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Camber???

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Old 03-12-2010 | 06:22 AM
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Default Camber???

how do i adjust it my self? google has failed to find me an answer
Old 03-12-2010 | 02:00 PM
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front or back... twist the thingy lol
Old 03-12-2010 | 04:35 PM
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Rears are adjustable. Fronts are technically non-adjustable, but there is a little play you can get by messing with the lower strut bolts or using one smaller lower strut bolt. Easiest ways to adjust front camber are camber plates (mostly only come with coilovers), or camber bolts. Camber bolts are cheaper, that's how I'm going to adjust mine eventually.

I recommend not doing yourself, if you can avoid it. When you adjust camber, it affects toe also. It has the possibility of affecting toe dramatically. Toe way out of wack could mean very bad news for driveablity or tire wear. So if you do it yourself, make sure you have a way to measure it, and also adjust the toe accordingly.

This should help. Found it on google lol:
http://zoltiz.com/cars/tc/files/tcrearalignment.pdf
Old 03-12-2010 | 05:17 PM
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thanks i just don't want to pay an alignment shop $75...if i can do it my self, plus im going to putting -3 on the rears, im at stock settings right now. its not rubbing right now but i bet after i throw on the 8mm spacers it will
Old 03-12-2010 | 05:54 PM
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Ok this is what you do. That shiny bolt you see is what you are going to loosen which is a 17mm nut. After you loosen it, which I might add is stubborn so you might have to use your muscles. After you loosen it you are going to get a 19mm socket and adjust the camber from the opposite end. If I recall correctly left is outward and right is inward. I used this to aid me through my journey...

http://www.trdsparks.com/install/tCRWheelAlignment.pdf
Old 03-12-2010 | 06:12 PM
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Originally Posted by 09SocalTC
thanks i just don't want to pay an alignment shop $75...if i can do it my self, plus im going to putting -3 on the rears, im at stock settings right now. its not rubbing right now but i bet after i throw on the 8mm spacers it will
Yeah, I wouldn't want to pay either haha. Just be careful with the toe.
Old 03-12-2010 | 07:46 PM
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Pay for it, it's well worth it... I went with new tires for the stockies, I adjusted the camber myself, and still ended up with bad tire wear... the toe was off by a couple of degrees... if you spent more than 400 bux on tires, 70 bux (what I paid at a shop in Buena Park) is well worth it. I would agree with you if a shop quoted 100 bux or more (I've seen it) for an alignment, but I'd just shop around more... Hell, the car even rides better. And I'm tuckin' on coilovers...
Old 03-12-2010 | 09:38 PM
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i bought some cheap ___ tires in LA $300 mounted and balanced...the grip sucks, but at least they are quieter than OEM tires
Old 03-13-2010 | 03:00 AM
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Originally Posted by 09SocalTC
thanks i just don't want to pay an alignment shop $75...if i can do it my self, plus im going to putting -3 on the rears, im at stock settings right now. its not rubbing right now but i bet after i throw on the 8mm spacers it will
I'd definitely recommend getting the alignment unless you are sure you can adjust and check toe yourself. $75 is a lot cheaper than new tires. Toe settings can chew up tires very quickly especially when combined with camber, and as others have mentioned camber changes significantly affect toe settings.
Old 03-14-2010 | 06:57 PM
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plan on running -3 for clearance issues...i know i will have ____ty tire wear, but by the time i need new tires. I might be sick of the flush look
Old 03-15-2010 | 04:00 AM
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Just buy some camber bolts the easiest thing to do. U can get them at any auto parts store. Then when u get ur alignment done or check ask them to install it for u. I did it myself at my shop.
Old 03-15-2010 | 04:11 AM
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professional alignment. unless you have the proper equipment.
Old 03-22-2010 | 04:07 PM
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The $75 you save by not aligning, you MAY end up paying back two-fold for a pair (or set) or tires if they wear pre-maturely because of your manual adjustments.
Old 03-22-2010 | 04:49 PM
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I love firestone...lifetime alignment. but ya, i have helped to do camber before and that bolt is a PITA! measure the toe so that you don't mess up too bad.
Old 03-22-2010 | 08:59 PM
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Is there any DIY'er way to measure toe or camber, without having one of those sophisticated doo-wickys that shops have??
Old 03-23-2010 | 02:13 AM
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Originally Posted by tCBoi
Is there any DIY'er way to measure toe or camber, without having one of those sophisticated doo-wickys that shops have??
Obviously you won't approach the accuracy of their machines but there are ways to do it. To do this the tires must be loaded (ie, the car can't be on jack stands). However keep in mind that tires are costly to replace and you must use care when doing this.

For toe, it's important to measure distance as close to center vertically on the tire as possible. 1/2 inch toe towards the bottom can be a full inch in the center where it is normally measured.

For the first method you use equal length bars that are centered on the front and rear bumper area of the vehicle. You then run string from a set location on the front bar to the same location on the rear. The key is to make sure the string is parallel with the vehicle. Then, you can then measure from the string to the front and rear of each tire individually. If the distance is the same then you have 0 toe on that wheel.





You can also use jackstands. I've never seen this method used before but I suppose it should work, although again you would need to make sure each string is parallel to the vehicle. You could probably check the distance from the string to the jacking rail in front of the rear tire and behind the front tire, that should give you a good measurement point. It should be the same on the front and rear if the string is parallel. This assumes that the jacking rails are parallel with the vehicle centerline, which I would think they would be? You can then measure the same as above.



For camber, I've used a digital level and/or an iPod Touch/iPhone with the level application. This is tricky if your wheels aren't flat near the hub, but you can do it. I've used a bar before, long enough to reach the top and bottom outer flange of the wheel and set the level on the bar, in the event the wheel center doesn't have a flat surface.

What you need to beware of is that the floor needs to be level also or else it will skew your readings. Check the floor with the level before you start.

I snagged the jackstand string method from this page. He has a writeup on another way to check that the string is parallel, but you need to know the front and rear vehicle track. He has another way to check camber also.

http://www.negative-camber.org/jam14...alignment.html

Edit: I changed this post about 10 times during the course of writing it so hopefully it actually reads coherently.

Last edited by Rexpelagi; 03-23-2010 at 02:54 AM.
Old 03-23-2010 | 06:28 AM
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i have no pics, but this is how i used to do alignments in the garage. this will help you adjust toe on a budget, and is actually fairly accurate.

materials:

two wood panels bout 8 inches high and a little wider than your tires

two measuring tapes

one friend


step one:

cut slits about one inch or so off the ground on each side of the wood panels. make sure they are wide enough to stick the measuring tapes inside. also make sure the slits are the same size.

step two:

place one panel against the side of one wheel along with one friend to hold panel. insert the two ends into the slits cut into the panel, and then extend them underneath the vehicle.

step three:

with your friend still holding the panel and ends of the measuring tapes on one end, place the second panel next to the opposing tire. once the panel is centered, grab the measuring tapes and slide the tape in the slits.

step four:

take the measurements. this will give you an idea of your toe. adjust the tie rods accordingly.

step five:

repeat other steps till you have what you were looking for.


this method will work for both front and rear. hope this is clear, any questions feel free to ask. align at your own risk lol.


fact: this is how dan gardners alignment is adjusted on site. i would know lol
Old 03-25-2010 | 04:16 AM
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Wow, thats pretty cool! I jus wanted to see how outta wack mine was, but you guys posted some pretty good info. I may give this a try...
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