[zx5Ye]

alright, so, ive installed eibachs pro (1.2 drop maybe a bit more) with ull svt suspension... so i have couple of questions before i do the alignment, which i was gonna do tomorrow
1) i didnt manage to install the front sway bar yet, coz i didnt order a new mounting bracket (long story) so if i change it later will this affect the alignment???
2) Do i have to get camber plates for the front before i do the alignment? coz i mean front wheels look pretty straight to me, maybe 88 degrees instead of 90
3)The rears look pretty bad, especially passengers one is good 10-15 degrees off, and the drivers side maybe 5? So do i have to get the cambers bolts or it should alignm good without it??? maybe i exhandurated a bit with degrees but thats how it looked like
any help would be appreciated

 

[zx5Ye]

noone ? []

 

[zx5Ye]

bump.. anyone? kinda have to decide what to do.. but i dunno

 

[thenorm]

1. yes. installing a front sway bar is a PITA, and requires unbolting the subframe. this could change your alignment abit. In fact, many people dont bother with upgrading the front bar, only the rear. It saves effort and make the car rotate in corners (watch out for oversteer)
2. No, a little camber doesnt hurt anyone.
3. maybe. there is no adjustment for camber on a stock car, so if they are far off, you would need the camber bolts. the good new is they are cheap (<30$), so you could install them anyways, and get your rear camber perfect.

 

[zx5Ye]

ya i know how to install a front bar, its not a big deal, just alot of work, and i wanna do it anyway - long story.. alright im gonna order camber bolts fro the back now then
thx

 

[Geezer]

alright, so, ive installed eibachs pro (1.2 drop maybe a bit more) with ull svt suspension... so i have couple of questions before i do the alignment, which i was gonna do tomorrow
1) i didnt manage to install the front sway bar yet, coz i didnt order a new mounting bracket (long story) so if i change it later will this affect the alignment???
2) Do i have to get camber plates for the front before i do the alignment? coz i mean front wheels look pretty straight to me, maybe 88 degrees instead of 90
3)The rears look pretty bad, especially passengers one is good 10-15 degrees off, and the drivers side maybe 5? So do i have to get the cambers bolts or it should alignm good without it??? maybe i exhandurated a bit with degrees but thats how it looked like
any help would be appreciated

I think you'll find the actual numbers to be "far less" than your exaggerations. Rear camber in the 2 degree area is very apparent. I have the Eibach pro system and found that rear camber bolts were required to get the camber where I wanted it (under -1.5*). Along with this you want toe-in to be no more than 0.04" for an SVT or a lowered car and 0.08" for a stock height car. Up front go with a tad of toe-out. Camber is usually not a problem up front.

 

[zx5Ye]

alright, so im fine with the front then, and for the back im gonna install the camber bolts and let the dealer alignm it right, but for the back you said camber under -1.5 degrees and toe in no more then 0.04", so i have to spesifically ask them to do those measurements or thats how its gonna be after the alignment? i dont know much about that so

 

[Geezer]

Yes, you'll have to ask for those specs. They'll probably say the toe doesn't meet spec but remind them that the car is lowered. The 0.04 toe-in spec comes from an SVT which is, more or less, a standard Focus with firmer shocks and slightly lower and firmer springs...what you have added with the aftermarket suspension.

 

[zx5Ye]

alright thx, so i ordered the camber bolts today, they will be here on the 10th and then im gonna be doing the alignment..

 

[thenorm]

read a camber bolt how-to so u have all the tools and know how when u get the bolts.
http://web.archive.org/web/20070814095956/www.teamfocus.us/camberboltsinstall.htm

 

[zx5Ye]

just got an alignment done....

heres what i got
Front:
camber: L -0.6 R -.06
toe: L + .3 R + .2

Rear:
Camber L -2.5 R -1.3
Toe L+35 R +33

i got camber bolts + i got eibach pros with rough dampers.. any suggestions what i should do?
whats up with those +35 and +33? or he meant 0.33 and 0.35?... they had no ink so he just wrote me this off of the screen..

 

[Geezer]

We need to know whether those toe settings are in inches or degrees. In either case those numbers look really fishy. Whether inches or degrees it looks like a ton of toe-in both front and rear. And as you can see the left rear has a lot of negative camber. Did he even try using the camber bolts?

 

[S0C0nFused]

FYI:
I posted my final alignment on this thread
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=165133
(see page 4 at the bottom)
I have been told that there is not a whole lotta diff tween years. So look at the "Specifications" column for minimum and maximum allowable settings. Note what Geezer said though. You got to specify whether your numbers are in inches or degrees.

 

[zx5Ye]

i dunno... either its in inches or degrees.. he just gave a piece of paper with those numbers and didnt specify anything and i didnt ask him....im thinking that its was just a waste and id have get it redone...[][][][] paid $90

 

[Geezer]

i dunno... either its in inches or degrees.. he just gave a piece of paper with those numbers and didn't specify anything and i didnt ask him....im thinking that its was just a waste and id have get it redone...[][][][] paid $90

90.00! Ouch! He should have at least told you why he couldn't get the camber even. Some comment like "its beyond the adjustment range of the ability of the camber bolt. I set it to the least amount of negative camber possible" would be better than nothing. You did tell him you had camber bolts right? If not he didn't even try to adjust the camber because its non-adjustable without them.

The specified toe range for your car is:
Front;
-0.10 to 0.10 degrees
-0.05 to 0.05 inches
Rear:
0.15 to 0.35 degrees
0.08 to 0.18 inches

It does not appear that the numbers you posted, whether degrees or inches, fall within either of these ranges. I should point out that for a lowered car we like seeing the rear toe in the 0.04 inch range to minimize tire wear (that's the minimum SVT spec).

 

[zx5Ye]

i did tell him, and he said he knew how to use them and stuff, so man i didnt even get the printouts with before and after stuff.. so [][][][] that, im gonna try and argue and try to get the money back.. if not then ill just get it redone at a better place...im so pissed..

 

[S0C0nFused]

i dunno... either its in inches or degrees.. he just gave a piece of paper with those numbers and didnt specify anything and i didnt ask him....im thinking that its was just a waste and id have get it redone...[][][][] paid $90

I feel your pain! What you need to do is 'network' if possible. Spot a guy or gal (car or truck) who has had there ride height changed? (up or down, it does not matter). Apply some compliments and tell them about your problem finding someone to align your car properly. Chances are much better they can recommend someone by name. (my guy works at NTB, but his NAME is Joe! NTB does not align my car, Joe does!!!). Try to get that name!
BTW! I paid $109.99 for a 1 year alignment. meaning I can take it back anytime for one year for as many alignments as it takes. AND Joe gave me full printouts (actually, Joe proviced a lot more than that, but that's a diff thread). Good luck! []

 

[zx5Ye]

hers some ppl driving around wiht lowered focuses too, ill try catch one of them and try to talk..and see.. or just bring it to the dealer..

 

[S0C0nFused]

hers some ppl driving around wiht lowered focuses too, ill try catch one of them and try to talk..and see.. or just bring it to the dealer..

You may not get anything better with the dealer sorry to say. Talk with these guys or gals really. Enthusiasts generally will love to talk about there rides and are willing to provide names and places to get it done right.

 

[zx5Ye]

alright, ill try to talk to ppl.. maybe ill get some luck.. and again another question.. if i go with my stock specs not the svt specs and if they will do it right, then the tire ware would less then if i go with the svt specs? coz i dont do any racing or anything so the camber and bla bla doesnt really matter to me..