Alignment issues with NF 210's?

balbrecht · Posted: 4/16/08 6:15PM Post subject: Alignment issues with NF 210's?

HI guys,

New Scion owner here. Picked my car up last week. I am in love. :love: There are no mods other than tint and some 18" Lenso Samurai Ultra Light wheels with 225/40 Falken Ziex 512's, oh and a Curt 1.25' hitch for muy bike rack. I am considering lowering the car with Tanabe NF210's but I am concerned about uneven tire wear due to alignment issues. Will this be a problem? I am a stickler for rotating my tires (front to rear) every 5k miles to extend their life.

I apologize for the questions, but I am new to all of this. Normally, I would just do this at the dealership.

Here is a quick pic, I think it looks good now, but seeing all the lowered cars on here...well...

blown_xa · Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 1153 Location: PTuning

when u lower the xD it will change the front tow, it will be towed in a couple tenths of a degree. I have the DF springs, put it on the alignment machine and only had to correct that front tow

ChelsDS · Joined: 21 Aug 2007 Posts: 2364 Location: SoCal

I haven't corrected anything on my car =\ Never thought about it actually. Then again.. I sorta don't care. Waiting to run through my tires so I can upgrade to 18s :P

SeattleGuy · Joined: 09 Dec 2007 Posts: 94 Location: Seattle, WA

Though rotation is a great idea if all four tires show excessive inner tread wear, the problem will persist unless you dismount and remount tires from side to side once in a while. (Do a little experiment with pencil and paper if you don't believe this.)

Here's what I discovered after installing NF210's (from an earlier post):

Note on alignment after NF210 install: Having access to a race car shop/tools, I was able to check camber and toe-in before and after install. Not as precisely as a pro laser, mind you, but close enough. As one would expect after lowering only the camber changed out of the spec range. By carefully reinstalling the front struts, both sides were the same.

Spec:
Frt -0.18° +/- 0.75° -> -0.93 max neg camber
Rr -0.95° +/- 0.5° -> -1.00 max neg camber

Actual before:
frt -0.25
r -1.00

After NF210 install:
Frt -1.25
R -1.75

This is NOT a subtle change for either handling or tire wear purposes. Turn in (as always) feels fabulous with a lot of negative camber and I haven't experienced any disconcerting failure to track straight or abrupt oversteer issues. But! I expect inside tire wear will be apparent.

Front camber can be brought back to spec with substitute strut bolts from the dealer but rear camber is not adjustable by factory methods. Folks should keep this in mind (along with various clearance issues) when lowering. There is a hidden cost unless you wish to dismount and remount tires side to side now and again. And, of course, the lower you go, the more negative camber becomes.

Toe-in changed a bit but was within stock spec and in the "right" direction with increased negative camber.
Haven't decided whether to pull front camber back to spec.

SeattleGuy · Joined: 09 Dec 2007 Posts: 94 Location: Seattle, WA

Nice looking car btw. Where did you get your bike hitch? Any install issues? What do you think in general?

GL with re-springing. Definitely improves handling but ride is harsher even with stock 16's.

balbrecht · Posted: 4/27/08 2:41PM Post subject:

Thanks for the replies guys. I did lower the car using the TRD springs. It feels great now, and looks MUCH better.

The hitch is from Curt Manufacturing www.curtmfg.com. It is a very simple install, no drilling required. Took about 20 minutes to install. I have always been a fan of Curt hitches due to their design and quality finish.

The hitch mounts to the chassis wtih 4 bolts on each side. Each side has a huge 5/8" main bolt, 2 3/8" bolts, and 1 12 mm frame bolt. It is super secure. I run a Thule T2 hitch rack and have a 40lb bike. There is a lot of leverage, but the hitch holds no problems.

pickledchang · Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 591

did you replace the nut with a new one on the strut assembly as recommended by the instructions?

im debating whether or not to even do this, especially with such low mileage.

SeattleGuy · Joined: 09 Dec 2007 Posts: 94 Location: Seattle, WA

I would have, but didn't get em in time. Once I had the struts off and saw the four nuts (two pillar, two spring) they appeared perfectly ordinary. No nylocks or crimps or such. Maybe there's something I couldn't see that makes em special, who knows? So the late-to-arrive replacements are sitting in the toolbox. Anyway no problems so far...

Are you doing yours soon?

pickledchang · Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 591

yes, my nf210s should be coming tomorrow or friday. ive got all the tools (i think) i need. did anyone use the 22mm socket the directions say to use? ive done spring installs on three other cars, and never seen one as big as a 22mm.

those nuts are only like $1.20 a piece, but i dont think they will come in before my springs. ill take a real close look to see if replacing them is really that important.

Mynam3isazia · Joined: 06 May 2008 Posts: 34 Location: san gabriel ca

I got that on my car there s no problem yet

pickledchang · Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 591

any photos?

SeattleGuy · Joined: 09 Dec 2007 Posts: 94 Location: Seattle, WA

Seems like the trailing arms bolts (rear) needed the 22mm. Don't remember too clearly but they were big. GL on the project!

pickledchang · Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 591

ah, okay. i looked all over the front and didnt see any as big as a 22mm. must be in the rear then. now if UPS would hurry the piss up, id be busy putting them on right now instead of typing this, lol.