Hey folks,

I jumped on that Swift vendor deal for sport springs; they should lower my 2012 MCS about 1". Is this enough to sufficiently change the geometry to require an alignment, new camber bolts, or anything like that? This is my first mod, and any help/tips are appreciated!

Stan

 

you should get an alignment after dropping, though a lot of people don't since the car drives fine but with some more tire wear.

 

Yes, get an alignment. The camber is not the greatest concern, the front end toe will change enough to wear your tires pretty quickly. You should also do the 'free camber mod' while you have the struts out (pull and remove the plastic pin in the strut tower).

Ask the alignment shop to get you the max front camber (negative), and hopefully they will be able to dial out excessive camber in the rear (to get you within factory spec). If they can't get the rear camber below about -2.0, then you will have to think about getting rear control arms, or keep an eye on the rear tire wear on the inside edges.

Have fun,
Mike

 

Thanks for the intel! Another thing I was considering was whether or not to also replace the shocks while I was at it. There seems to be mixed reviews on how necessary it is, but I'm willing to wait on the install until I have money to get shocks as well.

 

I am enjoying a significant improvement in ride quality since I put a set of Koni Yellows on my car, compared with the stock shocks.

I recommend that you try the springs on your stock shocks. It will get the stance that you want, and likely improve the handling and ride compared to your stock springs. You can determine after this upgrade if you are satisfied, or if you want to change something else with the suspension.

Have fun,
Mike