Allignment Settings

[Jho]

On my Escort LX E and Protege I set them the same.

Between 1.8 deg. to 2.0 deg. neg caster on all 4 wheels.

1/8 inch total toe out on all 4 (about 1/16 inch toe out each wheel)

Left caster stock.

Tire wear seems even, and it turns great.

You must've meant:

between 1.8 deg. to 2.0 deg. neg camber on all 4 wheels.

[Grav1ty]

Yeah..... I ment Camber..... Doh!

[Jho]

I got it.



Hooked on Phonics is your friend.

[91scortgt]

Does anyone know which way the reference points on the strut mounts are supposed to point as set by the factory?

I only ask because after I had dropped the factory struts, I realized I did not mark which way they were pointing before I took them off the car, now when I am driving it sounds like I am running mudders.

[deadly_sleeper]

Does anyone know which way the reference points on the strut mounts are supposed to point as set by the factory?

I only ask because after I had dropped the factory struts, I realized I did not mark which way they were pointing before I took them off the car, now when I am driving it sounds like I am running mudders.

the little rubber tabs are suppose to point towards each other, towards the engine. having them point other directions gives you different caster and camber.

[91scortgt]

Well I got 'em pointed the right way.

I figured it out, when I was getting the car inspected they put a new tie rod end on and didn't bother to set it properly.

I fixed it using this http://www.wihandyman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18709

[MADMIKE]

1990 Protege SE

I was going to give the '90 a check on specs as its been eating the outside tread of the tires on the front. According to Chiltons the setting for the front is 3/32 Toe IN. This makes no sense to me on a FWD car. Being the front tires are the driving tires they are always pulling forward and will Toe In from the compliance of the rubber bushings in the FLCA.
Other FWD cars specs usually have a Toe OUT setting.
AWD Scoobies get better tire wear with O* Toe.
RWD cars get better tire wear with Toe IN as the wheel toes out from the thrust forces as it goes down the road.

I like Grav1ty settings. The '90 seems to have too much positive camber as is in the front.
Did Chilton goof on the alignment specs or is 3/32 Toe IN spec'd in the service manuals?

What is the preferred latest and greatest in BG alignment specifications here on CP? Thanks!

[Mazda_Powered]

the alignment shop set my toe to 0...and it's horrible, so yea don't do that.

[FE3-323]

slight toe adjustment in the rear greatly aids either in traction/oversteer. (depending which IN/OUT) but front alignment should virtually always be 0 toe

[Formiga]

Everyone seems to be forgetting about SAI! Leave caster and toe as per Mazda specs, unless you can find some caster bushings like what whiteline used to sell. Use the upper mounts to make SAI as close to equal as possible side to side and then use camber bolts to adjust camber after the fact.
Do some reading about SAI and how it affects toe. My car the sweet spot ended up being the LS mount having the nipple pointing forwards, and the RS pointing in. Caster and SAI very close to equal and then needed a camber bolt on RS.
I've been wondering if RX7 balljoints can be used to increase SAI, and still be within adjustable camber range with camber bolts. Doing my 8 weeks for my apprenticeship right now, but can't play with this until I'm done.

[FE3-323]

OEM "SAI" is not always the best route. It good practice but has many other factors included

[Formiga]

Stock SAI probably isn't possible if the OP has lowered the car (I've assumed that the H&R springs have done that), but equal SAI and equal caster sure are important! I'm kind of partial to steering stability. I guess the trick is finding the balance between the toe change that happens once braking torque is applied, and static toe. But if the shop he's using can't/won't/ or doesn't know how to play with this, then factory toe settings are probably best and why I'd recommend it. The difference between the toe change while braking lowered and stock height isn't going to be drastic. Long term tire wear instead of short term. You folks that have lowered and had suspension/steering angles set close to stock (other than SAI) what kind of change is there while braking? Leaning towards oversteer or understeer?
Once I'm back at my shop, I'll be playing with this for fun, and will start a thread with results. It's nice having free access to an alignment rack!

Bandman659, I'd like to see alignment specs when it's all done. And if a shop won't give them to you, don't pay for it!

[coolhand454]

On my Escort LX E and Protege I set them the same.

Between 1.8 deg. to 2.0 deg. neg camber on all 4 wheels.

1/8 inch total toe out on all 4 (about 1/16 inch toe out each wheel)

Left caster stock.

Tire wear seems even, and it turns great.

How did you do that?

[SgtRauksauff]

lol, spam away!

Over the years i've found that the best thing to do is make sure everything is equal on both sides, then go from there. Caster is set first, then camber, then toe. Sometimes the alignment shops don't realize that swiveling the strut mounts can adjust things a bit.

when it's all said and done, toe-in is the biggest cause of tire wear. I like to run as close to zero toe as I can, sometimes about 1/16" toe-in on a very responsive car. I've never found a need to go toe-out like some people do specifically for autoX.

When I did zero toe in front and back of my blue 4WD, I found that there was NO time for lounging about in the car, the road surfaces dictated that I be hyper-alert and correcting all the time. Very fatiguing on longer drives, especially on crappy roads.

--sarge