98redSS

iTrader: (2)

I have a 98 Camaro SS, and I recently just had the car aligned at goodyear. They told me that my back axle is sitting a little crooked and my thrust angle is off. He said that the torque has changed its angle over the years, and the only way to fix it is to go to a frame shop or buy adjustable trailing arms. Are trailing arms and lower control arms the same thing? Does this sound normal to yall? My car is pretty much stock except for td's, lid, MAS, and short shifter. Thanks

jb442

iTrader: (4)

Yes, trailing arms & lower control arms mean the same thing. Did they tell you how far off the thrust angle is? Did they even know what the maximum allowable value is? I have factory manuals for 1995, but I don't have them nearby, or I would check if it's even specified. You can do a basic check yourself by measuring the distance from the front-wheel to rear-wheel on each side. It should be pretty close, and you could use these numbers calculate your thrust angle.

Also, I would say that the majority of F-Body's would be off a small amount, just like the majority of them do not sit level from side to side. It's just part of the mass-production process... Each car is going to be different.

Was your car ever in an accident that you know of? How does it drive after the alignment? My gut feeling is, if the car has not been in an accident, and it seems to drive OK (ie, you're not correcting the wheel all the time as you're going down the road), you shouldn't worry about it IMHO.

Hope that helps...

VIP1

How far off was it? If its withing spec, then don't worry about it. If its out of spec, then yes, adjustable lower control arms will fix the issue. Install them and take the car back for a 4-wheel alignment.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/showpost....00&postcount=5

98redSS

iTrader: (2)

I looked at my paperwork, and it shows that the thrust angle is -0.24 degrees. I have to look up the specs to see if it is off or not. Im also considering because I am getting a full heads and cam package and rebuilding my engine in about a year, so Im going to have to beef up the suspension anyway, i was just seeing if it could wait untill then. The car has never been in an accident, and as far as I can tell it drives normal.

jb442

iTrader: (4)

If my calculations are correct (and the alignment machine was properly calibrated ) with a -0.24° thrust angle and ~60" track-width on the back of the car, the driver-side tire on your car is about ~1/8" back, and the passenger-side rear tire is ~1/8" forward in relationship to the front wheels, or about ~1/4" off in total. That doesn't really sound unreasonable, but I can't find the spec at the moment. But, as VIP1 has stated, with adjustable LCA's, you could probably get that to zero. I guess the next question is whether it's worth the money & time to do that if it is indeed out of spec. I think they compensate with the front-toe settings when the rear is non-adjustable.

Your car is the opposite of this diagram - It depicts a positive thrust angle:

98redSS

iTrader: (2)

When I find the specs, if its that far off then Im going to ge them, if not I will worry about it later. Thanks for the information and yall's help.