I just brought it in for an alignment and told them that I wanted the front camber at --1.5 and the rear camber at -1.0 and zero toe.

Here's what it was PRE-alignment (according the the computer printout):
Left Front:
camber: -1.0
Toe: 0.17

Right Front:
camber: -0.6
toe: -0.21

left rear:
camber: -1.2
toe: .15

right rear:
camber -1.4
toe .13

POST-alignment:
Left Front:
camber: -1.0
Toe: 0.00

Right Front:
camber: -0.6
toe: 0.00

left rear:
camber: -1.2
toe: .15

right rear:
camber -1.4
toe .13

Note: They said that "the manufacture does not specify CASTER adjustment". Whatever that means.

Also, they decided not to adjust the rear because "it wasn't 'off' enough to require it." (therefore they didn's charge me the AWD price)

Shouldn't they have increased the right front camber? What do you guys think???

 

Well, ideally you want the camber matched with you in the drivers seat. Now mine has a lot more agressive alignment put on it. The shop I go to loads whatever weight you specify into the drivers seat while they do the work, so that when I am in the car it is as close to what I want as possible. There are very few shops that will do this.

If it were me, I would take it back and why they didn't get the front camber settings to match up (at least to within .1 degrees). Personal Preference I would have them decrease the toe-in on the rear as well. If you are nto used to it, it can seem unsettled on the highway, so that is kind of up to the driver.

My specs at last alignment (For summer)
LF
-1.75 / 0 toe

RF
-1.8 / 0 Toe

LR
-1.25 / .03 Toe-in

RR
-1.25 / .03 Toe-in

My winter time alignment settings are a lot less severe (-1 Degree all around with 1/16 toe-in on front and rear), but with the summer's nice weather, and my extra-curricular activities, the above settings suit me nicely. Great mid corner rotation, and even outside wheel contact patch distribution.

 

why didn't they adjust the front camber

 

I don't know why they didn't. They implied that doing so was not necessary so long as the toes zeroed out. What should I do?

 

ARe the front camber numbers 'off' enough to worry about? Will it cause un-even tire wear? Thanks.

 

Mine are

F:
-1.3
0 toe

R:
-.9
.01 toe


The closer they are to even, the better. I had to argue with the stupid guys to get it how I wanted it. They think they know everything since they do the alignments all day. And they probably do know a lot about it, but they don't know anything about customer satisfaction. You pay for it, you should get just what you want.

 

Thanks!!!!

 

^^ I agree.

You specifically told them what you want and didn't get it.

I'ts like ordering from a drive-thru...They mess up your order. So you wait till they get it right.

The techs saw it's within specs and left it alone.

If it really bothers you. Go back and have them put your specs into the car.

 

Which alignment shop did you go to?

 

You do not want them to zero the toe in the rear for street driving. It will give you fits with tramlining on the highway, and in a panic situation (shoudl one come up) you really have to be fully on top of things to control how fast the rear end will rotate with no toe-in. I would say the pulling is due to an incorrect toe setting as opposed to a camber issue, but since they would have to rack it up to set toe, you might aws well ge thte camber set correctly. Remember that just because it is within manufacturer specs does not mean it is fully correct. If you are paying them to align it. make sure that they get it set to the specs you speciffy, or at least damn close.

Caster a9to answer your question, can also be called spindle angulation. It is the difference between the position of the top and bottom joints of the suspension. The more caster that you have, the more the car wants to drive straight (the harder it is to initiate a turn).

Not sure if that helps. But I would get th camber adjusted if possible, and have both the front and rear toe set to at least 1/32 toe in for street driving. In my experience zero toe in on the front makes the front end more apt to wander in highway driving. Unless you seriously track or autocross the car, the extra quickness in steering response can be disconcerting in normal street driving.

 

Thanks Kyperion and Nad1370.

I will follow everyone's advice and make them use my specs to redo the alignment. The problem is that I still don't know exactly what specs are best. Something like this??:

Front:
camber: -1.5
Toe: -0.03 (is this what you mean by "1/32 toe in" Kyperion?)

Rear:
camber: -1.0
toe: -0.03

Is this the absolute best specs for street? Anyone's imput is welcome! Thanks! -Chris

 

You can and should zero toe in the front. You need some in the rear, but as little as possible.

 

Do you mean that the front toe must be 1/32'' less than the rear? Doesn't my toe look pretty good as is? Right now my toe is:

Front Toe: 0.0

left rear:
toe: .15

right rear:
toe .13

Does anything about the current toe setting need to be changed?

I've read on the board that camber does not cause the car to pull to one side (unless the camber is totally uneven). Does it seem that my camber should be making it pull to the right?:

Left Front:
camber: -1.0

Right Front:
camber: -0.6

left rear:
camber: -1.2

right rear:
camber -1.4

What about my current specs is making the car pull to the right? The slightly uneven camber? The slightly uneven rear toe?

Thanks. -Chris

 

Scroll up to my previous post for the settings. The camber can be different to your preference. Just try to get the sides even.

 

Ok, but is this a good (or acceptable) amount of toe for the rear?:
left rear:
camber: -1.2
toe: .15

right rear:
camber -1.4
toe .13

And, I'm thining that the rear camber is even enough. Don't you think the rear specs are 'good enough'?

If the rear toe and camber are 'good enough' as is?, then I'll just go ahead and push hard for them to even out the front camber (which is what's probably causing it to pull to the right, correct?):

Left Front:
camber: -1.0
Toe: 0.00

Right Front:
camber: -0.6
toe: 0.00