Adjustable camber arms...alignment time! More parts?

longlivethez · 01-22-2018, 12:53 PM

I just had some SPL adjustable camber arms put on the rear of my '14...naturally, I need an alignment. Badly.

No prob, called best alignment shop in town...he's saying something about cutting into the sub frame in order to be able to get the toe back in spec? Something about a larger cam eccentric or something?

Can someone shed some more light on this for me? Any help greatly appreciated. I'm pretty lost as suspension and suspension tuning is...like...this huge dark area to me since no one ever talks about it! Everyone and their mother talks about turbos and exhausts and all that non-stop but suspension tuning? NOPE!!

Senna-F1 · 01-22-2018, 01:01 PM

Here ya go

DIY: Rear toe bolts install (Pics)

longlivethez · 01-22-2018, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senna-F1

Here ya go

DIY: Rear toe bolts install (Pics)

Awesome. DIY, too. I like it.

Thanks!

longlivethez · 01-22-2018, 01:28 PM

Out of curiosity: Is there any real harm in driving short distances before getting the alignment done? I know tires are going to wear all wacky and it sure feels sketch as hell, but it's not likely to break anything, right?

I have to GET to the alignment shop...lol

Senna-F1 · 01-22-2018, 01:35 PM

Did you install stuff yourself? What did you install? I did coilovers, front arm, rear camber arms, and the rear Toe bolts mentioned above. Mine was so whack the traction/stability light was coming on, felt horrible. Toe is probably what is giving you the bad feeling. Mine was bad enough I didn't wanna drive it at all. So, I eyeballed the rear toe, and adjusted it myself to what looked good to the naked eye. Made a HUGE difference, and I wasn't far off once we got it on the alignment rack. You won't break anything, but you could eat a set of tires if its really bad.

longlivethez · 01-22-2018, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senna-F1

Did you install stuff yourself? What did you install? I did coilovers, front arm, rear camber arms, and the rear Toe bolts mentioned above. Mine was so whack the traction/stability light was coming on, felt horrible. Toe is probably what is giving you the bad feeling. Mine was bad enough I didn't wanna drive it at all. So, I eyeballed the rear toe, and adjusted it myself to what looked good to the naked eye. Made a HUGE difference, and I wasn't far off once we got it on the alignment rack. You won't break anything, but you could eat a set of tires if its really bad.

Yea, I haven't done that much, and it's not that bad either. No traction light or anything. I had Pitstop (here in Phoenix) put in a set of Swifts a month or so ago and a set of SPL adjustable camber arms and 20mm spacers on Saturday. The camber arms did it...installed them so I could dial out a little bit of the negative camber in the hopes that I'll be able to put the power down a little better (which actually seems to have worked pretty well) and now the *** end feels super floaty and...weird...

Now I have to try to get up to ConceptZ to get the toe bolts.

I figured having **** pointed all caddywhompus would chew through tires pretty quick if I drove a lot, especially on the freeway but I couldn't care less about these tires. They suck anyway. I just don't want to break anything. Car feels SUPER weird but doesn't feel unsafe or anything. I should be good to make it up there.

Wonder if I could get under there and adjust it myself...just enough to make it drive a bit better. Hmm...

Senna-F1 · 01-22-2018, 02:11 PM

So if you just did rear camber arms, it shouldn't be bad at all. Hmmm. Adjusting the SPL camber arms should be pretty easy. You should keep the tires on the ground, and if you wanna go a step further, roll the tires up on some folded up trashbags. They are slippery, and allows the tires to move as you adjust so you can see what your adjustments are doing.

longlivethez · 01-22-2018, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senna-F1

So if you just did rear camber arms, it shouldn't be bad at all. Hmmm. Adjusting the SPL camber arms should be pretty easy. You should keep the tires on the ground, and if you wanna go a step further, roll the tires up on some folded up trashbags. They are slippery, and allows the tires to move as you adjust so you can see what your adjustments are doing.

Very clever!

I just wrench away on that toe bolt?

Senna-F1 · 01-22-2018, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by longlivethez

Very clever!

I just wrench away on that toe bolt?

Well, not really. I was thinking you wouldn't need to mess with the Toe, since you didn't change it. BUT, if it looks off, you can change it. I was thinking you might just need to touch up the camber using the new SPL part you just installed.

If you do adjust the toe bolts, you don't really wrench away at them. Here's how they work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQvBBXZ_cKI

You're just moving the Toe in and out (bolt moves left and right)

You can see how when you dremel out to make those elongated holes longer, and put in different bolts, you can adjust even more. Thats what your mechanic was talking about.

OptionZero · 01-22-2018, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by longlivethez

No prob, called best alignment shop in town...he's saying something about cutting into the sub frame in order to be able to get the toe back in spec? Something about a larger cam eccentric or something?

what the **** shop was this?

longlivethez · 01-22-2018, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senna-F1

Well, not really. I was thinking you wouldn't need to mess with the Toe, since you didn't change it. BUT, if it looks off, you can change it. I was thinking you might just need to touch up the camber using the new SPL part you just installed.

If you do adjust the toe bolts, you don't really wrench away at them. Here's how they work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQvBBXZ_cKI

You're just moving the Toe in and out (bolt moves left and right)

You can see how when you dremel out to make those elongated holes longer, and put in different bolts, you can adjust even more. Thats what your mechanic was talking about.

Makes sense. Thanks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OptionZero

what the **** shop was this?

One of the best alignment shops in town. He was talking about enlarging the holes the toe bolts go through. While I think he is somewhat exaggerating the seriousness of the work, he's not wrong. lol

OptionZero · 01-22-2018, 03:23 PM

Sorry, i've never heard of any cutting required to do a simple alignment on the back of a Z, and any shop that tried to tell me cutting the subframe was needed would be a shop i never go back to.

Get the 3 appropriate SPL arms and alignment is essentially limitless.

longlivethez · 01-22-2018, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OptionZero

Sorry, i've never heard of any cutting required to do a simple alignment on the back of a Z, and any shop that tried to tell me cutting the subframe was needed would be a shop i never go back to.

Get the 3 appropriate SPL arms and alignment is essentially limitless.

I installed adjustable camber arms and I'm on Swifts. Adjusting camber often changes your toe. Stock toe bolts may not be able to adjust toe enough to get it back within spec. That is why these exist. To install them, you have to elongate the hole the bolt goes into. That is the "cutting the subframe" dude was referring to.

OptionZero · 01-22-2018, 05:06 PM

or
buy the SPL **** and do it right?

longlivethez · 01-22-2018, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OptionZero

or
buy the SPL **** and do it right?

"Right"? The way we're discussing isn't "wrong". It's not a hack-n-slash, janky thing, man. I get what you're sayin, but...well...no.

Plus, you're talking the difference between 30 bucks and thousands...

01-22-2018, 12:53 PM	#1 (permalink)
longlivethez Base Member Join Date: May 2016 Location: Phoenix Posts: 105 Drives: 2014 370Z Roadster Rep Power: 163	Adjustable camber arms...alignment time! More parts? I just had some SPL adjustable camber arms put on the rear of my '14...naturally, I need an alignment. Badly. No prob, called best alignment shop in town...he's saying something about cutting into the sub frame in order to be able to get the toe back in spec? Something about a larger cam eccentric or something? Can someone shed some more light on this for me? Any help greatly appreciated. I'm pretty lost as suspension and suspension tuning is...like...this huge dark area to me since no one ever talks about it! Everyone and their mother talks about turbos and exhausts and all that non-stop but suspension tuning? NOPE!!

01-22-2018, 02:11 PM	#7 (permalink)
Senna-F1 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Cary, NC Age: 53 Posts: 425 Drives: 370SC,EliseSC,MR2T Rep Power: 49	So if you just did rear camber arms, it shouldn't be bad at all. Hmmm. Adjusting the SPL camber arms should be pretty easy. You should keep the tires on the ground, and if you wanna go a step further, roll the tires up on some folded up trashbags. They are slippery, and allows the tires to move as you adjust so you can see what your adjustments are doing. Airwilf likes this.

01-22-2018, 03:23 PM	#12 (permalink)
OptionZero A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Sacramento Posts: 3,160 Drives: 15 370Z Nismo 6MT Rep Power: 203226	Sorry, i've never heard of any cutting required to do a simple alignment on the back of a Z, and any shop that tried to tell me cutting the subframe was needed would be a shop i never go back to. Get the 3 appropriate SPL arms and alignment is essentially limitless. TACOZdeAZADA likes this. __________________ OptionZero Build Thread

01-22-2018, 05:06 PM	#14 (permalink)
OptionZero A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Sacramento Posts: 3,160 Drives: 15 370Z Nismo 6MT Rep Power: 203226	or buy the SPL **** and do it right? osbornsm likes this. __________________ OptionZero Build Thread

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01-22-2018, 01:01 PM	#2 (permalink)
Senna-F1 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Cary, NC Age: 53 Posts: 425 Drives: 370SC,EliseSC,MR2T Rep Power: 49	Here ya go DIY: Rear toe bolts install (Pics)

01-22-2018, 01:28 PM	#4 (permalink)
longlivethez Base Member Join Date: May 2016 Location: Phoenix Posts: 105 Drives: 2014 370Z Roadster Rep Power: 163	Out of curiosity: Is there any real harm in driving short distances before getting the alignment done? I know tires are going to wear all wacky and it sure feels sketch as hell, but it's not likely to break anything, right? I have to GET to the alignment shop...lol

01-22-2018, 01:35 PM	#5 (permalink)
Senna-F1 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Cary, NC Age: 53 Posts: 425 Drives: 370SC,EliseSC,MR2T Rep Power: 49	Did you install stuff yourself? What did you install? I did coilovers, front arm, rear camber arms, and the rear Toe bolts mentioned above. Mine was so whack the traction/stability light was coming on, felt horrible. Toe is probably what is giving you the bad feeling. Mine was bad enough I didn't wanna drive it at all. So, I eyeballed the rear toe, and adjusted it myself to what looked good to the naked eye. Made a HUGE difference, and I wasn't far off once we got it on the alignment rack. You won't break anything, but you could eat a set of tires if its really bad.