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  #1  
Old 06-14-2017, 04:02 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: SF, CA, USA
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swap-related negative camber

hi folks, i recently noticed that my camber is out of whack, equally negative on both front wheels. it's not visible in the stance but after 8k miles the inside corners of both tires are worn down.

perhaps the 5 cylinder engine and the sacked light-duty springs are contributing factors. the lower control arm bushings are also done and i have the new ones in hand already. i think they are the last of the ancient suspension components.

please help me out with the strategy to make the next set of tires last a bit longer. should i put in the LCBAs first and get an alignment before doing anything else, or is this a known problem resulting from the swap? will i have to update the springs? thanks for any info.

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Old 06-14-2017, 04:32 PM
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Aaron,

I would definitely swap out the bushings first, before getting an alignment. If you are worried that your springs are too soft, I have a set of cut 300d springs that I can hook you up with. But for the most part, the 240d springs shouldn't have an effect on your inner tire wear.
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Old 06-14-2017, 06:02 PM
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If you're going to get into suspension, may as well change bushings, ball joints & guide rod mounts. Parts are ~ $500 for everything except shocks which don't require spring removal. Car will drive like new.
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Old 06-15-2017, 11:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DeliveryValve View Post
I would definitely swap out the bushings first, before getting an alignment.
thanks much Rich, i will get the bushings in place as first order of business before worrying about springs. i imagined them contributing to this stance but i guess they are oriented in the wrong dimension to have that effect, as the control arms are solid. suspension is hard for me to understand!
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Old 06-16-2017, 12:41 AM
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I doubt slight off-vertical camber would cause noticeable tire wear. Radial tires are very forgiving for that. You see many tuner cars with large negative camber set, and almost extreme in Indy Cars. Negative camber means the tires lean in at the top, which helps with hard cornering. Many 1960's cars w/ bias tires spec'ed slight positive camber, but most classic owners set it slightly negative with radial tires. Check your toe-in since that will cause rapid tire wear on the insides if far off (pigeon-toed). If too much toe-out (penguin feet), the car will wander on the highway. You can check it fairly easy and accurately with a tape measure (youtube's).
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Old 06-16-2017, 06:14 AM
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I used the 240 springs when I swapped in the euro 300 non turbo and stick. The front sat maybe an inch lower but worked fine and looked good to my eye. The turbo is a bit heavier and the automatic too so if you have both of those you might want stiffer springs, but as noted I'd go ahead with it and drive it a bit before deciding. I'd not hesitate to align it after the bushing work is done.

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