So, I installed Hotchkis springs without any other suspension mods 3 weeks ago. I just took it in to get an alignment, but I am wondering if the camber is going to be a problem. Both the front and the rear camber is beyond the factory specs, but the guy said there is nothing he can do to fix that without aftermarket parts. He said the Toe adjustments he made will prevent any excess tire wear. I just want to make sure my tires wear evenly at this point. Should I be concerned with the camber? Below is a link to my printout, but just in case, here are some of the #'s:

Camber
FL = -1.7
FR = -1.6
RL = -2.6
RR = -2.2

Toe
FL = 0.17
FR = 0.17
RL = 0.12
RR = 0.11

http://img444.imageshack.us/my.php?i...rintoutbb6.png

(You will need to save the image in order to zoom in and see all the numbers.)

Any feedback on my alignment printout would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

Toe in on the front is a little high but your tires should wear even. The camber is secondary to toe in respect to wear. They will wear out on the inside faster than stock but not so much that you will notice. just my .02

 

+1

Those camber specs aren't bad at all. I'd be happy with 'em. I'd personally say it wouldn't be worth spending $400-$800+ in parts (front camber arm) + labor to get them completely in spec, but ultimately that is your choice.

 

Jarred, thanks for the input. When you say that the tires will wear out a little faster than stock, by how much would you guess? If the tires are supposed to last 35,000 miles, then would I have to replace them in 30,000 miles instead? I know it is not an exact science, but what would you guess? Also, would you call this "back within factory specs" if the tire wear is close to even? I thought the alignment would actually get the car back into the range of the factory setup.

 

i can't see the pic 'cause i'm at work but i'm gonna guess -2.6 in the rear is gonna wear fairly fast unless you're doing a lot track days.

i agree bad toe wears tires out that too much negative camber. but you'll probably see the inside rear wear faster than the rest of the tire.

 

That's not too bad. I actually just installed the Hotchkis TVS kit (springs and swaybars) yesterday and got it aligned today.

Note: I also installed the SPC rear camber/toe kit so my rear is exactly how I told them to align it.

Front:
Camber
L: -1.3 R: -1.2

Toe
L: .01 In R: 0.00

Rear:
Camber
L: -1.7 R: -1.7

Toe
L: .04 IN R: .04 IN


I wish I had gotten as much camber in front as you did, but -1.2 is better than the -.7 I had before the springs.

Anyway, personally, I would invest in the SPC kit for the rear and get it aligned because I'm **** about these things. You should be fine though.

 

What size wheels and tires do you have? Also, are these the Hotchkis springs with 9/16" front drop and 3/4" rear drop? I'm asking because I plan to get these springs too.

 

Big Z, I have stock 17" rims and tires. Yeah, the hotchkis springs are .6 in the front and .8 in the rear.

 

Beau, I think I like your setup better than mine. All your camber and toe numbers are within the factory range. Why would you rather have -1.6 or -1.7 camber on the front? My camber settings may be better for cornering, but I just don't want the tires to wear out faster on the inside of the tires. Do you think the SPC kit you installed has any effect on your front camber? The alignment guy said he cannot adjust the front camber for me. Or maybe your sway bar is helping to give you -1.3 and -1.2 in the front. How much did you pay for the rear SPC kit and is it something I can install myself?

 

your tires depending on which tires and how you drive id say around 3 to 6k faster than stock. not enough to worry about.

 

I'd rather have -1.6 or -1.7 camber in front for handling, I'm not very concerned about tire wear. It's one of the prices you pay for having a performance car. You could always drive a Civic. The SPC kit would have no affect on the front camber, nor the swaybar as long as it's not binding. I greased it up really well, so it shouldn't be binding on my car. SPC and several other companies make front camber arms for the Z for about $400-$800 depending on how much you want to spend and what quality you want. The rear SPC kit is $159 shipped from Z1 Auto, they should have a thread in the Dealer Classifieds right now for that, that's where I bought mine. Think about camber this way though, your FACTORY rear camber spec is -1.7 and nobody complains about tire wear. At least not that I've noticed. If Nissan thinks -1.7 isn't too bad, then it must be reasonable.

 

Oh, and if you are confident in your Dremel grinding skills then you can most likely install the SPC rear kit. It's a little cumbersome reaching the front side of the area you need to grind, but the rear side is straight forward. There are a couple of How To's on this forum.

 

So does this mean that his camber and toe specs would be much worse if he had aftermarket wheels - like the usual 19x9.5/10.5 - with only the springs and no other suspension mods? Sorry for the newb questions, but this suspension stuff is very confusing. Thanks.

 

Your wheels won't affect how low your car drops or your alignment.

 

Does anyone know the effects of having too much Toe? Will it cause excess tire wear? If so, what part of the tire does it wear out? It seems like Beau's setup with his Toe close to zero is better 0.12 and 0.17. I think I can get my car re-aligned within 30 days for free, so I am debating on whether to buy and install the rear camber / toe kit and then take the car back. Any suggestions?

 

Too much toe will give the car a more on-center feel and slightly slower turn in. Most cars come from the factory with a little toe in to make them less darty over uneven pavement. More than factory and tire wear will increase. I believe it would cause feathering on the outside edge of the tire. Just buy the SPC/Eibach rear toe/camber kit, install it and do it right the first time. It's a lot less expensive than buying new tires! I refused to drive my car before my alignment, my tires cost $1,000 for 4. I'm not taking chances.

 

check the fine print because sometimes that's not covered if you installed new parts. one store screwed me after i installed something after the initial alignment.

too much toe in will feather the outside edge of your tires. too much toe out feathers the inside edge.

 

I think Beau is right.
Also, your specs up front should not have changed so much that you can't get toe to zero. So, at least you shouldn't have to spend any money on the front.

 

There is no such thing as a front toe kit. It's just adjustable tierod ends. Far more adjustment than anybody should ever need.

 

LOL ... Who said anything about a front toe kit?
I was refering to the fact that he's already had his alignment done and the place still never got him that close to "0" toe up front.
I'm happy with his front camber though. (It's about what I've run for like a year).