jonnylaw

iTrader: (3)

^^Thx for taking the time to answer all my questions J!

my car came with oem 19's (19x9)+33(f) 225/40/19 and (19x9.5)+33(r) 245/40/19 and oem "sport suspension". I purchased nismo stune specifically for the cpv35 (G35 coupe):
Nismo S-tune shock and spring setup G35 coupe twin tube, fixed height
.8"/.8"
448/504 (front spring slighly progressive, rear progressive)

When I got an alignment with this setup, everything just barely fell w/in factory specs (can't find the spec sheet from this)--I think this was the max drop w/out need to upgade components. The last alignmnet I had was with this setup. But with the Volks being wider and different offset and different tires, not sure if everything will fall within factory spec. I assume the best way to find out is to mount the Volks and get an alignment and see what numbers are and if I need to upgrade components I'll go from there and follow your suggestions at the top of your thread, as you mentioned in your reply.

In the 17"/18" example, are you saying that if you took a car with 17" oem wheels and had it aligned (inputting tire size) and had it within the factory specs for the 17" size, then mounted 18" oem wheels and checked the spec's, that it would not read as being within the factory specs for the 18" size?

Yea, I know I'm being finicky about the wheels--but I realize I probably need an alignment asap and it should be done with the Volks on for accuracy. I have found a local Nissan dealer that has an in-ground Hunter rack with plastic attachments that do not have metal to metal contact (mostly for GTR cert.). I can get this done for $135.

There is also a local specialy alignment shop that can do the alignment old school style without attaching sensor to the wheels, but not sure on how accurate that would be and it seems like I should get the most accurate reading to see if I need to upgrade components like toe bolts or camber arms.

I also have been searching for a shop that has a "touchless" wheel alignment rack. These have been around for a few years, most are made in Germany and are very accurate without the need to attach sensors to the wheel or the car. . Dunno, if one is in my area (Chicago/IL)--I have seen one at an Infiniti dealership in Texas. Example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goSg-PUMPQs&feature=fvw

I'll be sure to post an alignment printout if/when I get one and would appreciate your input.

one other thing, since the factory specs are meant for factory wheels, if you get aligned on non factory wheels, should the recommended factory specs only be used as a basic guide in finding the ideal settings?

Thx again for all of your help!

JasonZ-YA

iTrader: (60)

no problem...



I agree, at .8 drop, i believe barely....

yep...

e

yes, because thats what nissan is saying, and i tend to believe it with my 18 wheels i own and multiple alignments i have done, over and over and over again.........being that the toe range is soo damn small it doesnt fall in spec........can u live with a little out of spec......its up to you and what your doing with the car....

cool.......not a bad option..

thats entire up to you, but it doesnt matter if you have X type of machine or Y type of machine, its more so many times the operator and if they know how to use it right........

like i mentioned many times.....i stand there and ensure it gets done right.....one place lets me do it myself........some dudes dont know what they are doing completely.......they sorta get it sometimes......

Those are nice machines.....if thats what you want then cool, its your car and i cant knock anyone for it.......

thats cool, but the main thing is for you and anyone else reading an alignment print out to know what they are looking at......that was part of my goal with this thread as well.....

yes, because its based on the suspension geometry, tire size and how the z suspension works.....remember alignment is a static image of whats going on....its a starting point, how you change it is up to you......



-j

SexyRob

iTrader: (11)

awesome thread. learned so much. this is in my favorites now.

I just started to notice a vibration coming from what I thought was the front end wheel(s) that transfers through the steering wheel, about 10k miles after changing my wheels and never having any noticeable issues. It only happens when I get above 80 mph. I thought it might have something to do with my rear tires being bald so I replaced them and had them rebalanced (at DiscountTire for whatever thats worth) and the issue seemed to be toned down some but still there.

It seemed like it started happening after I took the front wheels off to change the brake pads but I can't think of what I could have done to cause it, I've taken the wheels on and of plenty of times and never had an issue. Another thing is the suspension has been feeling loose lately (problem may coincide with the vibrations), quite lofty at high speeds. Also when coming into corners on the highway it feels like it wants to slide, or go opposite the direction Im turning. I'm dropped on 350z Tien H-techs. The car was aligned after the drop (I never did get the spec sheet) and like I said It's never been a problem until recently.

I'm planning on checking my bushings and probably gonna take it in to check alignment but anything you suggest I look at specifically?

JasonZ-YA

iTrader: (60)

^ sounds like an issue with the brake pad swap??? no rotor change right??

how did you compress the caliper piston back? did you have the cover off the brake master reservoir??

sounds to me like a rotor issue....on the hwy, with light or no hands on the wheel, hit the brakes and see if the car pulls......

usually vibrating steering wheel is a warped rotor or a sticking caliper issue...

check your fronts by remove the wheels and inspecting the new pads and the rotor surface for irregularities....grooves on the surface on one side more than another, lip on the edge on one side more than another, etc...etc.

and in general i would be checking everything!

-J

SexyRob

iTrader: (11)

Yes, when I brake hard it pulls to the right! I only removed the caliper, not the rotor. I compressed the pistons with a big c clamp.. one at a time. I took the cover off the brake fluid reservoir to look at the fluid.

the outside facing side of the rotors look good, I checked them thinking the same thing... I guess I'll take it all off and try again?

the reason I changed the pads in the first place was because I got the ABS and Brake lights on one day and read I just needed to replace the pads. The stock ones wern't gone but after replacing the pads the lights went off.

AdvanZ33

iTrader: (105)

I think he was asking if you had the reservoir cap off while you were compressing the caliper pistons.

JasonZ-YA

iTrader: (60)

did you have the reservoir cap off while you were compressing the caliper pistons...

inspect everything well..........


yes, exactly...

jonnylaw

iTrader: (3)

Ok, so I got an alignment today with the Volks on. All suspension adjustment components are stock. What do you think J?



suggested values were mistakenly inputed as the sedan, but I have a coupe..

JasonZ-YA

iTrader: (60)

^ okay, i think i got it, so only the camber specs are different from sedan to coupe?? as in, use the hand written targets for camber?


EDIT*
okay well:
REAR:
Camber - is a bit high over spec, but its up to you.....
-1.83 verus -1.75 given - at least they are symetrical - due to your drop/height.
Toe is - in spec for left side, out for right? +.13 where +.11 is spec..??

Front:
Camber - is hight over the -1.25 spc, but what gets me is the huge difference between them both?? -1.96 and -1.64
Toe - is in spec.

-J

jonnylaw

iTrader: (3)

^^Correct. Factory camber specs are differenct between the sedan and the coupe, reason why I handwrote the correct target data.

Initial readings showed the rear camber and toe within factory spec, but not even on both sides. I'm not sure if it was a mistake to have them even it out, as now things are just barely out of factory spec, albeit by only a few hundreths of a degree. I figured it would be better to have things even on each side, even it it threw it out of factory spec (only by ~2 hundreths of a degree). Was this the right decision?

The difference in the front was odd, I thought too and the front camber is more out of spec than the rear, although the toe is fine.

So, I'm not sure if I should be upgrading anything and if so what. I'd rather keep things stock, hearing about all these failures/problems people are having with some parts (Kinetix, SPL issues). But if my settings could lead to excessive tire wear, I would have to at least consider it.

What would you suggest? thx.

JasonZ-YA

iTrader: (60)

I would have, as yes, i agree, its wee bit out, but i would think be fine.....only thing you can do is monitor your camber wear and decide how much it really affects it in time......then decide...

yes, the front i suspect is due to the bushing on the compression arm as you can see your CASTER is different (8.11 and 8.43), and correlates to your camber difference? see that???

I take it the TARGET DATA on there isn't correct either right???? what is the correct CASTER for a coupe g35?? I'm guessing 8.0 degree's like the 350z.

if so +8.11 isn't bad at all in all honesty, but the difference of the other side being 8.43...well.......

lets do some math:
Front
CASTER:
8.41 - 8.11 = .30 difference in caster from side to side??? see that??

CAMBER:
1.96 - 1.64 = .32 -----> TADA!!!!


TOE - front:
yes, toe up front will always be able to get back into spec - since toe is adjusted at the tie rods, so nothing is needed to adjust toe spec when going after market....

well, due to your height/drop we can most likely safely GUESS that your front camber would be -1.64 (since its the closes in spec value) if your compression arm bushings are good on both sides!!!

I would suggest inspection of the compression arm bushings.....(odds are the Right one is out)... look for differences from one side to the other..tears, misalignment from center, cracks, etc...

from G35 driver i remember there being a bushing you could buy, but not sure if it was for coupe or sedan versus buying the entire arm....

-J

jonnylaw

iTrader: (3)

Ok, thanks for the help J, so inspect the front right compressions rod bushing and compare to the left front...If that can be corrected, do you think I can get away without upgrading camber arms/bolts?

btw, the bushings themselves are available seperately; depending on the severity of wear/damage, a service advisor would either recommend replacing just the bushing, or the entire arm

JasonZ-YA

iTrader: (60)

bolts?? no bolts up front, just:

FRONT upper control arms - CAMBER adjustment ARMS:

well, im not super familiar with G35 to know if -1.64 being that much over the factory spec -1.25 is okay or not, in comparison to the Z i would say so, as the Z spec is -1.33 and I myself would rock -1.8 for a year of daily driving and was fine!!! so maybe?!?!

inspect/monitor and decide or ask others that are running at least -1.64 and daily driving like you --- check out their tires at local meets, etc, etc..........

-J

jonnylaw

iTrader: (3)

Thx J. I'll check around and monitor wear. I'm having the compression rod bushing inspected right now.

How about the rear. Do you think my camber/toe settings are ok for the street? Or should I seriously consider bolts and or camber arms for the rear?

35oZephyR

iTrader: (4)

So much quality info in this thread.

Thanks Jason... definitely appreciate a moderator offering value back on these forums.

JasonZ-YA

iTrader: (60)

well, like i said above, its slightly out............one toe is in spec, the other isnt,...with it being soo dammn close in camber, i would say order the camber arms, and i bet you can get the toe in more than likely......

in my mind, as an enthusiast, you might as well get the rear camber arm and toe bolt but its up to you...

-J

jonnylaw

iTrader: (3)

Yea, the original readings showed both rear side's toe in spec, but after evening out the camber, this pushed one of the sides toe out of spec and resulted in more negative camber, which made me second guess the decision to even out the camber... When I could have left the camber as it is (~1/10 degree difference b/w the two sides) and had both sides toe settings within factory specs..

Just had a chance to look at the compression rod bushings. The right front bushing is not misaligned, cracked, or damaged. In comparison to the left, they both show about the same amount if wear. Also I do not hear any creaks/sounds when making turns (which I was told I would hear if the bushings/arms were damaged/worn and needed replacement). The bushing is a tad bit smooshed, but tech thinks that it's not the reason for the difference in toe-was told the bushing does not need to be replaced, but even if I did it would not resolve the difference in camber/toe; but likely might result in a little more negative camber on the right side with a new bushing bc it would push the arm out a bit.

I'm being told it's likely the spring that is causing the difference in camber/toe between the 2 sides since both bushing are wearing fairly evenly. The springs may have settled/began to wear after use at different rates. Looks like the only way to correct that difference is with aftermarket control arms. The car drives fine and corners well. If I notice it pulling one way or another while driving or I monitor unsatisfactory tire wear, than Ill definetly have to upgrade to aftermarket control arms to even things out and get back into factory recommended specs. I'm being told by my tech, however, that as it is, it should be fine for the street (albeit not 100% ideal), but as the busings and components age, I might be looking at replacements/upgrades.

JasonZ-YA

iTrader: (60)

the smooshed bushing could be all that it is......those bushings are huge rubber bushings, and a bit compliant for things like that.......

I agree that the springs settlement can cause for CAMBER changes and could very well be the issue at hand for that...

-J

jonnylaw

iTrader: (3)

J, I have read that aftermarket control arms that give positive camber adjustments can cause interference issues with the inside fender wall. Do you know how much of this is a concern or how much positive camber change one might be able to do without hitting issues with the inside fender wall?

Also with these camber kits, are the bushings upgraded from stock, or would u need to get other bushings that provide firmer input?

Finally, there seems to be sims reporting of failed Kinetix and even spc arms. Since u yourself use the spl front camber arm, can you confirm that it is a quality unit?

What would happen if you used factory rear camber bolts on aftermarket arms? Would it not provide adequate adjustment with just the arm?

JasonZ-YA

iTrader: (60)

Those guys are usually slammed low that hit with their front upper control arms.

how high are you?? how much of a drop did you do with your springs?

yes, for the most part both front upper control arms and rear camber arms have upgraded bushings over oem OR are replaced with spacers and rod ends!

1. To me the SP"L" is a quality front upper control arm
2. SP"C" front upper camber arm sucks donkey *****!
3. Kinetix - I have never heard of any failures???? where are you getting that?

no, people do it all the time, they leave their factory eccentric washer installed and you can completely adjust camber using the aftermarket adjustable camber arm ONLY!!! but with the eccentric washer there you run the risk of it moving/slipping, etc....

-- On my car i have lock out washers i made - (to eliminate ALL eccentric bolts) and all my adjustment is done via the aftermarket camber or toe arm...see post #20

-J