58 replies to this topic

[RX25SE]

Im giving the RX a wheel align tomorrow as the steering wheel is off center and its pissing me off. Anyway.....I usually give my cars a little more camber and caster and a little less toe but Im wondering is this a good idea on a Subaru. Is anyone using a setup to sharpen up the steering without chopping the tyres to pieces? Also, does the B4 use different top strut mounts to the RX? Thanks. Jason

[Dylan]

Front 1.5deg neg camber As much castor as possible Rear 0.5 neg camber 0.1 toe-in (safe)

[RX25SE]

Thanks Dylan. Hows the front tyre wear with neg 1.5 camber? You would think it would wear the inside edges.

[Dylan]

Thanks Dylan.
Hows the front tyre wear with neg 1.5 camber? You would think it would wear the inside edges.

My tyre wear with those settings has been fine, mate. Have not noticed any real dramas with it at all in regards to premature wear on the inside of the tyre. Having said that, the rims and tyres I've been running are currently off and on the back seat of the car so I will take a look in the morning at the front ones to confirm.

[RX25SE]

Thanks. Yeah just wondering. I have/had my weekend cars set at around that but they do very few kms and are usually driven, shall we say, enthusiastically so the tyre wear is not normal. As the Lib is my wifes daily drive, tyre wear is a little more important to me. Haven't looked yet but I'm thinking there's not much I can do with the caster. Cheers

[buzzda]

Thanks.
Yeah just wondering. I have/had my weekend cars set at around that but they do very few kms and are usually driven, shall we say, enthusiastically so the tyre wear is not normal.
As the Lib is my wifes daily drive, tyre wear is a little more important to me.
Haven't looked yet but I'm thinking there's not much I can do with the caster.
Cheers

Had W/A on the B4 couple of weeeks ago, and got it adj on monday (had no toe in on front, which I like... no I don't care bout tyre life).

Has anyone else been told that they can't run neg camber on D/side front? the guy said as there's no castor adj. on them he couldn't put neg camber on the d/side... reckoned it would pull to the left.

I asked if could be rectumfied with ALK, He said if I put the ALK on and have + caster then he'd be able to put neg camber on both sides...

[RX25SE]

Had W/A on the B4 couple of weeeks ago, and got it adj on monday (had no toe in on front, which I like... no I don't care bout tyre life).

Has anyone else been told that they can't run neg camber on D/side front? the guy said as there's no castor adj. on them he couldn't put neg camber on the d/side... reckoned it would pull to the left.

I asked if could be rectumfied with ALK, He said if I put the ALK on and have + caster then he'd be able to put neg camber on both sides...

He might have been using the cambers to compensate for the crown of the road. The crown will cause the car to pull but you can compensate with caster (if its adjustable) and run neg camber on both sides.
I used to run the old ford with more than neg 1.5 camber and it never pulled. Same as you, didnt care about tyre life as it only did about 1500km a year!!
I dont understand how the ALK relates to neg camber??

[buzzda]

He might have been using the cambers to compensate for the crown of the road. The crown will cause the car to pull but you can compensate with caster (if its adjustable) and run neg camber on both sides.

I dont understand how the ALK relates to neg camber??

That's exactly the explaination he gave aswell.

Sorry, the ALK also adds .5 castor, which he said would then allow neg camber on both.

Would that be right? or does the castor need to be adjustable?

[RX25SE]

I dont fully understand the ALK thing but from what I know it lowers the rear of the lower control arm. Perhaps this also moves the lower ball joint slightly forward which would increase caster. How adding 0.5 caster (im assuming more positive) will allow neg camber still eludes me. Sometimes the wheel align guys use all the right words, just in the wrong order! Do you have ALK Josh? If so, did you notice a difference? Cheers

[buzzda]

No ALK as yet, ordered it on Monday along with a Bump Steer Kit as haven't been completely happy with steering since new (lower) shocks/springs went in... The guy that did it has a really good rep here for his W/Align. skills. When we were talking bout it he said if I get castor on it he'd be able to put neg camber on both... maybe he was assuming it would be adjustable... *edit* Just got off phone to W/A guy, He said the ALK (.5 + castor) would be the way to go... as I said, he's got a good rep. here so I'll take his word for it, put em on, let him have a fiddle and see what happens...

[RX25SE]

Ok cool. He does them every day where I only do them when I need it!!! If he has a good rep then go with that. Are you supposed to use the roll centre correction kit with the bump steer kit? Oh......Some MOTHER OF A FCUKWIT has fcuked one of the heads on the wheel aligner and now I have to wait intil the part gets here!Arrrrggggh

[buzzda]

Ok cool.
He does them every day where I only do them when I need it!!!
If he has a good rep then go with that.

Are you supposed to use the roll centre correction kit with the bump steer kit?


Oh......Some MOTHER OF A FCUKWIT has fcuked one of the heads on the wheel aligner and now I have to wait intil the part gets here!Arrrrggggh

Let me guess... no-ones touched/been near it and no-one knows how it got mcfugged?

They come together, the W/line kit I'm getting (KCA313) is listed as roll centre/bump steer adjust kit (tie rod ends and B/joints)...

[RX25SE]

Let me guess... no-ones touched/been near it and no-one knows how it got mcfugged?

May have been a student.....still the teachers should keep and eye out.

They come together, the W/line kit I'm getting (KCA313) is listed as roll centre/bump steer adjust kit (tie rod ends and B/joints)...

Cool. Be interested to hear how it goes. How much did you lower it?

[buzzda]

Will let you know.

Put Tein S/techs in, supposed to lower it 40mm

Don't know what the original measurement were (and didn't think too take measurements before I did it ) but now centre of wheel to guard is 325 fr and 315 r

Here's some pics

http://img182.images...p?g=1003388.jpg

*edit* had a look at the pics and it looks like it's prob "settled" another 5 maybe 10 mm from the pics

these were taken on sunday

[RX25SE]

Sits nice. Not sure if I want ours that low as its the family bus!

[buzzda]

Sits nice.
Not sure if I want ours that low as its the family bus!

Ta! LOL so's ours... I've actually been suprised tho, I thought I was gonna have probs with scraping etc but I've taken it everywhere I thought it would and its been fine, its not too rough as I got the billies revalved to suit.
I'm actually pretty stoked with how its turned out- didn't get any of the lowering downsides (scraping etc) but got the pluses (looks/handing).

[RX25SE]

Front
1.5deg neg camber
As much castor as possible

Rear
0.5 neg camber
0.1 toe-in (safe)

Front
I couldn't get that much neg camber so I set it at neg 0.6 and a bit less on the RH side.
No adjustment for caster, Im happy with the +3.4 it has on it now.
Factory toe is huge varation (anwhere from +3mm to -3mm!!!!) so I set it at 0.3mm total toe in.

Rear
No adjustment for camber.
Same specs for rear toe as front (freaks me out- thats 6mm of variation!!!!)
The thing had 4.3mm toe out on the LHR!! Might explain why I had the tail out on a RH turn.

Josh
Billies eh. Standard on B4 correct????
Was thinking of Koni for mine.

[buzzda]

Josh
Billies eh. Standard on B4 correct????
Was thinking of Koni for mine.

Yeah mate std... they'll (Billies from B4) fit on the RX and I've seen a few sets (springs inc) with bugger-all K's floating round for bout $400-$600 ... might be worth looking into.

[Dylan]

Jason, you do your own alignments??

[RX25SE]

Jason, you do your own alignments??

Yes.
One of the few perks of the job