Alignment Effects Braking?
Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
iTrader: (7)
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 342
Likes: 1
From: Fredericksburg, VA
Alignment Effects Braking? Hi all,
I bought my '00 WS6 with 25K miles on it and according to the previous owner, it never had it's alignment checked or adjusted. Since I purchased the car I've put 14K miles on it and have been dogged by what I thought was our typical warped rotor problem. I've been getting the pulsing, slight shaking, and surging during hard stops and light braking. Figured I'd replace the rotors with some Brembo blanks sometime this summer.
This afternoon I put new tires on (Toyo Proxes T1-S... stock size) and figured I should get the alignment checked and adjusted so it has a slightly more aggressive stance.
First, the alignment specs. were, in some cases, close to stock and way off on others. It had (L/R):
Camber: 0' and -.2'
Caster: +5.0' and +5.2'
Toe: -.1" and -.67"
The toe on the right side was all hosed up!
I had the tech set the specs. to:
Camber: -.6' and -.6'
Caster: +4.5' and +4.5'
Toe: 0" and 0"
The car's tracking very nicely now!! It straight and true at speed on the highway with no trammling and handles much better in the corners. I'm very happy with the results so far.
One thing that I can't seem to figure out, and the tech that did the alignment can't explain either is my braking is now much, much better. I can hardly detect any warping at all. If it stays this way, I'm considering holding off on the Brembo blanks for much longer.
Is it possible that alignment adjustments can have any effect on braking performance? I suppose it could be the new tires, but I wouldn't think so. Can anyone explain this?
Thanks,
Marc
I bought my '00 WS6 with 25K miles on it and according to the previous owner, it never had it's alignment checked or adjusted. Since I purchased the car I've put 14K miles on it and have been dogged by what I thought was our typical warped rotor problem. I've been getting the pulsing, slight shaking, and surging during hard stops and light braking. Figured I'd replace the rotors with some Brembo blanks sometime this summer.
This afternoon I put new tires on (Toyo Proxes T1-S... stock size) and figured I should get the alignment checked and adjusted so it has a slightly more aggressive stance.
First, the alignment specs. were, in some cases, close to stock and way off on others. It had (L/R):
Camber: 0' and -.2'
Caster: +5.0' and +5.2'
Toe: -.1" and -.67"
The toe on the right side was all hosed up!
I had the tech set the specs. to:
Camber: -.6' and -.6'
Caster: +4.5' and +4.5'
Toe: 0" and 0"
The car's tracking very nicely now!! It straight and true at speed on the highway with no trammling and handles much better in the corners. I'm very happy with the results so far.
One thing that I can't seem to figure out, and the tech that did the alignment can't explain either is my braking is now much, much better. I can hardly detect any warping at all. If it stays this way, I'm considering holding off on the Brembo blanks for much longer.
Is it possible that alignment adjustments can have any effect on braking performance? I suppose it could be the new tires, but I wouldn't think so. Can anyone explain this?
Thanks,
Marc
Just happened to run across your thread.
I can tell you from first hand experience that either too much toe-in or toe-out will cause the front brakes to want to lock prematurely. Very prematurely.
I did my experiments on a Caprice I had supped up, not the f-body, but I'm sure that doesn't matter.
If I remember right, the Toyo Proxes T1-S is almost an r-compound tire. Stickier tires help a lot as well. You should be able to tell how much more sticky the front tires are just by hard cornering. So it was probably a combination of both that helped your braking.
I can tell you from first hand experience that either too much toe-in or toe-out will cause the front brakes to want to lock prematurely. Very prematurely.
I did my experiments on a Caprice I had supped up, not the f-body, but I'm sure that doesn't matter.
If I remember right, the Toyo Proxes T1-S is almost an r-compound tire. Stickier tires help a lot as well. You should be able to tell how much more sticky the front tires are just by hard cornering. So it was probably a combination of both that helped your braking.
Originally Posted by nytmare1
It had (L/R):
Camber: 0' and -.2'
Caster: +5.0' and +5.2'
Toe: -.1" and -.67"
The toe on the right side was all hosed up!
Camber: 0' and -.2'
Caster: +5.0' and +5.2'
Toe: -.1" and -.67"
The toe on the right side was all hosed up!
So 0.04"-0.05" Toe-out on each side will give you a total of 3/32" which should be OK and get rid of that dead spot in the middle of the steering wheel. 0 toe is OK, too. It just creates a little lag in the steering response.
Thread Starter
TECH Apprentice
iTrader: (7)
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 342
Likes: 1
From: Fredericksburg, VA
Thanks for the comments. After having put a couple thousand miles on the new tires and new alignment specs, I can say that my steering is still much better than when I first purchased the car. It handels and steers very predictably now and doesn't jerk around on the highway. My steering characteristics are much better in the corners too.
I believe the car's handeling can still be improved upon, but that's going to take lowering springs, better shocks, LCAs, SFCs, PHB, and a torque arm. I'm going to get started on that list soon.
Marc
I believe the car's handeling can still be improved upon, but that's going to take lowering springs, better shocks, LCAs, SFCs, PHB, and a torque arm. I'm going to get started on that list soon.
Marc
Staging Lane
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
From: Burbank, CA
Tow was way off on both sides (real bad on the right) and that'll make the tires lock up real fast, basically turning the tires outword from eachother, that combo'd with camber offset, when you hit the brakes hard and the front dips down instead of getting all of the force spread out evenly on the tire, its getting most of the force to the inside of the tires and not as much to the outside, overloading the tires load capasity and loss of traction!!!
