edit nice
yeah he said it wasn't, but we now find that it is. Now I need to find a place who will do it right, including with the spacers on.
Camber Question...
- Thread starter J-Villa
- Start date
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yeah he said it wasn't, but we now find that it is. Now I need to find a place who will do it right, including with the spacers on.Na. there was nothing in the car except for some chudz and my paperwork in the glovebox. I keep my interior clean.
I dont do any track time in the car b/c it has the OEM coverage still. And it seems my camber issues will have to just chill until I get to the suspention point of the car, then I will invest in some camber plates and adjustable arms. This thread is helping alot, but it also makes me think about how the alignment on my car is all outta wack and i'm really OCD when it comes to things like that.
Can the factory really be putting cars out with camber adjustments like this? If i brought my car to the dealership and use the power of persuasion, do you think I could get the car more sured up?
Nliiitend1
Member
It might be worth a shot. You shouldn't have that much cross-camber, and fixing it in the front can be done by shifting the entire front subframe slightly to the driver's side. I'm not quite sure what they'd do about trying to even out the rear...it isn't quite as easy as a simple subframe shift...but it might be worth it to complain at the dealer and see if they have any ideas... (dunno)
What dealership do you go to (I'm in JAX too)??
(I think I might've asked you that before....sorry I've forgotten if I have...)
Mazda @ the Avenues.
They keep messin up man, unreliable service really. Along with the fact it took them 12 weeks and constant phone calls for weeks to get a $1,000 rebate on the RX-8 they didn't apply @ the sale that they where supposed to.
I'ma bring it up there 2morrow after my zoology lab.
They keep messin up man, unreliable service really. Along with the fact it took them 12 weeks and constant phone calls for weeks to get a $1,000 rebate on the RX-8 they didn't apply @ the sale that they where supposed to.
I'ma bring it up there 2morrow after my zoology lab.
Nliiitend1
Member
Well, let me know how it goes.
I've yet to have to use any of the area Mazda dealers' service departments since moving to Jacksonville last summer, and am always curious to hear other peoples' experiences so that I can make an informed decision if/when it's time to take it in.
I've yet to have to use any of the area Mazda dealers' service departments since moving to Jacksonville last summer, and am always curious to hear other peoples' experiences so that I can make an informed decision if/when it's time to take it in.
You got a local shop that changes your oil and what not? I don't have any automotive tools really, only woodworking tools. I want to stop using the dealership for oilchanges b/c they charge out the ass for everything there. When I got my alignment, I asked if they could rotate the tires for me and he said it'd be an extra $20! then I asked if they could check the balance, $30 to check it, $50 if they had to adjust it. It's nuts man! The only good thing is Ed Sandoval, the guy that does all the service with my car, is legit and will work to fix any problems that the grease monkeys in the back cause.
When more people realize this and quit putting rediculous offsets on their cars, the roads will be a safer place
You're missing the point dude. Any shop can set your toe to any spec with those spacers. But what you have altered by installing those spacers (as Nliiitend keeps saying) is the car's dynamic settings. This is the way the car behaves as it's driving/moving and is totally seperate from how the toe is set while it's sitting motionless on the alignment rack.edit nice
You can't just tack on 50mm of wheel offset and expect the car to ride as designed. I agree with Nliiitend when he said that going from a 215/7" setup to a 235/8" setup seriously degraded the performance. I know people say "oh i have that wheel and this tire and it's fine" but I have to call BS. There's just no way (dunno)
Nliiitend1
Member
I have a garage and tools. My tool collection is not really extensive (before moving to JAX I would go to my parents' house to do most of my automotive maintenance since my father owns just about every automotive tool known to man...) but I've definitely got enough to do the basics.
bacarl said:
To be fair, I didn't really say that it "seriously degraded performance," at least not overall. I'm willing to trade off the slight decrease in on-center feel/resistance to tramlining that the change I made causes for the extra inch or so of tread width that I gained (and the ability to run a wider variety of different tires).
However, as you've pointed out, I don't think it's a good idea to run crazy offsets and extremely wide wheel/tire widths on this car. I wouldn't go less than ~+45 on with a 7" (or 7.5") wide wheel, and I honestly wouldn't recommend anything less than +48 or +50 with an 8" wide wheel. Anything more and I don't believe that the trade-off is worth it for the increase in scrub radius (and as UHATEIT has discovered it can cause problems in the rear as well due to the lengthening of the moment arm component of the passive rear steering phenomenon exhibited by the SLA Control Blade suspension).
I dont mind that the car isnt performing at it's peak. I know there is some downside to the spacers. But if I can make thebest of the situation I'm down for it.
I was pissed that the place Ive always gone to told me they couldnt do a proper alignment with spacers saying that the specs would be off. While Nliiitend mentioned that a shop should be able to still do it properly. I had a shop tell me it just requires them to bust out a measuring tape to do it properly. I wont expect a perfect ride. Hell the springs themselves made the ride rough. But if I can rid of the swap back and forth and straighten out the tire wear then I'm good to go.
I was pissed that the place Ive always gone to told me they couldnt do a proper alignment with spacers saying that the specs would be off. While Nliiitend mentioned that a shop should be able to still do it properly. I had a shop tell me it just requires them to bust out a measuring tape to do it properly. I wont expect a perfect ride. Hell the springs themselves made the ride rough. But if I can rid of the swap back and forth and straighten out the tire wear then I'm good to go.
And the car looks soo much better lowered on wide rims... So thats another pro to the few cons.
lol, wait a sec.
Pros = car looks soo much better
Cons = degraded cornering ability, degraded ride quality, reduced suspension travel, uneven tire wear, money spent on parts + alignments, car tracks unpredictably
Don't we like to bag on ricers for putting sketchy parts on their cars that do nothing but make the car "look better"?
Pros = car looks soo much better
Cons = degraded cornering ability, degraded ride quality, reduced suspension travel, uneven tire wear, money spent on parts + alignments, car tracks unpredictably
Don't we like to bag on ricers for putting sketchy parts on their cars that do nothing but make the car "look better"?
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Nliiitend1
Member
(lol2)
so first you all were cool and working on a helpful situation and then came out to bash on me. What a bunch of assholes, Im done with this thread.
you've definately misunderstood what my post was about and turned it completely around. I am talking nothing about pros and cons.
I just wanted to know if an alignment would fix the ride quality a bit as well as the tire wear. It has nothing to do with being ricer. ****** Dicks
you've definately misunderstood what my post was about and turned it completely around. I am talking nothing about pros and cons.
I just wanted to know if an alignment would fix the ride quality a bit as well as the tire wear. It has nothing to do with being ricer. ****** Dicks
madvillian
Member
- :
- Mazdaspeed3
Nliiitend1
Member
Easy there mate.
I was merely laughing at the cheekiness of the banter above...
If you want to run around with huge spacers on your car at the risk of decreasing your car's longevity and compromising your car's handling, I've got no personal problem with it. I just want you to be as informed as possible.
I hope you came away learning something, and I apologize if I offended you.
KW coilover recommended height drop is 0.8-2.0in front and back. I think that seems fair. I am sure they would have tested the car's handling at -2in. Might not be optimal though. I plan on testing at about stock height first.
My suggestion, corner weight the car.
Also, are you guys talking specifically about daily driving or autox/road racing.
My suggestion, corner weight the car.
Also, are you guys talking specifically about daily driving or autox/road racing.
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I was serious about the car looking better.... They do look nice lowered on the ground. But ofcourse, the pro's of looking good come the con's of limited handleing abilities.
Still... no need to blow your gasket. relax and burn one down.
Nliiitend1
Member
KW coilover recommended height drop is 0.8-2.0in front and back. I think that seems fair. I am sure they would have tested the car's handling at -2in. Might not be optimal though. I plan on testing at about stock height first.
My suggestion, corner weight the car.
Also, are you guys talking specifically about daily driving or autox/road racing.
In regard to what exactly?
