Alignment/rear camber issues

[AustinH48]

I just recently installed Koni Yellows and Tein springs, expecting the car to lower about 1.5 inches from stock. It looks good, I can definitely tell a difference, but when I got it aligned at the local Firestone garage, they told me they couldn't fix the negative camber in the rear because of the height. This doesn't make sense to me, but they couldn't explain it. I'm pretty sure if I want to track or autox this car, negative camber only in the rear is not a good thing, especially -2.3.


So my question is, how do I fix this, and how can I apply my own camber/caster setup if I wanted to?

[Pyr0monk3y]

-2.3 wouldn't be an outrageous camber figure if you were trying to get the max camber, but since this is the minimum camber your car can be adjusted for, I believe you may have a problem.

Has your car ever been in an accident? Have you checked your rear subframe for cracks?

Have the rear knuckles ever been removed? The bolts holding on the rear knuckles are prone to bending over time on aggressively driven cars.

Did you replace the alignment bolts before having the car aligned? They tend to stretch and bend just like the bolts on the knuckles.

[AustinH48]

The Carfax report I ran when I bought the car showed it had an accident in the rear, but it was listed as minor, so I didn't think too much of it. Seems like that was a mistake. I will check the rear end subframe first, because I predict that is where the problem lies. The previous owner was a woman from VA beach, so I doubt it was driven hard before I had it, but you never know...

As far as I know, the knuckles have not been removed, but the history of the car is very unclear, so I'm not 100% sure.

Thanks for the help!

[— kung fu jesus —]

+1 for bent bolts and stretched camber bolts. The Camber bolts you can really adjust 3-4 times before they don't adjust like they should. Like Andy said, too, the bolts that attach the rear knuckles are prone to bending. It's not uncommon that they need to be cut to remove them. OEM bolts mentioned will cost 20-30 dollars if you buy them yourself.

Also, I might suggest a better shop than a Firestone for an alignment. Maybe one that has some experience with the chassis and it's alignment settings. Your new alignment, in the front, is a stock alignment.

The difference in you camber settings F to R will make the car feel a little weird when cornering hard, like both ends are following different lines. It is usually preferred to have a little more camber in the front than the rear, like less than a degree of difference.

[radmachine]

+1 for the cam bolts. I would start there, they probably have never been replaced.

[Pyr0monk3y]

Austin, did you ever find a solution?

[AustinH48]

Sorry for the late reply. I am actually heading to Performance Chassis in Raleigh tomorrow to have them check it out. If they find nothing wrong with the frame, I'll work on replacing those bolts.

[Demon I Am]

You are in good hands with Andrew and Mark. They know alignments.