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alignment after lowering?

Old 10-03-2010, 09:16 PM
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Default alignment after lowering?

how long can i ride on my teg after i lower it without having to align it?
Old 10-03-2010, 09:33 PM
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Default Re: alignment after lowering?

Depends everycar is different. If you camber alot then not long before your tires take a ****.
Old 10-03-2010, 09:38 PM
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Default Re: alignment after lowering?

ooo i c how can i tell if i have camber
Old 10-03-2010, 09:38 PM
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Default Re: alignment after lowering?

i wouldnt wait no more than a couple weeks at most. when you do just have the technician set the toe to "zero" and you're good to go!
Old 10-03-2010, 09:49 PM
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Default Re: alignment after lowering?

Originally Posted by 92teginsc
i wouldnt wait no more than a couple weeks at most. when you do just have the technician set the toe to "zero" and you're good to go!
will do
thanks all
Old 10-03-2010, 10:09 PM
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Default Re: alignment after lowering?

even a couple weeks is pushing it. just get it done asap. like days. the toe in will kill your tires in a matter of weeks. not so much the camber
Old 10-03-2010, 10:13 PM
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Default Re: alignment after lowering?

Originally Posted by tAcOmAz FiNeSt
ooo i c how can i tell if i have camber
You must of never driven a lowered car before. But you can tell by looking at your tires from the front. With a lowered car you can see that the tires are more in a slant instead of being straight depending how low your car is lowered. Same with the rear. The fact is with a lowered car even with camber kits it will always camber. Maybe not alot but it still is
Old 10-03-2010, 10:21 PM
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Default Re: alignment after lowering?

Originally Posted by mouab18c1
You must of never driven a lowered car before. But you can tell by looking at your tires from the front. With a lowered car you can see that the tires are more in a slant instead of being straight depending how low your car is lowered. Same with the rear. The fact is with a lowered car even with camber kits it will always camber. Maybe not alot but it still is
no i havent this is actually my first car, ya i see how tires slant on my friends lowered lude.
Old 10-03-2010, 10:23 PM
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Default Re: alignment after lowering?

https://honda-tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes-54/no-you-do-not-need-camber-kits-2614449/

we have a sticky on the use of camber kits
Old 10-03-2010, 10:41 PM
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Default Re: alignment after lowering?

I lowered my car a few years ago about two inches all around with omnipower coils and never got camber issues. Never got an alignment and tires are still going strong all around. No sign of uneven wear what so ever.

I am not saying your car will be the same but if you drive it awhile and see that everything is normal then save yourself a few bucks.
Old 10-03-2010, 10:49 PM
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Default Re: alignment after lowering?

I'd like to point out a few things wrong with that. 1st being the contact patch idea. The contact surface is ever change, but driving in a straight line for long periods (highway, city) if the tire is riding on the inside edge, what do you think is wearing faster? More weight is put on the inside edge, still causing faster wear. Not to mention the changed angles of everything else suspension and drive wise (LCA's, Axles). Also, the idea of the tire like a balloon and even if its negative camber will conform to proper shape, also false. The weight isn't distributed over the tire evenly with negative camber.

If you aren't tracking your car, and don't have money to replace pre maturely worn tires. Get a kit, get an alignment and keep it set proper. Yes, toe infact wears tires faster, but camber is a tire wearing angle. Its basic physics, common knowledge and if it weren't I wouldn't set camber on cars with cam bolts, but for tire warranty purposes and pro rate agreements, if the tire is worn out due to camber/toe wear, I don't replace it. Camber and toe wear tires. Its basic sh(t. Caster does not. And if you'd like to challenge me, I'll gladly put on tires (at your cost) align my car to -2.8+ camber (at your cost) and run the crap out of them (with toe set proper), and then show you how fast the tire will wear. I've seen it hundreds of times.

Not to mention I ran my car dropped with set toe (no camber kits) on Nitto tires (28k rated, AAA traction) for 3-4 months and there is noticeable wear on the inside edge. Come take a look if you don't believe me. I'll show you my alignment specs from when I set toe, and then after the camber kits and set toe and camber.

Last edited by red96turbols; 10-03-2010 at 10:52 PM. Reason: added text
Old 10-03-2010, 11:47 PM
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Default Re: alignment after lowering?

yeah, i don't care for that sticky much either. i think it's completely misleading.
there are other factors to keep in mind besides tire wear as well. like bearing stress
Old 10-04-2010, 01:49 PM
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Default Re: alignment after lowering?

Originally Posted by red96turbols
I'd like to point out a few things wrong with that. 1st being the contact patch idea. The contact surface is ever change, but driving in a straight line for long periods (highway, city) if the tire is riding on the inside edge, what do you think is wearing faster? More weight is put on the inside edge, still causing faster wear. Not to mention the changed angles of everything else suspension and drive wise (LCA's, Axles). Also, the idea of the tire like a balloon and even if its negative camber will conform to proper shape, also false. The weight isn't distributed over the tire evenly with negative camber.

If you aren't tracking your car, and don't have money to replace pre maturely worn tires. Get a kit, get an alignment and keep it set proper. Yes, toe infact wears tires faster, but camber is a tire wearing angle. Its basic physics, common knowledge and if it weren't I wouldn't set camber on cars with cam bolts, but for tire warranty purposes and pro rate agreements, if the tire is worn out due to camber/toe wear, I don't replace it. Camber and toe wear tires. Its basic sh(t. Caster does not. And if you'd like to challenge me, I'll gladly put on tires (at your cost) align my car to -2.8+ camber (at your cost) and run the crap out of them (with toe set proper), and then show you how fast the tire will wear. I've seen it hundreds of times.

Not to mention I ran my car dropped with set toe (no camber kits) on Nitto tires (28k rated, AAA traction) for 3-4 months and there is noticeable wear on the inside edge. Come take a look if you don't believe me. I'll show you my alignment specs from when I set toe, and then after the camber kits and set toe and camber.
what is "toe set proper?"

there is a point when camber gets excessive but it only happens when you ride cholo. normal lowering rarely pushes past -2deg or so which with less that -.05 toe out up front won't cause any crazy wear. how you drive is another part. hard driving always stresses the inside edge
Old 10-04-2010, 02:16 PM
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Default Re: alignment after lowering?

It is recommended that you align the car after you lower it, but i suppose you can run for a week or so. Actually, you can pretty much NEVER align it, but the tires will not last that long.

On my previous integra, i was running about -3 degrees in the front, and about -1.75 or so in the back, but the toe was set to 0 on all ends. This is what really made the difference. Even though i had much camber up in the front, toe is what really destroys tires after some time. Dont get me wrong, too much camber will also be the cause of uneven tires after awhile but the toe will hurt you more, in terms of performance and steering wheel feel.

At these specs, my tires would last roughly 25,000 miles (BF goodrich g-force sports). My azenis would take a dump on me much sooner than that
Old 10-04-2010, 06:30 PM
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Default Re: alignment after lowering?

Rule of thumb, [and common sense] if you do anything to the suspension or it's components you should do a wheel-alignment, yes cost is a factor, but when the possible cost of not doing it is factored in, you know, pay now or pay later, but you will most likely pay. 94
Old 10-05-2010, 05:05 PM
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Default Re: alignment after lowering?

Toe set proper meaning the toe was set to factory specs. That sticky is completely wrong. You have to worry about wheel bearings, LCA bushings, axles, tires etc when you run negative camber (depending on how much) -1.2 degrees will most likely be "in the green" but also wear out the tires on the inside edge. Its fact, not fiction. I don't see why people tend to disagree with something thats been known since before we even had alignment machines to do it. Remember the old duct tape and straight plane trick?
Old 10-05-2010, 09:58 PM
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Default Re: alignment after lowering?

proper is subjective. it's also not the fastest setting by any means , running toe out up front will almost bring down track time at the expense of inside wear. you can disagree with the sticky all you want, just realize your suspension is constantly moving while you drive and bmw for one has spec'd cars with some pretty crazy camber and no ill effects. at some point camber becomes problematic with contact patch but you would get into the world of no real suspension travel before it happens.
Old 10-06-2010, 02:52 PM
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Default Re: alignment after lowering?

Here's a good article on a do-it-yourself alignment if you have the time and wanna make your tires last before you have to pay for a professional one. There was also a good article in Modified or Super Street magazine recently on how to do it in your garage using string, a level, and the plumb bobbing method.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...t-gear_box_diy
Old 10-06-2010, 03:09 PM
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Default Re: alignment after lowering?

it works and can be useful at the track for on the fly adjustments but it's no where near as accurate as a hunter laser alignment machine. using the string method you can get within 1/16th-1/8th which is good enough to drive to the alignment shop or test settings at autocross but the real deal is firestone and the lifetime alignment for $150
Old 10-06-2010, 04:36 PM
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Default Re: alignment after lowering?

Originally Posted by fcm
Rule of thumb, [and common sense] if you do anything to the suspension or it's components you should do a wheel-alignment, yes cost is a factor, but when the possible cost of not doing it is factored in, you know, pay now or pay later, but you will most likely pay. 94
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