also tries to roll over towards the outside of the tire. This means that the tire is moving from what you see as negative camber to start with, to significant positive camber in the turn.

In order to keep the maximum amount of grip, the tire contact patch (where the tire is rolling on the road) should be as large and as flat as possible during the turn. When the tire tries to roll out, the inside is lifted, and the contact patch gets smaller and moves towards the outside of the tire.

If you start with the tire tilted inwards a bit, the tire will still roll outwards in the turn but will now roll to a spot that is closer to the center of the tire and will also mainatin a larger contact patch on the road, giving you more cornering force before it loses grip.

Negative camber is hard on the inside edge of tires with regards to wear if you mainly drive straight on freeways and highways because the tires are not being rolled out by the forces of the turn, so they tend to roll along more on the inside edge, wearing it sooner.

After all that, for the Z, what you see is proabably normal, but a good 4 wheel alignment will tell the story.

Ray

mickey

iTrader: (1)

exp,
when they say your Z meets the factory specs, did they have a print out of your alignment result to show you?

I left my Z with dealer to do four wheel alignment, upon picking up the car, service manager approached me and confirmed that all of my wheels are now within spec. I request a copy of the alignment spec, noticed it only show specs for Front left/right, but nothing for Rear left/right. Then I visually check my rear wheels again, sure enough, that extreme negative camber still exists.

At this point, I suspect my service manager is BSing me, after calling his bluff, he apologized and mentioned that my Z was outsourced for the alignment job. A phone call later, there is more apolozing, and remedy for this screw up is I can take the Z to the 3rd party alignment shop this Saturday for rear alignment.

I will update on the result of my rear wheel alignment. I think I will ask for a free Nismo baseball cap for all of my trouble for the service dept.'s goof up.

Rgd,
Mickey

MA4

They did a 4-wheel alignment, it cost me like 80$ or something. I didn't get a print out of the alignment results, so I don't know if they changed anything or if it was right to begin with. I think what 04Lemans is saying is probably the case.

mickey

iTrader: (1)

My four wheel alignment result:

Rear Left:
Before alignment = -2.8 for camber, 0.21 for toe
After alignment = -1.9 for camber, 0.02 for toe

Rear Right:
Before alignment = -2.9 for camber, 0.27 for toe
After alignment = -2.0 for camber, 0.01 for toe

Negative camber still exist, but it's minor compare to before alignment, which was too much.

Rgd,
Mickey