Does anyone have a recommended camber spec after installing the FRPP M5400-A suspension system. None were included with the kit. While the FRPP C&C plate kit offers some suggestions for various applications, I am still using the stock camber plate so I'm uncertain as to whether to use these alignment specs.
Much will depend on how wide the front tires are.... the wider the tire, the closer to zero you want camber. Negative camber will help cornering....
Up to about a half degree negative will be OK.
Tire size is 255/45/17 on 9" wide rims. Current settings are -.6 & -.4 (L&R) There is no more positive adjustment available. The FRPP data sheet for the M-18183-S3 CC Plates recommends the following camber settings: General street use -.8 to -1.1 Aggressive Street handling -1.2 to -1.5 Road race/Autocross -1.8 to -2.5
There is also a note that less negative camber (-.5) gives less cornering grip and more wear on the outside edge of the tire.
Ford service manual camber specs are nominal at -.6, minumum -1.35, maximum
+.15It is the wear that is presently occuring that caused me to question the current settings and to wonder if the altered suspension system might require more negative camber as indicated above. As I can't get more positive camber without different CC Plates and because I was initially thinking of reducing the camber to -.25 to address the tire wear issue but I now find that I'm more confused than ever.
Richard
All the late model Fords that I align have had what I think is too much negative camber from the factory... nearly 2 degrees on one of the very few Merc Marauders I've aligned. I'd probably regard your present settings as something I wouldn't want to exceed on a street driven car..... unless the customer regarded cornering ability as more important than possible tire wear......
However, with what you have for current camber settings (this is read off a rack rather than some arbtrary markings in the plates?), I wouldn't expect abnormal wear. And that brings us to toe which can kill a tire quicker than any other alignment angle. A small amount (about 0.10 degree - I think that extrapolates to about 1/16th inch) of toe in will usually help straight line stability. Generally, a small amount of toe out (it will look like -0.10 degree or so on the rack) will help the car turn into the corner better.
0.20 degree either way is pushing it and anything over 0.30 degree is likely going to give excessive wear (the more the toe, the worse the wear). Too much toe out will wear the inside edge first with featheredging towards the outside (in some cases, you may need to rub your hand across the tread to find featheredging..... rub one way, then the other), while too much toe in will give the same symptoms mirrored on the tire.
Cornering well is important.
The settings are from the rack.
And that brings us to toe which can kill a tire quicker than
Toe is +1/16 left and right for Total Toe +1/8".
Generally, a small amount of toe out (it will look like -0.10
That's what caught my attention. Rubbing my hand across the tread (opposite to tire rotation) you can feel a sharp edge on the outside edge of the tire. Inside edge and rear tires do not have the same feel.
Maybe the answer is to have the alignment confirmed and to set the Toe to 0.
Richard
Gawd, I wish I knew what you guys were talking about! lol!
But hey, Jim, Rich, I just put on a new set of 245/50/16s on my 5.0
Reeeeal sticky. I love them.
Now, I need to get them aligned soon.
Cornering is very important. With stock running gear, can you recommend an aggressive corning alignment I can take to the boys at Ford?
Thanks for any help!
Brad
Cornering well is important.
The settings are from the rack.
And that brings us to toe which can kill a tire quicker than > any other alignment angle. A small amount (about 0.10 degree - I think that > extrapolates to about 1/16th inch) of toe in will usually help straight line > stability.
Toe is +1/16 left and right for Total Toe +1/8".
Generally, a small amount of toe out (it will look like -0.10 > degree or so on the rack) will help the car turn into the corner better. > 0.20 degree either way is pushing it and anything over 0.30 degree is likely > going to give excessive wear (the more the toe, the worse the wear). Too > much toe out will wear the inside edge first with featheredging towards the > outside (in some cases, you may need to rub your hand across the tread to > find featheredging..... rub one way, then the other), while too much toe in > will give the same symptoms mirrored on the tire.
That's what caught my attention. Rubbing my hand across the tread (opposite to tire rotation) you can feel a sharp edge on the outside edge of the tire. Inside edge and rear tires do not have the same feel.
Maybe the answer is to have the alignment confirmed and to set the Toe to 0.
Richard
OK... if you move your hand across the tread from outside to inside you can feel it "catch"????? Moving your hand from inside to outside feels smooth????
If these conditions are present, I would think that toe is out of whack (toed out) by a significant amount.
A word on our tools..... electronic alignment racks need periodic calibration. I have instructed our vendor to stop by on any trips through town and our rack gets calibrated about once a year. If there is ever any doubt about toe settings, a decent shop should have a trammel bar... This is a mechanical means to verify toe settings. If something doesn't feel right after an alignment, I will use the trammel bar to take a possible unknown out of the equation....
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