I just added the JCW suspension to my order. And I was going to ask the dealer to do that easy front camber mod before doing the alignment after the JCW suspension install.

I read that the easy front camber mod adds maybe - 0.6 deg camber. But have no idea what even the mild JCW drop would add.

So would that combo end up with decent total negative camber for street? Too much maybe?

 

If you remove the plastic plug and with the JCW springs drop, you should get around -0.5 to -0.8 in camber for the front.

Get as much negative camber in the front as you can all the way up to -1.8 to -2.0. Any more than that might give you too much inside tire wear. But make sure you get to in specs or near zero each side for toe otherwise you will get cupping tires.

For the street, I run -2 front camber and zero toe front and -1.4 camber rear and zero toe in the back.

 

So with that easy plastic plug mod and the 1/2" drop, camber is only -.5 to -.8?
I was expecting more. In that case, I guess I will ahve to tell them to push the tops of teh shocks in in front.

I just didnt' want to end up at -2 cause that might be too much for street use I think in terms of wear, like you said.

 

You'll still be at -.5 and maybe a hair more. 1/2 drop isn't that much. There is absolutely no way you'd even reach -1 in the front with the stock/JCW suspension.

 

Add some adjustable camber plates to the front. Would be the best thing you could do for initial turn-in,better than the larger rear sway bar. While it is a little expensive, I would recommend Vorshlag plates. They are quiet/compliant and do not add to ride height like the IEs. I have used both and would say the Vorshlags are much better.

 

the ones I recommend come attached to a set of cross coilovers

 

I have the Vorshlags on my ASTs. The Vorshlags have a number of different top mounts that can be used for different coilovers.

 

I'll have to see what it's like with just the 'easy' front camber adjustment and the .5" drop. If its still not enough, then maybe I'll look at camber plates.

But will the dealer give me maximum camber in front when installing the JCW suspension? Or do they insist that they can only do wahtever keeps it within factory alignment specs?

 

Most dealers will generally align to factory because their machines are setup for those OEM specs. They just input the car model and parts and they just align according to the machine. Many techs may not even know the alignment specs. They may align to your specs but that can be a pain for them. You can ask and see what they can do for you.

Many alignment shops I have tried do a really average job at best, sometimes even sloppy. I found a shop pretty close to my home that does race setups and they do a great job with their alignment. The car just feels connected and tight in corners. However, they are quite expensive and not your $69 specials.

 

Yeah, I'll have to talk to them when it gets closer to delivery then. I wouldnt' expect it to be hard cause they'd basically be ignoring camber since your just pushing the shocks in to max and leaving it. So they'd just be looking at getting the toe aligned right.

Or maybe try another method where I talk to the actual tech and slip him a 20. That usually gets stuff done too. :D

 

Even after you push the suspension inward, you still need to get the camber and the toe correct. They are connected and is adjusted together.

 

If they still have to move the camber, how do they do alignments for those that haven't touched that nylon plug and left it stock cause that means they can't really change camber in front, right?

 

There is bolt that they will loosen and adjust in the suspension linkage. But the adjustment from this is very limited in terms of camber. It does allow for better change in toe.

Removing the nylon plug will allow you to move the entire suspension assembly inward from the top.

So both are independent adjustment mechanisms.

 

Vorshlag's are great on coilovers but there are issues using them with an OEM style fixed perch strut.

I was under the impression that beyond the nylon plug thing, camber is not adjustable on the front of the R56. So you'll get what you get for camber at least up front and they can't screw up too much (except toe).

- Andrew

 

That's kinda what I was thinking. Have them install my JCW shocks with the tops pushed all the way in. And then just align the toe without unbolting and moving the top of the shocks again and I should end up with more camber up front even after they get the toe corrected.

 

They are independent adjustments as I said before. Shove the tops inward to the end and tighten. That is done here.

The toe adjustment bolt also changes camber a little because of where it links.