so i go to goodyear to get an alignment..they were booked for today so i make an appointment for tomorrow. anyways the meatball there says all he can adjust is the toe in...not the camber. is that right? then he goes on to tell me that parts and install for camber kits will run me 700 bucks anyways i dont have a camber kit...and i remember hearing other peeps w/out camber kits getting both toe in and camber adjusted...help please i dont wanna ruin these azenis...and cant afford camber kits right now..thanks

 

you can get front camberkits (ingalls) for your dc2 for ~120 bucks. There are other companies that makes them too. installation of the kit is not hard.

might want to try the search function with keyword camber kit...

 

i kno how much both the rear and front kits go for meatball YOU use the search function and type in "relevant responses". anyways if i remember correctly patrick 94gsr and gsrboi both said they got wheel alignments done...w/ camber and toe in set. what else would be adjusted? can i get the camber adjusted w/out a kit? thanks

 

The camber on a stock integra can not be adjusted without a camber kit. The alignment place can only do your toe, BUT if you have camber kit they can do the camber and the toe. The shop is charging you way too much for the installation and adjustment of a camber kit.


[Modified by LostGsr, 5:17 PM 7/1/2002]

 

when you put in your camber kit you adjust camber that way, depending on your drop and your camber kit's adjustability. alignments after the lowering/camber kit install, etc. often only correct toe settings, as they will be off for sure. if you are lowered pretty low, you should have a camber kit on your car already...

 

The only alignment adjustment possible on the honda double wishbone cars is the front toe, this is done using the tie rods. For camber up front you have no option other than a camber kit.
In the back you can use washers and longer bolts where the suspension components bolt to the unibody, this pushes the top of the tire out giving less negative camber. Alignment shops use shims to adjust fixed suspension parts, so it may not be the most scientific method, but works none the less.

 

Computer alignment
go to a place that does it by hand

 

Because by hand is more accurate?

 

lol but neway...man why does it seem like ALL shops like goodyear, meineke, etc. have RIDICULOUS prices and the employees that work there are all ******** who assume you kno nothing about cars and prices. this ******* at meineke tried to charge me $80 ****** dollars for a 18in resonator?! idiot..i told him no and walked away...wat a dork. why is it so hard to find good, reliable, honest shops these days...makes me sooo mad

 

Big O tire on Geary charge me $69 for an alignment, not bad I guess but I heard Sears is only around $40.

 

so would there be any drastic tire wear once the toe setting is corrected, assuming the drop is less than 1.5"?

 

Tire wear is not the only concern, with a lowerd car, your half shafts (CV Joints) are at a wierd angle, which wears them out pretty dang quick.

 

If your toe setting were way off before then after the alignment you will notice your tire wear lessen. However it will not stop the inner tire wear for the 1.5" drop. But it will be a lot less then having incorrect toe and neg camber.

 

I have no camber kits on my car. The only thing that was adjusted was my toe-in. My camber readings in front were -2.1 deg. left and -2.4 deg. right. I thought it was alot, but with getting the toe-in set correctly and rotating tires frequently (I have about -1.4 deg. camber in back), I still have even tire wear after 10K+ miles. Mind you my tires have a treadwear of 320, but still, it looks pretty even all the way across. At this point I have no plans for an camber kits because I really don't want to deal with them.

 

Were you guys aware that camber in the front of our cars actually _is_ adjustable? Shhhhh, it's a secret. Not a lot of alignment shops know how to do it. Basically you loosen up the bolts and you can pull or push the tire a little, and tighten it back up. I'm only talking a fraction of a degree, though.

Usually this trick is used in autocross, where you are looking for MORE negative camber, but can't add a camber kit due to class regulations.

Rainmaker.

 

you could elongate the holes in the frame where upper control arm bolts to hahaha but I wouldn't recommend doing that.

 

Ooops.

 

hmm I suppose I'm "gsrboi" that you mentioned above so I'll mention what I did to my car/suspension.. anyway that is correct stock honda/acuras don't have camber adjust.. for my rears I bought 7 cent (literally) washers from home depot to "shim" out the rear..the size was either 1/2" or 3/4" I think you can find it in the "fasteners" isle at home depot.... you place the washers where the upper control arm connects/meets to the frame to shim it out a bit.. I stacked 2 on each bolt (4 on each side)... if your planning to stack a lot you might want to buy longer bolts.....on the front I don't have a camber kit... make sure they adjust your toe settings so your wheels are pointing straight.. this helps minimize wear A LOT...

I've had my shim set up, alignment done (I bought a lifetime alignment plan) toe settings in check.. and I rotate my tires at every oil change... I don't have much uneven treadwear problems or anything so just make sure you get an alignment and keep your toe in check and rotote your tires (and check air pressures).. thats all I did and my tires are fine.. this is on an approx 2" drop w/ Eibach sportlines and Koni Yellows...

also that $700 to install a camber kit is rediculous....

 

Where did you get your lifetime alignment plan at?

 

Most big name tire shops have them. Goodyear, Firestone, America Tires...etc.
I asked around and its about $150.

 

I got my lifetime alignment at discount tire center/america's tire co... its around $150 nowadays.. I got the lifetime alignment when I got my car cuz I lowered it not too long after I bought it and figured I'd own the car for a few years... so everytime I make a suspension mod, change tires, or every 5-10K miles I get an alignment... its better than paying $50-70 everytime.... since I got mine in like 95/96 it was less (around $100..)