Aggressive alignment??

[fuji]

After we drop our cars we get the wheels realigned. What is the difference between a stock alignment and an "aggressive" alignment. What are the pros and cons of each???

[cali yaris]

stock is 0 camber probably. Aggressive would be in the -1 to -1.5 range for most people but I would say "aggressive" is really more like -2 or more.

A little negative camber will help your car handle better (by creating a larger contact patch in corners) without causing excessive tire wear. At some point, enough negative camber WILL cause uneven tire wear - great for racing, tough on the equipment.

[Loren]

Stock alignment can be found in the manuals, which are available online.

Factory rear alignment I remember is .9 degrees camber. I believe the front was about the same. Definitely not zero. The stock Yaris wouldn't handle as well as it does if it had zero camber.

Otherwise, Cali is close. 1.5-2 degrees in front is an "aggressive streret" setting. 2-3 degrees in front is a "competition" setting. You shouldn't need to worry about the back unless you're in "competition" mode.

Usually, negative camber, even up to 2-2.5 degrees, doesn't cause tire wear UNLESS coupled with excessive toe settings. Make sure you're at or very near zero toe and you won't have wear issues. But, it also depends on your driving style and the type of driving that you do. If you do 90% straight line highway driving and you have 2 degrees of negative camber, you might see "some" inside edge tire wear. But, if you corner agressively, or do some mountain driving, or autocross or track driving, that wear will balance out.

[Morgan]

I had mine pretty aggressive with camber bolts, but like Loren said make sure your toe is in check. Never really noticed any excessive tire wear but then again I go through tires quickly for other reasons... gl

[fuji]

Sounds like toe is something to be avoided. Will most shops have a problem with doing a camber which differs from stock? How will a car with high camber perform at higher speeds going straight?

[fuji]

Just got back getting my alignment checked by Hunter laser alignment system. ...

Front Left
- Camber -0.2
- Caster 3.9
- Toe 0.09

Front Right
- Camber -0.5
- Caster 3.6
- Toe 0.09

Rear Left
- Camber -0.2
- Toe 0.17

Rear Right
- Camber -1.2!!!!!!!
- Toe 0.47!!!!!!!!

Arrgh!!!!!! - Why is the rear camber and toe off from each other? My understanding is you can align your frame - Any other advice????

Obviously I need to get a camber kit for the front.

[Shroomster]

lol in a perfect world all three of those major setting would be easily manipulated with a flip of a switch....

unfortunately that's not the case. there are numerous factors that will affect the alignment....

but at any rate the easiest thing to tell you is that it's not going to be the same.
there are specifications that come from the manufacturer that say as long as the parts are within the following numbers your suspension is considered aligned.
your rear is probably just within the green zone. the rear toe is not really an issue.

but I take it you are looking for an aggressive alignment?

[fuji]

I would like a slightly more aggressive camber to aid in cornering without promoting premature wear of the tires. Sounds like 2 degrees will be just fine. I will have to get some adjustable camber bolts as well.

I was on Garm's website and noticed they offer 1.75 degree camber bolts. Are there bolts that offer more camber??

He also sells shims for the rear. That may work to correct my problem.

[detroiter]

What's your suspension mods anyways?

[fuji]

Running NF series Tanabe springs in the front with the stock springs in the rear(carry lots of heavy people from time to time). Other than that, TRD rear sway. Would love to have some urethane bushing - too bad there are none yet.

[Loren]

How many curbs have you hit with that rear suspension? It's bent.

[fuji]

The funny thing is I don't ever remember hitting a curb or big pot hole.



An suggestions on how to fix the camber and toe in the rear???

[Loren]

I'd start with a second opinion. Having a cool Hunter laser alignment rack doesn't mean that it's calibrated or that the tech knows how to use it properly.

If it really is that whacked out... it's bent. Either replace it with an axle that it's bent, or band-aid it with shims.