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      01-23-2008, 02:26 AM   #1
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Lowered On Tein Springs Alignment Question

Hey guys, so i recently put in Tein S.Tech springs 0.7/0.6 drop. Been running about 150 miles now, prob a little bit more before I get an alignment. I was wondering what do you guys think is the best in terms of specs for the alignment? Also shops that say they only do factory alignment means they set it to the factory spec only no aftermarket request right? Would factory settings be okay? Does anyone know the factory settings? I'm getting mixed opinions some say the car has natural camber and the minimal drop shouldn't require an alignment but I want to be sure. Thanks
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      01-23-2008, 09:29 AM   #2
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I'm in the camp that with that little of a drop you should keep it as-is. All you've done is added just a tad of negative camber, which if anything is going to help with turn-ins. Theoretically you're going to go through tires just a tad faster, but really not much with that little camber.

Before you get all concerned about it, go to a major brand chain tire place. Most of them will do an alignment check for you for free, in an effort to sell services. Or if not, just pay for a check, not an adjustment, it will be cheap. Then you will have a printout of what your alignment, camber, toe, cast specs are. Publish that here and we'll tell you if its any cause for concern.
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      01-23-2008, 04:33 PM   #3
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Would express tire be able to do it? Or firestone or something like that? So I need an alignment estimate right?
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      01-24-2008, 01:52 PM   #4
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the rear cambers alot more but you need the rear lower camber arms. But you should always get an alignment no matter what after lowering. See if teh camber justify a purchase of the camber arms
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      01-24-2008, 03:49 PM   #5
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Uh, there are aftermarket camber arms for the 07 Z4?
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      01-27-2008, 10:35 PM   #6
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Anyone else got any input? Tried calling local Firestone they cant do it.
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      01-28-2008, 01:30 PM   #7
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Go get the alignment checked!! That will tell you what to do. If Firestone can't do it just go somewhere else.

PS> Don't advertise that the car is lowered or some people won't even want to work on it.
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      01-28-2008, 05:57 PM   #8
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So I should just say, my car is like pulling left/right and I want to check my alignment? What's the problem with lowered cars? Tons of cars are probably lowered on springs/coils/bags
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      01-28-2008, 06:19 PM   #9
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Just say you want an alignment check. You don't owe them any explanation for anything. Most places will happily take you in, do a printout, and then try to sell you services. A free (or inexpensive) alignment check gets new customers in the door.
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      01-28-2008, 11:45 PM   #10
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Alright, I'll try to call around, I think my friend said Evan's Tire does them as well. So hopefully they will. Thanks I'll report back
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      01-29-2008, 09:39 AM   #11
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make sure they do "weighted" alignment with sandbags in the trunk
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      02-05-2008, 03:43 PM   #12
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Went to a different Firestone today. They quoted me 19.99$ for an alignment check and 69.99$ for the alignment. If alignment done after alignment check they waive the 19.99$ check fee. Also they do aftermarket specifications as well. They have a Hunter DPS500 System which my friend told me was a good machine so I scheduled an appointment for later this afternoon. What kind of numbers should I be looking at? Should I just have them tune it to mfg specs?
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      02-05-2008, 06:58 PM   #13
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Got the alignment check today; terribly confused, maybe someone here can help me troubleshoot. Only thing I can think of is either alignment check was done improperly, my suspension was installed improperly or gremlins are at work while my car was on the rack. Any and all input is appreciated and welcomed. Anyone know what part of the suspension would cause (-) camber? I have no idea how installing < 1" drop springs would throw off my camber and just ONE wheel at that.

The technician said there is no way they can correct the front camber because it is way too far off, at this rate I'm probably gonna need camber plates? However, I dont put too much faith in their knowledge seeing as they tried to tell me that my OE 18" are not going to perform as well on the Toyo T1Rs and I should get OE RFT probably trying to sell me a set of 500$ ea Potenzas
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      02-05-2008, 10:39 PM   #14
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I know you already spent the cash on the checkup ... but when I had my old 350z setup for the track (coilovers, new a-arms and rear camber arms and toe bolts), I would always stop by Evans Tire on Convoy near the 163.

The tech there was amazing, always took care of my custom wheels and knew talked to me about my setup. They have a newer laser/ir machine setup and did my alignment at least 8 times over 1.5 years without even a hiccup.

He did my alignment the first time I ever dropped the car on Eibach's and another shop told me I needed new a-arms and all sorts of add-ons. He was able to get me back almost to spec with a good setup that helped my Toyos last me a long time.
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      02-05-2008, 10:46 PM   #15
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Hm, I might have to head over there, do you know how much alignment checks are there? I know the Z4 OE adjustment screws are pretty minimal so if it is in fact around 2 degrees off I dont think they'd be able to adjust it to spec. I thought negative camber was good?
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      02-06-2008, 11:26 AM   #16
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Negative camber is "good" for performance driving and turn-in, but its not good in the sense that that much is going to start to kill your tire life over time. You'll notice un-even and accelerated tire wear... no body wants that.

Yes, this is why camber plates were invented. They are a good fix for the problem, although not always necessary depending on how much adjustment is left in the stock setup. The rear doesn't exhibit the problem because its a double wishbone IRS, it can comp, but the front is a traditional MacPherson strut. It can be adjusted, and judging by the fact that one is in line, I think it can be adjusted without the need for the camber plate. Try another shop.

This is the reality of living with lowered cars. Welcome to the club, ain't it fun?
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      02-06-2008, 04:27 PM   #17
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Noticed something last night that my friend brought up. My front right tire was 3 psi lower then the other 3 tires. Obviously Firestone didn't bother making sure the tire pressures were all even before doing the check, could this be the cause for the grotesquely out of line measurement? The lower tire pressure should induce negative camber.

So what you're saying is the front struts are more adjustable then the rears? I would've thought it would be the other way around since the front struts are held to the frame by the three engine bay screws, interesting. I'm on the hunt for a more knowledge shop as we speak.

Trying to get as much feedback as possible before I decide what to do.
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