camber kit questions, alignment front and rear questions and specs
#221
06-21-2009 | 03:16 PM
Yes, I used 3 SPC kits; I split one of the kits in half to get an extra ¾ degrees adjustment on each axle stub. And it’s actually very good because the plastic is sandwiched between two flat pieces of metal (axle stub and rear axle beam). But I needed to use longer bolts on the wheel stub. I used 3 plates on each axle.
#222
06-21-2009 | 09:01 PM
Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 171
From: Granby, CT
rear camber adjustment here!
Star Spec tires. After about 1000 miles the inside edge was getting scalloped, creating a dreaded thumping. Some of that can be atributed to them being really soft but the point being the camber is within factory specs. When you lower a car all bets are off for stock settings.
I looked hi and low for some kind of camber adjustment device for the rear. I even bought the red pin wheel kit but after receiving it I brought it back after seeing what it looks like.
What I am finally doing to correct this is buying them machining new rear stub axles, $135 delivered online plus machining. The axle has a thick steel plate that can afford to loose a sliver of material to bring it into proper alignment, I am having to shave it for a 1 degree camber change.
You could have your car put on a alignment rack to see exactly how much camber and/or toe you have now to machine the new axle to within specs. Afterwards you can just bolt on the new shaved axle and be on your way. There should be no reason to put the car back on the rack except for peice of mind... I am saving my origional axles in case I ever go back to the stock setup.
#223
06-26-2009 | 08:51 AM
New Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 6
From: UK
I installed a coilover suspension a short time ago and had it aligned afterwards. I also installed the Direzza Sport Z1
Star Spec tires. After about 1000 miles the inside edge was getting scalloped, creating a dreaded thumping. Some of that can be atributed to them being really soft but the point being the camber is within factory specs. When you lower a car all bets are off for stock settings.
I looked hi and low for some kind of camber adjustment device for the rear. I even bought the red pin wheel kit but after receiving it I brought it back after seeing what it looks like.
What I am finally doing to correct this is buying them machining new rear stub axles, $135 delivered online plus machining. The axle has a thick steel plate that can afford to loose a sliver of material to bring it into proper alignment, I am having to shave it for a 1 degree camber change.
You could have your car put on a alignment rack to see exactly how much camber and/or toe you have now to machine the new axle to within specs. Afterwards you can just bolt on the new shaved axle and be on your way. There should be no reason to put the car back on the rack except for peice of mind... I am saving my origional axles in case I ever go back to the stock setup.
Star Spec tires. After about 1000 miles the inside edge was getting scalloped, creating a dreaded thumping. Some of that can be atributed to them being really soft but the point being the camber is within factory specs. When you lower a car all bets are off for stock settings.
I looked hi and low for some kind of camber adjustment device for the rear. I even bought the red pin wheel kit but after receiving it I brought it back after seeing what it looks like.
What I am finally doing to correct this is buying them machining new rear stub axles, $135 delivered online plus machining. The axle has a thick steel plate that can afford to loose a sliver of material to bring it into proper alignment, I am having to shave it for a 1 degree camber change.
You could have your car put on a alignment rack to see exactly how much camber and/or toe you have now to machine the new axle to within specs. Afterwards you can just bolt on the new shaved axle and be on your way. There should be no reason to put the car back on the rack except for peice of mind... I am saving my origional axles in case I ever go back to the stock setup.
#224
06-26-2009 | 08:53 AM
I think you’re wasting your money. You will need to buy several sets of axle stubs at different angles and then only get 1 degree of variation. And you really need 0.1 degree adjustment accuracy. The Specialty Products Company shims will get you there. Their shims are a composite (plastic) and they are set up to break out sectors from the inside to fit over bolts. I did that but would not recommend that any more. What I will do when I swap out my shocks to Mugen 5-way, I will drill the holes thru the plastic to leave as much material as possible. I will need to cut out a larger section for the ABS sensor, but that is not between the stub axle and the axle frame. The other modification I’ve made with the SPC shims is bought 3 sets. You only get 1.5 degrees of adjustment out of one set. By using 1-1/2 shim sets per axle stub, I get 2.25 degrees of adjustment. BUT you need to the replace the stub axle bolts with longer bolts to do this. Take a look at my albums under my profile to see these modifications.
#225
06-26-2009 | 10:18 PM
Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 263
From: Las Vegas, NV
does anyone have pics of the front camber kits and rear camber kits??, as far as kits to buy what are everyones opinions??? im lowered on eibach sportlines and experiencing some neg camber issues w/ my stock tires lol i have to get a new set already and i only have 20k miles on the car hahaha
#226
06-30-2009 | 11:39 AM
Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 171
From: Granby, CT
camber
Once the alignment is measured you will know what your car is out. With the new stub axels, they would need to be machined. Basically, cutting the new stub plate surface, which is very thick, to the shape needed to get you back into alignment that is desired. That may be a little different than "factory specs". But a good shop will know what to do. Once the shop measures and cuts your new stub axles it is simply a swap of stub axles.
As for the plastic shims, do you really want plastic sandwiched between your solid beam axle and solid stub axle? How do you maintain correct torque? Will the plastic ever break? Do you trust it with your life?
I, for one, do not trust plastic bolted between two very solid metal flanges and will go for a foolproof way to get the alignment needed for a lowered suspension. Again, which is not necessarially the same as the factory specs.
As for the plastic shims, do you really want plastic sandwiched between your solid beam axle and solid stub axle? How do you maintain correct torque? Will the plastic ever break? Do you trust it with your life?
I, for one, do not trust plastic bolted between two very solid metal flanges and will go for a foolproof way to get the alignment needed for a lowered suspension. Again, which is not necessarially the same as the factory specs.
#227
06-30-2009 | 02:12 PM
I would love to own the measurement instrumentation required!
"Once the alignment is measured you will know what your car is out. With the new stub axels, they would need to be machined. Basically, cutting the new stub plate surface, which is very thick, to the shape needed to get you back into alignment that is desired. That may be a little different than "factory specs". But a good shop will know what to do. Once the shop measures and cuts your new stub axles it is simply a swap of stub axles."
For one, there is a pin on the back side that will make the machining very difficult and for two, you will need some very fancy measuring instruments to orient your stub axles. And, I would like to see that done...I'm not saying that it can't be done...but man, that is an expensive way of doing things. Even NASA wouldn't do it that way!
"As for the plastic shims, do you really want plastic sandwiched between your solid beam axle and solid stub axle?"
Yes you do...why not? The steel will protect it!
"How do you maintain correct torque?"
With a torque wrench...80-in-lbs. You torque it once and you're done!
"Will the plastic ever break?"
No...It's sandwiched between two solid pieces of steel...the steel protects it!
"Do you trust it with your life?"
I have and I do...and by the way, I'm qualified to make such statements.
I, for one, do not trust plastic bolted between two very solid metal flanges and will go for a foolproof way to get the alignment needed for a lowered suspension. Again, which is not necessarially the same as the factory specs.
For one, there is a pin on the back side that will make the machining very difficult and for two, you will need some very fancy measuring instruments to orient your stub axles. And, I would like to see that done...I'm not saying that it can't be done...but man, that is an expensive way of doing things. Even NASA wouldn't do it that way!
"As for the plastic shims, do you really want plastic sandwiched between your solid beam axle and solid stub axle?"
Yes you do...why not? The steel will protect it!
"How do you maintain correct torque?"
With a torque wrench...80-in-lbs. You torque it once and you're done!
"Will the plastic ever break?"
No...It's sandwiched between two solid pieces of steel...the steel protects it!
"Do you trust it with your life?"
I have and I do...and by the way, I'm qualified to make such statements.
I, for one, do not trust plastic bolted between two very solid metal flanges and will go for a foolproof way to get the alignment needed for a lowered suspension. Again, which is not necessarially the same as the factory specs.
#228
06-30-2009 | 02:35 PM
I forgot to add that you are on optimist too...
Like I said in my previous post, I would love to own just the inspection tooling required to do the machining you are dreaming about.
But hey, if you know somebody that owns that kind of equipment, please post pictures of it here. I would love to see it in action…share the wealth!
Also, post your before and after wheel alignment data…I will post mine too. My fronts are both at -0.1 camber and both my rears are +0.5 with 0.00 toe on both the front and the rear. That is using the “plastic”…
Like I said in my previous post, I would love to own just the inspection tooling required to do the machining you are dreaming about.
But hey, if you know somebody that owns that kind of equipment, please post pictures of it here. I would love to see it in action…share the wealth!
Also, post your before and after wheel alignment data…I will post mine too. My fronts are both at -0.1 camber and both my rears are +0.5 with 0.00 toe on both the front and the rear. That is using the “plastic”…
#229
06-30-2009 | 09:51 PM
Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 171
From: Granby, CT
camber
Yea well I may be ignorant and/or stupid. I have a shop doing all the work. It is a major shop than can do everything. Their main stay is race prepping Porsches of all types. Old, new, full race, stock street. They didn't want to touch the plastic disk thingies with a 10 foot pole.
Who am I to argue. Not getting on anyones case that does use the plastic. But it is not going on my car. I did buy the plastic for $29(?) each and the new stubs were $63. Another $34 each to do it solidly right...
Who am I to argue. Not getting on anyones case that does use the plastic. But it is not going on my car. I did buy the plastic for $29(?) each and the new stubs were $63. Another $34 each to do it solidly right...
#230
07-02-2009 | 09:20 AM
Show us the data…before and after…of your $63 job.
What is a formula one car made out of? You’re so intelligent about racing…a graphite composite! Which falls under the broad category of what? I can’t hear you! Plastic! OK…you are getting smarter. One more question. How many times have you broken a porcelain dish? Would you say it was a strong material? FYI, every single F-1 car has ceramic wheel bearings…how many bearing failures have seen on an F-1 car? No $hit Sherlock!
There are a lot of very light materials that can be used in some very highly loaded areas, provided you understand the strength of materials and know how to use them. A mechanic is not one of those people…neither a certified mechanic nor a “race car” mechanic. Not a single mechanic designed an F-1 car. They are designed by engineers, just like the Fit you are driving.
By the way, do us all a favor and give us the name of the shop that is doing your work…so we could all not touch it with a 10-foot pole and avoid it like the plague!
What is a formula one car made out of? You’re so intelligent about racing…a graphite composite! Which falls under the broad category of what? I can’t hear you! Plastic! OK…you are getting smarter. One more question. How many times have you broken a porcelain dish? Would you say it was a strong material? FYI, every single F-1 car has ceramic wheel bearings…how many bearing failures have seen on an F-1 car? No $hit Sherlock!
There are a lot of very light materials that can be used in some very highly loaded areas, provided you understand the strength of materials and know how to use them. A mechanic is not one of those people…neither a certified mechanic nor a “race car” mechanic. Not a single mechanic designed an F-1 car. They are designed by engineers, just like the Fit you are driving.
By the way, do us all a favor and give us the name of the shop that is doing your work…so we could all not touch it with a 10-foot pole and avoid it like the plague!
#231
07-02-2009 | 09:52 AM
Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 171
From: Granby, CT
camber
Show us the data…before and after…of your $63 job.
What is a formula one car made out of? You’re so intelligent about racing…a graphite composite! Which falls under the broad category of what? I can’t hear you! Plastic! OK…you are getting smarter. One more question. How many times have you broken a porcelain dish? Would you say it was a strong material? FYI, every single F-1 car has ceramic wheel bearings…how many bearing failures have seen on an F-1 car? No $hit Sherlock!
There are a lot of very light materials that can be used in some very highly loaded areas, provided you understand the strength of materials and know how to use them. A mechanic is not one of those people…neither a certified mechanic nor a “race car” mechanic. Not a single mechanic designed an F-1 car. They are designed by engineers, just like the Fit you are driving.
By the way, do us all a favor and give us the name of the shop that is doing your work…so we could all not touch it with a 10-foot pole and avoid it like the plague!
What is a formula one car made out of? You’re so intelligent about racing…a graphite composite! Which falls under the broad category of what? I can’t hear you! Plastic! OK…you are getting smarter. One more question. How many times have you broken a porcelain dish? Would you say it was a strong material? FYI, every single F-1 car has ceramic wheel bearings…how many bearing failures have seen on an F-1 car? No $hit Sherlock!
There are a lot of very light materials that can be used in some very highly loaded areas, provided you understand the strength of materials and know how to use them. A mechanic is not one of those people…neither a certified mechanic nor a “race car” mechanic. Not a single mechanic designed an F-1 car. They are designed by engineers, just like the Fit you are driving.
By the way, do us all a favor and give us the name of the shop that is doing your work…so we could all not touch it with a 10-foot pole and avoid it like the plague!
#232
07-02-2009 | 10:15 AM
That was a real intelligent post…good arguments too! I hope you’re smart enough to figure out that I’m being sarcastic here.
You don’t even know who the governing body of F-1 is, let alone called them. Do you even know which country to call? That was a hint that it's not even in the United States.
You don’t even know who the governing body of F-1 is, let alone called them. Do you even know which country to call? That was a hint that it's not even in the United States.
#233
07-03-2009 | 08:34 AM
Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 171
From: Granby, CT
camber
That was a real intelligent post…good arguments too! I hope you’re smart enough to figure out that I’m being sarcastic here.
You don’t even know who the governing body of F-1 is, let alone called them. Do you even know which country to call? That was a hint that it's not even in the United States.
You don’t even know who the governing body of F-1 is, let alone called them. Do you even know which country to call? That was a hint that it's not even in the United States.
as for the "plastic" rings. that is not something i want bolted to my car in a high stress area for any length of time. i plan on keeping my Fit for 200,000 plus miles if all goes well. many years... i just would rather have a hunk of metal bolted together than plastic sandwiched between... piece of mind...
#234
07-03-2009 | 10:29 AM
OK…stop that…you just moved up the intelligence scale a few notches…we can’t have any more of that! ;-) And…I could be jealous of your laps – depending on the vehicle you were driving and the speeds you were going.
Now back to the plastic shims thing…I’m already half way to your goal of 200K. I just turned over 92K yesterday – with the plastic shims. And you know what? They’re working just fine…as advertised.
Let engineers do the designing…that’s how F-1 cars got so fast.
Now back to the plastic shims thing…I’m already half way to your goal of 200K. I just turned over 92K yesterday – with the plastic shims. And you know what? They’re working just fine…as advertised.
Let engineers do the designing…that’s how F-1 cars got so fast.
#235
09-30-2009 | 06:08 PM
Going to install the SPC Camber bolts this week, running 15x7 +38 with 205/50/15 tires.
It rubs, but right on the top plastic washer and flat metal screw which hold the fender liner in, grazes it on decent size bumps in the road, hopefully I can get enough camber to correct this when I align it at the shop.
It rubs, but right on the top plastic washer and flat metal screw which hold the fender liner in, grazes it on decent size bumps in the road, hopefully I can get enough camber to correct this when I align it at the shop.
#236
09-30-2009 | 08:45 PM
Going to install the SPC Camber bolts this week, running 15x7 +38 with 205/50/15 tires.
It rubs, but right on the top plastic washer and flat metal screw which hold the fender liner in, grazes it on decent size bumps in the road, hopefully I can get enough camber to correct this when I align it at the shop.
It rubs, but right on the top plastic washer and flat metal screw which hold the fender liner in, grazes it on decent size bumps in the road, hopefully I can get enough camber to correct this when I align it at the shop.
eastwood fender rolling tool
#237
09-30-2009 | 09:05 PM
A friend of mine has one of those, however, id rather spend $26 shipped on a camber kit from clubrsx than $400 on repainting both fenders after the paint cracks. Even with using a heatgun, I am still wary of stretching the paint and leading to pre-mature failure of the factory spray job.
Harbor freight makes a cheap alternative to the Eastwood as well, he has the Eastwood, not sure if the HF one is junk though but its a simple device.
Harbor freight makes a cheap alternative to the Eastwood as well, he has the Eastwood, not sure if the HF one is junk though but its a simple device.
#239
10-06-2009 | 06:56 AM
yes!...
SPC Application Search - Product=
It took me 5 of these kits to get it right. I've destroyed two sets on getting it close. I’ve got a set and a half on each side of the car. Spec is from +0.5-deg to +2.5-deg. I have mine set to +0.5. Each set only gives you 1.5 degrees of adjustment. I needed more. So I’ve split one set and put just one shim in and then added the shim kit per manufacturer’s recommendations. One bit of caution…you will need longer bolts. These are metric grade 10 bolts. They are a pain to find. You can find metric grade 9 lots of places, but grade 10s are a bitch. I had to use Allen-head grade 12s. I think I’ve ordered them from Grainger. I needed to use a 5-mm thick washer too because those stock bolts are flange bolts.
SPC Application Search - Product=
It took me 5 of these kits to get it right. I've destroyed two sets on getting it close. I’ve got a set and a half on each side of the car. Spec is from +0.5-deg to +2.5-deg. I have mine set to +0.5. Each set only gives you 1.5 degrees of adjustment. I needed more. So I’ve split one set and put just one shim in and then added the shim kit per manufacturer’s recommendations. One bit of caution…you will need longer bolts. These are metric grade 10 bolts. They are a pain to find. You can find metric grade 9 lots of places, but grade 10s are a bitch. I had to use Allen-head grade 12s. I think I’ve ordered them from Grainger. I needed to use a 5-mm thick washer too because those stock bolts are flange bolts.
#240
10-06-2009 | 07:32 AM
Here is a link to my album to show you how it looks installed...
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/album.php?albumid=240
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/album.php?albumid=240