Home alignment

[Jim Richards]

The other night I increased the amount of negative camber on my rear wheels using the 911 home alignment guide that Charlie posted in the Gallery. I just did the rear camber section of the procedure and I was able to go from -0.5° to -1°. This helped my right rear tire rubbing some, but I think a bit more is needed. I stopped at -1° because that's all that I felt I could adjust it to by turning that eccentric bolt. Is there a trick to getting more camber adjustment? Thanks!

[RoninLB]

Yep...... Ron

[Jim Richards]

OK Ron, don't leave me hanging...what's the punch line? :lol:

[RoninLB]

[quote=...what's the punch line? :lol:[/quote]

LOL.. you can modify the spring plate.. don't have to remove it for this.. more later.. I prooomise.............Ron

[RoninLB]

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=99662&highlight=spring+plate

[Jim Richards]

I don't understand the mechanics of this mod but I'll give it a try.

Thanks Ron!

[RoninLB]

try removing the lower bolt and see if that allows you more adjustment. then, hopefully, you can see where you have to grind.............Ron

[Jim Richards]

I'll try it this weekend and let you know how I make out. Thanks Ron!

[targa911man]

Jim--

Did you do the front too? I just got new tires all around and both the old fronts had extreme wear on the inside, so I'm going to attempt the home alignment on the front this weekend. If you did the front, any tips would be appreciated.

[Jim Richards]

Sorry Dan, all I did was set rear camber so that I could reduce tire rubbing. The procedures don't seem too difficult for all of this alignment stuff. I'd recommend checking it out (find it in the Gallery). Hope it goes well for you.

[Charlie Stylianos]

I'm glad you guys are testing the procedures. Aslo glad Jim, they they wern't too hard to follow.

After a total front and rear suspension teardown/rebuild, everything will be out of wack.

[RoninLB]

I confirm the alignment that I want with a temp gauge placed between the threads.. and remove my hands from the wheel..
I do a straight/level fast ride for a few miles to warm them up, and then pull over and check the front or rear pair very quickly in left/center/right.. then a re-check. they cool very quickly. I align with 3/4 tank of gas, so that's what I check tire temps.. there is more info around on track tire temps, but I don't have it.. to my understanding many track guys do tire temps..
and I did a quick 18k miles a short time ago, and everything was fine.. based on the tire wear of brand new tires.. of course correct tire psi before doing this temp act is important...............Ron

[Jim Richards]

and I did a quick 18k miles a short time ago

:lol:

[Charlie Stylianos]

I found this handy tool at the Home Depot. 360 degree protractor for $9.

- Transfers angles to within 1 degree

- Easy reading dial with adjustable angle pointer


Excellent for setting spring plate angle when indexing t-bars for ride height.

Also, with a 2x4 against the tire and the guage against the 2x4, reading the correct camber is probably easier than using the level or plub bob method.



http://www.homedepot.com/cmc_upload/HDUS/EN_US/asset/images/pii/7/1/7/9/A19717_3.JPG

[RoninLB]

I found this handy tool at the Home Depot. 360 degree protractor for $9.

- Easy reading dial with adjustable angle pointer




that tool is great..
also to set rake.. I lay in on the lower door opening / tub.........Ron

[targa911man]

[quote="Charlie Stylianos"]

Also, with a 2x4 against the tire and the guage against the 2x4, reading the correct camber is probably easier than using the level or plub bob method.

Charlie--

Won't the bulge at the bottom of the tire throw off the camber angle reading with that method? The booklet emphasizes taking the reading off the top and bottom of the rim, not the tire, I think for that reason.

[Charlie Stylianos]

Dan,

Good point.....

For some reason I was thinking 'rear wheels off the ground'. Maybe because that's been my view the last 3 months. :? The camber reading should be taken with the rear fully loaded.

Cut 2x4 to fit the wheel, not touching the tire :wink:

[Jim Richards]

That's the ticket. But when you're in there making the camber change, you'll have the car up on jackstands and the rear wheels off. The angle they droop to when unloaded now changes. So, you make changes to that angle to achieve the desired camber, tighten everything back up, put the wheels back on, lower the car back down, and then verify your new camber setting.

[APKhaos]

Its critical to roll the car a length or so after lowering back onto the tires. The geometry of the rear suspension puts the outside edges on the ground first at an extreme camber angle. As the car comes down, tire friction prevents the wheels from reaching their natural camber position. Need to rollit to let things settle, then measure.

My daughter would say "Thank you, Captain Obvious!" so you can too if you already do all this.

[Jim Richards]

I think I should be called Capt. Oblivious, as I didn't think about this. :roll:
Thanks for the pointer, Tony!

[Vicegrip]

I got a digital unit and made a frame from a level that fits on the rim. It is availble for loan. While using it I found the at my wheel type protractor was off enought to matter.

Roll it back and forth and bounce it some. If the car has been up for a while(days) let it sit for a couple hours before setting hights. Legal street driving has a hard time getting tires up to usefull temps but you can get tunning temps when you push it some. I have a road near my house that I use for "testing" Someday I expect a homeowner to call the cops on "That damm loud green car" that rips by now and again.