My TJ Advance has rear Whiteline rear swaybar and front strut brace. I am going to fit Lovell springs, which lower car 10 to 15mm from standard height and Boge shocks. What would you guys suggest as ideal wheel alignment specs. 90% of the time it is only me in the car. How important is it to get alignment done with me in drivers seat?

none of the things you mentioned should effect your wheel alignment in any way. a wheel alignment only adjusts the toe of the wheels. cheers luke

Thats right, those mods won't affect your aligment.
There's more than just "toe" to be adjusted,there's "camber" and "caster" as well.
Any tyre place etc. will have access to the factory specs.
Members (Type 40) etc. may have some tips for the rear!
Never heard of getting in the the car for an aligment.

im pretty certain that camber and caster are not adjustable in our cars unless you have a camber/caster bolt kit. if someone could confirm this please. cheers luke

im pretty certain that camber and caster are not adjustable in our cars unless you have a camber/caster bolt kit. if someone could confirm this please. cheers luke

Well i have my manual sitting here in front of me telling me otherwise.
Don't post up a reply if it's just a guess!

well zero if you bothered to actually read the manual it says and i quote "toe in can be adjusted by turning the tie-rods in or out but camber and caster are pre-set at factory and CANNOT be adjusted. if camber and caster aren't within specification dimensions, suspension parts are bent or worn and must be renewed."

please dont post if you are only guessing. cheers luke

Ok, mine gives the settings but thats it. (ELLERY'S)
If you'd read the manual earlier we could have saved some chit chat.lol

yeah i've always wondered what the hell alignment shops actually align apart from toe if the sussy ain't adjustable.

some shops do however use washers on the control arm bolts to add some +ve camber to lowered cars only if you specifically request them to...

yeah i've always wondered what the hell alignment shops actually align apart from toe if the sussy ain't adjustable.

some shops do however use washers on the control arm bolts to add some +ve camber to lowered cars only if you specifically request them to...

Anyone had this done??

nolothane make camber bolts for magnas they fit both front and rear sold in pairs. part no. 44250

i got a set for about $35. go to nolothane website or do a search on ebay i think a guy was selling them a while ago.

cheers luke

nolothane make camber bolts for magnas they fit both front and rear sold in pairs. part no. 44250

i got a set for about $35. go to nolothane website or do a search on ebay i think a guy was selling them a while ago.

cheers luke

Yep, even though these settings are fixed from factory, there are "nifty" ways for changing these values, as already mentioned camber bolts on the front, or spacers/shims on the rear between the mount and fender wall...some members have done this...jaxon VRX if I recall correctly has added shims to the rear....

Edit: i should mention here that you only really need to be concerned with these settings if you intend to lower your car...very low...:)

or you could get adjustable strut tops. unfortunately, unless you go for coilovers, the adjustable strut tops are pretty worthless. the adjustment is restricted because the springs are too wide and start fouling on the strut tower before you get a reasonable amount of camber or castor.

cheers,
.wook

nolothane make camber bolts for magnas they fit both front and rear sold in pairs. part no. 44250

i got a set for about $35. go to nolothane website or do a search on ebay i think a guy was selling them a while ago.

cheers luke

...they do NOT fit the rear. Where would the bolt go?


or you could get adjustable strut tops. unfortunately, unless you go for coilovers, the adjustable strut tops are pretty worthless. the adjustment is restricted because the springs are too wide and start fouling on the strut tower before you get a reasonable amount of camber or castor.

cheers,
.wook

Very true. I couldn't get 2 degrees negative on the front of my AWD due to the springs. :eeek:

Very true. I couldn't get 2 degrees negative on the front of my AWD due to the springs. :eeek:

I got close to -3 before I raised it up a bit. I think it's around -2.5 now :)

Yes, Whiteline and Superpro (same thing different colour) do what they call an antilift/castor kit, it replaces the rear control arm bushes with offset bushes that allow a flatter takeoff and the ability to add or remove castor angle. There is 2 types, a 18mm (designed for non executive models) and the 22mm Pin type (executive models only)

Oh nolathane do them as well, but they do not come with the adjustment washers.

whiteline did make anti-lift castors (off set castors), i got one fitted to my car, works well. But they don't make them anymore so best of luck sourcing a set.

...they do NOT fit the rear. Where would the bolt go?

yeah your right sorry my mistake dont know what i was thinking there.

(i have no problem admitting when im wrong):poke:

cheers luke

I was hoping someone would know how best to set up 3rd gens. Factory specs for all 3rd gens are the same. The specs are wide as (for example rear toe can be zero to 6mm toe in). This is huge. Most aligners wont make any change if the toe is within these limits or even slightly outside these values. Their attitude is thats good enuff. A half smart owner would ask for/insist on say 3mm toe in (half way, which helpos if the equipment is not spot on). A really smart aligner will know what's best and this might be some toe in or might be straight ahead (zero toe). just as tyre pressures can make a huge difference, so can wheeel alignment. Anyone running the tyre pressures suggested my MMAL is losing out. So anyone who knows about alignment, please comment.

^^^screw that, thats lazy of the shop.. i always specifically ask for a before/after printout of the laser alignment and specifically ask for omm toe front/back... i can understand toe for the fronts for motoring turn in but i don't understand why you'd have anything but 0mm on the rear unless you have 4ws


Anyone had this done??
i would advise against the washers/shims for a car beyond -2 camber from lowering.. to adjust to within spec along the lines off -1 to -1.5 (MY preferred spec, every car is different) you would have to use too thick a washer/shim and make the bolt for the control arm unsafe as not enough of the bolt thread will be screwed into the chassis and risk it coming off on hard driving.

i would advise against the washers/shims for a car beyond -2 camber from lowering.. to adjust to within spec along the lines off -1 to -1.5 (MY preferred spec, every car is different) you would have to use too thick a washer/shim and make the bolt for the control arm unsafe as not enough of the bolt thread will be screwed into the chassis and risk it coming off on hard driving.

I would be interested to know how much difference in degrees a certain shim thickness will make....has anyone tried or have an idea of this?

I also agree that introducing too much of a shim may mean changing the bolt lengths also.

My TJ Advance has rear Whiteline rear swaybar and front strut brace. I am going to fit Lovell springs, which lower car 10 to 15mm from standard height and Boge shocks. What would you guys suggest as ideal wheel alignment specs. 90% of the time it is only me in the car. How important is it to get alignment done with me in drivers seat?

1. You don't need to be in the car at all, in fact most workshops, unless you know them don't like you in the shop anyway.

2. Yes, you should get an alignment after lowering your car. It may not need it, but it's better to be safe than....

3. Personal preference & driving style determine how you align your car. You need to tell the aligner how you drive - aggressively, grandpa' style, etc. If you do a lot of twisties/ highway, etc.

A basic alignment on these cars with no aftermarket kits fitted would be 1mm toe in at front, both sides, to stop the car pulling to one side as you brake. .5 - 1mm toe out at the rear, to help eliminate understeer.

Nothing else can be changed if the car is stock. Some people wouldn't even bother with the above settings, but for me, I have my car that way, plus a few other settings.

You could always just ask for zero everything.