Kit to adjust camber and caster?

[Slick6]

I just bought an '06 Mazdaspeed6. Noticed slight drift to the right. Took it into NTB for an allignment. Mechanic told me that front caster and camber were positive (said they s/b zero) and that there is no way to adjust these. This was likely caused by an impact which also slightly dented the RF wheel. Mechanic said that I need to install an "acentric bolt kit", which would allow caster and camber to be adjusted.

Can anyone confirm that this advice is correct? Also, any recommendations on brands or sources for such a kit? How long should an install take (for a shop, not by me!) Thanks.

PS please give response in low-tech layman's terms.

 

[chiefmg]

He was correct in that there is no way stock to adjust front caster or camber. The only way to adjust caster is to buy different control arms, Mazda has some that will change the caster by 0.5% IIRC. However it is a fixed value. There is a factory advisory (TSB) on this which details specifics. I am not too sure about installation, it will probably depend upon how corroded the fasteners are on your front suspension.

For camber, you can buy a set of SPC adjustable ball joints and set it where your heart desires. RPM has these available. Installation of these is quite easy, I did mine in less than an hour (both sides).

Just so you know, many if not all of the large chain stores that do alignment will only bring it within Mazda specs (which are generous to say the least). If you want a good alignment you need to find a shop in your area that caters to autocross people and the like. They will probably have some experience with Speed6s as well and will be able to give you a better idea of what you can do.

 

[mofoaka]

chief, i'm sure you mean camber is adjusted with the SPC adjustables and to correct caster you have to get the TSB done by mazda.

anyone think these can be fabb up for the MS6? they look pretty good.. some good R&D and testing would be awesome.

 

[chiefmg]

Sorry, brain fart. I'll correct my original post so I don't confuse anyone.

 

[tunersteve]

Front camber is done through the ball joints, rear camber is done from the subframe? I've been questioning this myself, but there aren't very clear answers out there.

 

[mofoaka]

tuner... this is sorta what we have for the rear that's connected to the rear subframe.. this is used for camber adjustments. toe adjustment is made on the lower arm where the cup/spring resides.. best thing to do if u want to know what and where to adjust is to watch the alignment guy do the adjustments and ask.. that's where i gathered my info..

 

[djdanny5000]

I'm also experiencing a drift to the right. My caster was messed up but somehow one of the mechanics was able to fix it a lil bit. Everytime i bring up the TSB about the steering drift they always say it doesnt apply to the speed 6. I just got 4 new tires installed and had the dealership do an alignment and it still pulls to the right. But the mechanics at the dealership suck ass and just get everything within spec. I'm going to be getting springs installed and going to have my brother do another alignment to see he can get rid of the drift. I might just have to order the control arm from mazda and have a shop install it since the dealership doesnt want to do it

 

[Slick6]

Okay Chief, let me reiterate to make sure I understand - "SPC" (a brand name?) adjustable ball joints to adjust front camber.

For caster adjustment I need to get new control arms. You say that Mazda has some that will change the caster by 0.5% IIRC. Can I know for sure that this will fix my problem, which is that the setting was messed up (to a positive value rather than zero, per my mechanic) due to an impact to the RF wheel? I just want to end up with my allignment specifications set to factory specs.

 

[dquarasr]

I am experiencing drift to the right. Got it aligned at Mazda dealer. Still drifts right. The "after" values (same as "before" values) are my problem. 4.3 caster left, 3.5 caster right. The caster mismatch is what causes the drift. I was told the control arm TSB doesn't apply to the MS6. This is the only problem I have with the car (now that I've adjusted the clutch pedal travel).

Note that these values are within spec, since the specs say "+/- 1 degree". What the specs don't say is that they should be as close as possible left to right.

I suppose I'll have to live with it. I'm going to continue to research my options.

 

[chiefmg]

Okay Chief, let me reiterate to make sure I understand - "SPC" (a brand name?) adjustable ball joints to adjust front camber.

For caster adjustment I need to get new control arms. You say that Mazda has some that will change the caster by 0.5% IIRC. Can I know for sure that this will fix my problem, which is that the setting was messed up (to a positive value rather than zero, per my mechanic) due to an impact to the RF wheel? I just want to end up with my allignment specifications set to factory specs.

Yes, SPC is the company that makes adjustable upper ball joints for our cars. They will allow you to adjust front camber. You can get them from RPM (Revolution Performance Motorsports), a vendor on here.

There is a TSB for adjusting front caster. It is pretty involved, first step is apparently adjusting the front subframe. If that doesn't solve the problem, there are two different replacement upper control arms, one is +0.4 degree, one is -0.4 degree. These parts will fit a Speed6 per a member on another board. The TSB applies to the Speed6 as well, any dealer who says otherwise is misinformed.

I am going back to work overseas soon and won't be able to access the Internet for three months. If you have any further questions I know tunersteve or one of the other members can help you out.

 

[tunersteve]

Chief, I know we've talked about this before, but where exactly can you adjust the camber on the rear of the car? I had the wheels off and found the upper camber links, but didn't see any adjustment on either side of them. If you could, can you post pics?

 

[tunersteve]

Here are some pics I took when I was rotating my tires...these are for the rear suspension:

 

[tunersteve]

Here's some more info on adjusting rear toe/caster:

Yes, camber and toe is adjustable on the rear. Camber is from the eccentric bolt at the inner (lower) control arm pivot and the toe link is just ahead of the rear spindle itself, connected to the trailing link.

from a fellow member here who's extremely knowledgeable.

 

[chiefmg]

Steve, computer has been giving me fits and as of this morning I was leaving tonight. That got changed, I now have a new HD installed so my computer woes are hopefully over. I'll look at my factory manual tomorrow when I get the chance to see what is listed as adjustments for the rear. If I can get the big book on the scanner I'll scan and post a copy of the picture.

 

[chiefmg]

Okay, I lost the software for our scanner when moving stuff over from my external drive, and my wife doesn't know where the CD is for it. According to the FSM, the adjustments are as Steve said. Camber is an eccentric bolt on the front of the control arms (they have a head which is marked), while toe is adjustable on the lateral links. No mention of caster so that means all the people who have written that the rear caster was adjustable were mistaken.

 

[tunersteve]

Here's more support on how/what can be adjusted. From SPC's website directly. You can adjust rear camber and toe, but front camber requires the adjustable ball joints.

Looks like this and the rear sway bar are my next purchases, along with rear diff. bushings.

 

[dawsonio]

tuner... this is sorta what we have for the rear that's connected to the rear subframe.. this is used for camber adjustments. toe adjustment is made on the lower arm where the cup/spring resides.. best thing to do if u want to know what and where to adjust is to watch the alignment guy do the adjustments and ask.. that's where i gathered my info..

Hi There,

Could someone tell me what the part in the picture is called, mine has recently de-threaded and i have been searching web for a name for this part.