Chris x
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Registered: 11th Sep 08
Location: Bexhill
User status: Offline
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Hi Guys,
Had my coilovers fitted today by a garage.
Went to collect the car and the bloke said I need to get the camber adjusted as he couldnt do it there. Was going around a corner and the car decided to carry on going in a straight line so I need to get it sorted.
Places around here dont seem to do the camber adjustment so wondered where or how you guys have got round it?
I also need to get longer wheel nuts as I have 5mm spacers on the front. Any ideas where to get them?
Thanks 
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corsa120
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Registered: 4th May 02
Location: Northamptonshire
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best off finding a motorsport place thats what i did to get it done but i had camber bolts
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sand-eel
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Registered: 15th Mar 07
Location: carluke/braidwood--IRNBRULAND
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Do the FKs have adjustable top mounts? if not you can't adjust the camber unless you get the top mounts or camber bolts.
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Nick-S
Member
Registered: 3rd Mar 04
Location: Leigh. Drives: RS Megane 230 F1 Team R26
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quote:
Originally posted by sand-eel
Do the FKs have adjustable top mounts? if not you can't adjust the camber unless you get the top mounts or camber bolts.
think the have an elongated top hole were they bolt to the hub to sort out camber.
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callum_browns_sport
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Registered: 10th Jul 08
User status: Offline
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yeh they do
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Chris x
Member
Registered: 11th Sep 08
Location: Bexhill
User status: Offline
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I have searched other threads and something called 'Hunter 4 wheel allignment' has popped up. Any idea what garage has this kit?
When turning right the steering feels lighter. Im guessing this is due to the camber?
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crazybrightman
Member
Registered: 30th Mar 09
Location: leicestershire
User status: Offline
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you can set the camber yourself with a large square and flat surface then all you need is the tracking doing. look it up diy tracking or geo on google.
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ShEp
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Registered: 9th Aug 05
Location: Dingwall, Highland
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We have hunter gauges in my work.
Most reputable tyre garages will have them
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Ste
Premium Member
Registered: 5th Mar 03
Location: Taif, Saudi Arabia
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MOre importantly you should have your suspension geometry set-up on scales as just doing height alone is no good. You need to have it balanced or it will drive like shit.
I would rather lose by a mile because i built my own car, than win by an inch because someone else built it for me.
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Ste
Premium Member
Registered: 5th Mar 03
Location: Taif, Saudi Arabia
User status: Offline
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quote:
They also aren't true coilovers. They are sleeved coilovers.
The proper way to adjust a threaded coil-over suspension involves using a set of scales. The whole idea of this type of suspension adjustability is to equal out the loads on tyres for cornering ability. The fact that you can lower the car with them is just an added benefit but it is NOT their primary function. You should be aware that you can hurt the performance of your car if you don't adjust them at least reasonably close. At best, the car may not corner as well as it used to.
At worst, you may change the handling to the point of being dangerous. This sounds like an exageration but with a threaded setup you could load the front right and the left rear tyres and create a car that turns left really well, but won't turn right for shit. Even, possibly, spinning out. All this with the car sitting perfectly level. Find a tyre shop with some corner scales and work with them to adjust tyre loading and ride height. The object is to get the cross weights (diagonal weights) even. It's not as important to get the other weights even. It's the cross weights that will sneak up on you
I would rather lose by a mile because i built my own car, than win by an inch because someone else built it for me.
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Chris x
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Registered: 11th Sep 08
Location: Bexhill
User status: Offline
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Mmm will have to print that out and show it to a few garages.
What do you recon the chances are of finding a garage that could do the weights and the camber?
What to they mean by diagonal weights? Front left tyre to rear right and so on?
Thanks for finding that! 
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Nick-S
Member
Registered: 3rd Mar 04
Location: Leigh. Drives: RS Megane 230 F1 Team R26
User status: Offline
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tbh corner weighting is only worth it if your chasing lap times.
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Ste
Premium Member
Registered: 5th Mar 03
Location: Taif, Saudi Arabia
User status: Offline
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^ exact corner weights maybe, but If they are just guessed then it will be really bad for handling.
Find a garage with a Hunter alignment setup as I believe they will do your camber and you can do corner weights yourself with 4 bathroom scales
I would rather lose by a mile because i built my own car, than win by an inch because someone else built it for me.
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Nick-S
Member
Registered: 3rd Mar 04
Location: Leigh. Drives: RS Megane 230 F1 Team R26
User status: Offline
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My gess is that he wants a low car and not amazing handling because he bought fk coilovers. haveing said that most decent garages can sort camber.
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Chris x
Member
Registered: 11th Sep 08
Location: Bexhill
User status: Offline
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Just wanted it lower, and handling a bit better than the shitty original suspension.
Which I hope to achieve once this camber gets sorted! 
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CorsaSport14
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Registered: 11th Nov 07
User status: Offline
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main dealer should do full wheel/camber/caster alignment
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Mr Turner
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Registered: 20th Oct 07
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you wont be able to adjust the cambre much at all without getting cambre bolts/adjustable top mounts, because you have took your old struts off and put new ones on the tracking will be all to shit, get the tracking done and the car will be fine, the cambre only needs adjusting if you want it to turn in a lot better for say track/race use.
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DAZ1985
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Registered: 3rd Sep 06
Location: Scholar Green, Cheshire
User status: Offline
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Camber bolts are shit imo
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Chris x
Member
Registered: 11th Sep 08
Location: Bexhill
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Mr Turner
you wont be able to adjust the cambre much at all without getting cambre bolts/adjustable top mounts, because you have took your old struts off and put new ones on the tracking will be all to shit, get the tracking done and the car will be fine, the cambre only needs adjusting if you want it to turn in a lot better for say track/race use.
You can easily see that one wheel has negative camber and one has positive so it does need doing. Yeh, the tracking is all over the place atm. 
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DAZ1985
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Registered: 3rd Sep 06
Location: Scholar Green, Cheshire
User status: Offline
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It still could be after you've done hit the wrong pot hole
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sand-eel
Member
Registered: 15th Mar 07
Location: carluke/braidwood--IRNBRULAND
User status: Offline
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how the hell did you get + camber? 
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crazybrightman
Member
Registered: 30th Mar 09
Location: leicestershire
User status: Offline
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wheel leaning out is plus camber, leaning in negavtive camber.
just set it to around 0.5 degrees negative to start off with. the problem is if you lower too much the bottom suspension arm will point up hill and instead of gaining negative camber or keeping it the same as the suspension compresses during cornering you loose camber this will make the car handle crap.
only fix is to fit some spacers on the bottom ball joint.
then you have tracking issues.
the track arms are adjusted to the correct toe but they are pointing so far up hill to the hub that when the suspension compresses the track rod goes throuh and arch and shortens masively altering the toe making the car unstable and handle badly.
all depends how serious you want to get but just making sure all the wheels point the right way when the car isnt going anywhere may not solve your problem.
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Chris x
Member
Registered: 11th Sep 08
Location: Bexhill
User status: Offline
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I dont no, I will see if I can get a few pics of it later. Dont really no why I have the problem.
A fair few people seem to have the kit on here and dont seem to report any problems.
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Dan295
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Registered: 9th Oct 06
Location: London
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theyre wank tbh, if you had asked my advice i would have told you not to get them tbh, i use them everyday and have had to get the front re-aligned so often as the potholes around here knock it out of alignment so easily, plus i go to northway tyres to get it aligned for about £45-60 a go depending on how much work they have to do, search for your nearest branch to your location and only get it done by the laser ones as theyre the best ones to get it dead right imo
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crazybrightman
Member
Registered: 30th Mar 09
Location: leicestershire
User status: Offline
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the problem with tracking equipment is it can be shit hot laser accurate to nanno fraction but if the twonk using it doesnt know what he is doing then it will still be miles out. pay for the knowledge of guy working on the car not the equipment itself.
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