Lowering the front... what gets affected?
05-02-2003, 07:51 AM
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Lowering the front... what gets affected? IIRC, Toe in/out is adjusted by the tie rods. I don't imagine that would be affected by lowering springs. I think what I'm referring to is caster/cambre... and I can never remember which is which. My guess is that the inside of the tire will wear a little quicker on a lowered car (1") unless that is adjusted... how is that done? It doesn't appear to be done with relocating the strut top or anything related to the upper/lower control arms. Is it an issue?
05-02-2003, 07:58 AM
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Re: Lowering the front... what gets affected? You do need to have a front-end alignment done when you change the front height.
Something else do note: lowering just the front will result in a change in pinion angle. If your change is big enough, you will need an adjustable Torque Arm to adjust your pinion angle or else you'll experience wheel hop....Again, this depends on how far you go, just consider it a possibility.
Something else do note: lowering just the front will result in a change in pinion angle. If your change is big enough, you will need an adjustable Torque Arm to adjust your pinion angle or else you'll experience wheel hop....Again, this depends on how far you go, just consider it a possibility.
05-02-2003, 08:57 AM
#3
Re: Lowering the front... what gets affected? It will change the pinion angle relative to the ground, but not relative to the drivetrain. When lowering JUST the front, the car pivot point is the centerline of the rear axles. Everything moves around that point.
A lowered front might even reduce pinion angle change due to the reduced front suspension travel under loading. Never really gave that much thought till now ...
The change you will see when lowering just the front is the caster angle, the amout of lean the spindle gets front to rear. Think of it as how much the lower ball joint leads the upper ball joint. When you lower the front, that angle becomes more vertical. And that could change your tow slightly.
A lowered front might even reduce pinion angle change due to the reduced front suspension travel under loading. Never really gave that much thought till now ...
The change you will see when lowering just the front is the caster angle, the amout of lean the spindle gets front to rear. Think of it as how much the lower ball joint leads the upper ball joint. When you lower the front, that angle becomes more vertical. And that could change your tow slightly.
05-02-2003, 12:00 PM
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Re: Lowering the front... what gets affected?
The change you will see when lowering just the front is the caster angle, the amout of lean the spindle gets front to rear. Think of it as how much the lower ball joint leads the upper ball joint. When you lower the front, that angle becomes more vertical. And that could change your tow slightly.
05-02-2003, 11:43 PM
#5
Re: Lowering the front... what gets affected? The adjustment is done on the lower a arm. I'd not try to adjust it without an alignment rack...it will likely make things worse. When I lowered my car, the alignment shop said it was still within factory tolerance (1.25 inch drop). I still had them do a more aggressive alignment to my specs. I'd get it to an alignment shop and let them check it out and set it up. It's worth the $65 (or whatever it runs in your area) to get it done. Good luck!
