I just picked up a '06 JCW. I'm looking to put in a rear sway bar and the strut tower reinforcement plates.

I originally was going to just use "regular" reinforcement plates, but I've searched around and have found some fixed camber plates that do the reinforcement at the same time. Why not kill two birds with one stone then?!

So if I ran the fixed camber plates (1.3degrees), does anyone have recommended alignment settings? And will 1.3degrees have excessive tire wear on this car? (I know toe effects wear a lot as well.)

The car would mainly be a fun/dd type of car. Ideally running HPDEs 1x a year if time permits.

Would love to hear about people's alignment settings.

Thanks

 

The fixed plates are a good way to go for a daily driver, if you do not need to change camber such as between Street and Auto-X settings.
The fixed plates add to whatever amount of camber you already have in the stock suspension. I suspect you will end up around -1.5 degrees.

The wear on the inside of the tires will be a little more but your rear tires are probably also close to -1.5 degrees so not much different wear than the rears.

With the negative camber, I like to run zero toe to reduce tire wear (toe-in or toe-out causes the tire to scrap across the ground). A little toe-in provides straight line stability. A little toe-out improved turn in response but the car will wander a little more. Most people like a little toe-in for the street.

The amount of toe-in to specify to the alignment shop depends on your tire diameter because they measure in degrees rather than inches. You probably want about 0 to 1/16" toe-in (maybe up to 1/8"). For my 24.77" diameter tires, 1/16" is 0.072 per tire or 0.145 total toe.

The caster is not adjustable so that will be whatever it is.

For the rear, I also like zero toe.

 

FWIW; I put on the fixed camber plates (Ireland) and never got around to an alignment check - I know, bad, but I couldn't see how it would change anything except the camber by any measurable amount. 10,000 miles later the tire wear is perfectly uniform, probably better than original.

 

You got lucky on the tire wear without an alignment. Changing the front camber also changes the toe. A one degree change in camber has a pretty big impact on toe. Increasing negative camber, increases the toe-in.

 

Based on this, there is no downside to running 1.3degree fixed camber plates then? I mean there is not a reason why I shouldn't get the 1.3degree vs. the standard reinforcement plates?

I don't foresee myself wanting/adjusting adjustable plates for street/hpde. I'll be honest, that's the same reason I don't have coilovers, as I would never adjust it. =P

 

The only two disadvantages of the fixed camber plates, that I can think of, is that the plates are slightly thicker so it will raise the front of the car slightly (about 1/8" to 3/16") and depending on your driving style the tires may wear a little quicker.

The increased negative camber in the front works very well with a 19mm rear sway bar. I think it is just about perfect for a street car.

If you are a spirited driver (likes taking turns quickly) and do not drive a lot of highway miles, you might even see an improvement in tire wear because you will be wearing more evenly across the tire. If you mainly drive highway miles, you will probably see a slight reduction in tire life because you are running on the inside edge of the tire all the time and it will wear out quicker. As I stated previously, toe can have a big impact on tire wear especially when running negative camber. I have seen people (including me) wear through the inside edge of a tire quickly when the toe is way off.

 

I can deal w/ a 1/8" to 3/16" higher car in the front. Not a big deal as I'm past the age of slamming my cars.

Driving style would be described as "fun" when safe. So mainly on/off ramps as no one should be next to me or really in front of me. Not really hanging corners in the streets (again, past that age )

I would guess mainly freeway driving with spirited on/off ramp fun.

Sounds like I'm going to get the 1.3degree plates then!

 

Let me know how you like them, I am currently looking at the same setup. Are you running stock struts with the I.E. Plates or something else? Also are you considering a rear seat bar?

 

I run the IE fixed camber plates on my daily driver JCW Mini. I run close to the OEM alignment settings....maybe closer to zero to vs. 1/8" toe like the OEM settings say.

I can tell you one thing for sure....if you put lots of highway miles on your mini, the added camber from the fixed camber plates WILL wear the inside of your tires faster than the oem strut mounts. I'm on my 3rd set of tires since my IE camber plates........and I rotate my tires ever 5000 miles....and the best I can get from a set of tires is around 15,000-17,000 before the insides are worn completely down to no tread. The added camber does nothing for you on the highway except eat your tires.

If I had to do it again, I would just install a new set of OEM strut mounts. The IE fixed camber plates might be great for some added handling benefits on the track, but for a daily drive all they do is wear out your tires faster.

 

[QUOTE=pewx3;4146562]Based on this, there is no downside to running 1.3degree fixed camber plates then? I mean there is not a reason why I shouldn't get the 1.3degree vs. the standard reinforcement plates?

This is what my tires look like after 15,000 miles of mostly highway driving. Notice how the inside is wore a lot more than the rest of the tire. All of my suspension components are good (powerflex bushings, new end links and ball joints, power fles bushing). Alignment setting are close to oem with a little little toe-in in the front.

 

[QUOTE=IQRaceworks;4146791]Looks like I will be going with stock now haha