Alignment - Post Lowering Spring Install

[Timmy_Jones]

Two questions (Whiteline lowering springs, rest of car is stock suspension with a slightly wider tire)

1. Okay to align immediately after installing springs? Should you wait? If so how long or how many miles?
2. What alignment specs should I ask for? I am fortunate enough to have a race shop nearby doing the alignment. I won’t track the car, just want even wear and some improved handling after lowering.

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[noogie]

give it a few hundred miles to let it settle. just ask for factory alignment specs. slight toe in the front and rear.

 

[bushido]

1. wait ~ two weeks (of driving time). anyone who tells you otherwise is lying

2. 0 toe front. front camber be equal to or more than camber in rear

 

[exe36m3]

Two weeks is a good timeframe to let the suspension settle.

Alignment specs, before you start asking for numbers, set your goals for handling.

"Even tire wear and good handling" is still a little vague.

For instance:
1. Do you want the car to handle better at highway speeds or on the street?
2. Do you want the rear end sliding out on throttle or staying put?
3. When you turn, do you want the car to react fast (like auto-x) or slow (bigger turns/higher speeds).

Those are the conversations I had last week with my BMW tech friend at his shop and he tweaks settings from there. (Full race ship, e.g. race cars parked outside)

The stock Supra (BMW Z4) doesn't have a ton of camber adjustment. None up front, and some in the rear. I landed at -2 front and -2.2 rear.

Toe, a lot of people say zero, but I like higher speed corner entry so I did .05 degrees toe up front slightly points the wheels in like this... / \.

Rear, I don't want the rear coming out at all. The car has a lot of torque for a short wheelbase. We are trying 13 degrees of toe. This is pretty aggressive, it's .226" when most auto-x guys are doing .11" to .13". But they also want their cars to rotate around faster. Yes, I'll wear my tires faster, but I have a stupidly short drive to work and am not competing so getting the most speed isn't a thing.

(As a side note, the Corvette guys seem to be running a lot of toe in the rear to keep their rear tires planted, .22" to .25")

For my skill level (a thousand miles of track time, rally school), coming from E36 M3s, Miata, BRZ - I am liking this set-up and I can feel the cars weight on throttle (center of car) better than the stock setting which was at 4 degrees of toe in the rear and -2 camber.

Stock the rear end just kicked out WAY too much, even when pointed straight and given full throttle. The rear end also just felt too light.

The new alignment just gives me a lot more confidence. I can feel the tires grab pavement versus wanting to slide.

That's my perspective though.
I'm sure the race and auto-x guys have some opinions too.

 

[NOHsupra]

I scoured forums looking for perfect specs to recommend my shop and ended up just talking to a few shops and what they could/ would recommend as far as specs go.

I waited about 3 weeks ~350 miles after I installed my springs (mainly bc I couldn’t find a shop willing to do it)

The shop I took it to had a program to spit out recommended specs based on the springs/drop amount. I did request to get the toe for the front and the toe for the back to be as close to each other as possible. Have almost 300 miles since alignment, and so far no complaints and handless way better now IMO

I should add - not a track day car, more of a fair-weather cruiser and not looking to run through tires like crazy! this was on H&R springs; -1" front -.75" rear

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