Question w/alignment and springs - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

caverman · 01-15-2010, 04:42 PM

I remember reading that if you put on lowering springs (1" drop) that you should have it to align to (I think) -.8/-.6? Something like that. But I also remember that with the factory bolts that only about -.9/-.9 could be acheived.

So, without buying the kit to allow the extra for alignment, should I go with the -.8/-.6 setup or go back with the stock specs since I can't quite get to the recommend specs?

Refraze: after lowering since I can't get to the recommended alignment specs should I just go back to factory settings or get as close to the recommended setting as possible?

Edit: I found the thread and it said to use -1.0 front and -.5 rear but that you can only get about -.9 out of the factory setup.

hypurone · 01-15-2010, 04:46 PM

The difference between the 2 specs you listed are negligible. I can infer you are talking about camber?

Personally, for handling reasons I would be going the other way... -.50 to -1.0 for camber and .0625 to .125 toe in

hypurone · 01-15-2010, 06:50 PM

That's more like it. You just need to make sure the alignment shop does a "dynamic" setup. This means to have you in the car as your weight will change the settings left to right and they need to assess how much the front end changes toe under compression. This is really important, 'cuz when you have that much weight and weight transfer to the front you need to compensate for it.

As an example, if they pull down on the front end while on the rack, they can see if it likes to toe out or toe in under the slowing/stopping load which is greater than just whizzing down the road. I usually divide that in half and add/subtract that to the total setting.

As a rule to keep the tire wear even, if you run -1.0 camber you should add 1/16 to 1/8 inch toe IN plus factor in the change when loaded.

And yes, I did this for many years as a paid tech...

caverman · 01-15-2010, 07:55 PM

Hmmm....good idea to be in the car....especially since I'm weighing in at 270 (6' 5").

Rob@WretchedMS · 01-15-2010, 11:34 PM

With the amount of understeer in the Camaro, setting the front camber to -.5 and the rear camber to -1.0 will increase the understeer, and make the car handle worse.

Setting the front to -1.0 and the rear to -.5 or even 0 will help the understeer that the car has,

The front toe should be toed out a bit, or set to 0 if your looking for handling, toed in a bit for tire wear.
Rear toe should be toed in a bit.

Rob@WretchedMS · 01-15-2010, 11:41 PM

edit: you may need our bolt kits to get the alignment where you want it to be.

If your feeling brave adding a bit of caster will help a ton, but requires a bit of labor to do that.

01-15-2010, 04:42 PM	#1
caverman Drives: '69 SS Convertible Join Date: May 2009 Location: DFW, TX Posts: 7,111	Question w/alignment and springs I remember reading that if you put on lowering springs (1" drop) that you should have it to align to (I think) -.8/-.6? Something like that. But I also remember that with the factory bolts that only about -.9/-.9 could be acheived. So, without buying the kit to allow the extra for alignment, should I go with the -.8/-.6 setup or go back with the stock specs since I can't quite get to the recommend specs? Refraze: after lowering since I can't get to the recommended alignment specs should I just go back to factory settings or get as close to the recommended setting as possible? Edit: I found the thread and it said to use -1.0 front and -.5 rear but that you can only get about -.9 out of the factory setup. __________________ *-2010 Camaro* 2SS \| M6 \| VR w/White Stripes \| 1 3/4" KOOKS - 3" Magnaflow \| LPE 3.91 gears \| ADM tuned \| Halltech w/ADM Scoop \| Spohn/BMR Trailing Arm/Toe Rod \| BC Coilovers\| Pedders FE4 ZL1 swaybars \| Cradle/Diff/Radius Rod bushings \| VMax TB \| Morimoto Projectors \| MGW shifter \| Red Calipers Build Journal Last edited by caverman; 01-15-2010 at 05:52 PM.

01-15-2010, 04:46 PM	#2
hypurone I'm not totally useless.. Drives: ... Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: ... Posts: 2,008 View My Garage	The difference between the 2 specs you listed are negligible. I can infer you are talking about camber? Personally, for handling reasons I would be going the other way... -.50 to -1.0 for camber and .0625 to .125 toe in __________________ "You were really flyin' when I passed you back there!" - Born on 10/05/09 MyCamaroBuildInfo

01-15-2010, 06:50 PM	#3
hypurone I'm not totally useless.. Drives: ... Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: ... Posts: 2,008 View My Garage	That's more like it. You just need to make sure the alignment shop does a "dynamic" setup. This means to have you in the car as your weight will change the settings left to right and they need to assess how much the front end changes toe under compression. This is really important, 'cuz when you have that much weight and weight transfer to the front you need to compensate for it. As an example, if they pull down on the front end while on the rack, they can see if it likes to toe out or toe in under the slowing/stopping load which is greater than just whizzing down the road. I usually divide that in half and add/subtract that to the total setting. As a rule to keep the tire wear even, if you run -1.0 camber you should add 1/16 to 1/8 inch toe IN plus factor in the change when loaded. And yes, I did this for many years as a paid tech... __________________ "You were really flyin' when I passed you back there!" - Born on 10/05/09 MyCamaroBuildInfo

01-15-2010, 07:55 PM	#4
caverman Drives: '69 SS Convertible Join Date: May 2009 Location: DFW, TX Posts: 7,111	Hmmm....good idea to be in the car....especially since I'm weighing in at 270 (6' 5"). __________________ *-2010 Camaro* 2SS \| M6 \| VR w/White Stripes \| 1 3/4" KOOKS - 3" Magnaflow \| LPE 3.91 gears \| ADM tuned \| Halltech w/ADM Scoop \| Spohn/BMR Trailing Arm/Toe Rod \| BC Coilovers\| Pedders FE4 ZL1 swaybars \| Cradle/Diff/Radius Rod bushings \| VMax TB \| Morimoto Projectors \| MGW shifter \| Red Calipers Build Journal

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01-15-2010, 11:34 PM	#5
Rob@WretchedMS Drives: His Wife Crazy Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Silas Deane Auto,CT Name: Rob Anderson Posts: 1,789	With the amount of understeer in the Camaro, setting the front camber to -.5 and the rear camber to -1.0 will increase the understeer, and make the car handle worse. Setting the front to -1.0 and the rear to -.5 or even 0 will help the understeer that the car has, The front toe should be toed out a bit, or set to 0 if your looking for handling, toed in a bit for tire wear. Rear toe should be toed in a bit.

01-15-2010, 11:41 PM	#6
Rob@WretchedMS Drives: His Wife Crazy Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Silas Deane Auto,CT Name: Rob Anderson Posts: 1,789	edit: you may need our bolt kits to get the alignment where you want it to be. If your feeling brave adding a bit of caster will help a ton, but requires a bit of labor to do that.