noob Skyline suspension & tyre settings question

[Gizmo73]

Hey Guys..

Had my skyline for a few weeks now, and im going through the receipts i have for it...

Came across this one from a tyre place...

ALIGNMENT

Front Left Front Left Right Front Readings

Initial Final Initial Final

Caster +5*12' +5*12' +7*56' +7*56'

Camber -1*32' -1*32' -1*4' -1*4'

Toe +0.3 +0.4 -0.3 +0.4

SAI *N/M* *N/M* *N/M* *N/M*

Inc. Angle *N/M* *N/M* *N/M* *N/M*

Left Read Headings Right Rear Headings

Camber -0.28' -0.20' -2*4' -2*

Toe +4.9 +0.5 +0.5 +0.4

Front Readings Rear Readings

Total Toe 0.0 +0.8 +5.4 +0.8

Setback *N/M* *N/M* *N/M* *N/M*

Thrust Angle ----- ----- +0*20' 0*

I have 235/45/18X8's on the front, and 265/35/18X9's on the rear...

Does the skyline come with adjustable suspension, or for the above numbers would i have to have some aftermarket jobbies on the car ?? I took a look underneath, and cant see anything special..

Thanks in advance...

[Gizmo73]

noone ??

Im looking at getting a whiteline kit, and im not sure whether the car has alreadyt had some handling stuff installed...

Cheers,

[blind_elk]

The rear end is adjustable for camber and toe. It would appear that the rear is stock, but has been adjusted for max (-ve) camber.

The front is only adjustable for toe. The numbers suggest a camber kit has been fitted.

The easy way to tell is the check all the bushes. From the factory, they are rubber; aftermarket is polyurethane in different colours (Whiteline's are usually yellow, others are dark blue, some others red).

[Sydneykid]

Hi Gizmo, the only adjustment I can see that has been done is the removal of the exaggerated toe out on the left rear.

This is based on the columns being

Left, Initial Reading then Final (after adjustment) Reading

Right, Initial Reading then Final (after adjustment) Reading.

Can you please check this before you read any further.

If you confirm this, then the car has some problems.....

A caster kit needs to be fitted to the front, the left is 5 degrees and the right is 7 degrees. This can be corrected with the offset bush style of adjuster.

The front negative camber 1.3 & 1.4 negative is a bit more than I would run. Around 1 degree is my preference. This is again within the adjustment range of the upper control arm offset bush style of adjuster.

The rear is also a bit of a problem with 0.2 negative on the left and 2.0 on the right. This can be partially corrected by using the standard upper rear control arm adjuster. But I suspect you may have to resort to an aftermarket upper control arm offset bush style of adjuster.

Although the rear toe out on the left has been corrected, the overall rear toe at 0.8 out is not what I would recommend. I use around 1.0 t o1.5 of toe in on the rear. This helps reduce the tendency to oversteer on power application.

Hope that helps

[Gizmo73]

Hey SydneyKid...

Just the response i was after...just to make sure i wasnt going boggy...

As usual, you are correct on the headings and their meanings...

When i look at the front of the car, i could've sworn that the car looks uneven. I got a tape measure and measured from the bottom of the tyre to the top of the wheel guard (dodgy, i know). Its about 2mm difference consistently each side, and the tyres have same psi in each...

I have some cash put aside for mods, but now im wondering whether i should invest it in a whiteline handling kit to fix this....and if so, which one ??

OR - is there a cheaper option to fix this properly and get the same result - ie is the whiteline option overkill for my problem ??

Ive already planned the spending of my mods, and to go purchase this would wipe it all out !!

[Sydneykid]

Hi Gizmo, I would firstly get the alignment right with the necessary adjustable bushes. Then you can add the other Handling Kit bits as your budget permits. Give Whiteline a call on 02 9603 0111 and they will give you the prices of the relevant bushes.

Hope that helps some more

[Gizmo73]

Thanks SydneyKid....will do...

[Gizmo73]

Damn...

Had a chat to Whiteline - very helpfull..

Looks like ill do it right first time, and spend the $$$ on the handling kit...

Means i may have to sacrifice other mods i had planned..

But - long term im sure ill be happier...

Anyone recommend an installer up the Central Coast for these kits ???

[red900ss]

Gizmo you have chosen wisely. Get the handling and brakes right first and then do the rest.

[Gizmo73]

thanks Red...

Will be going the handling pack hopefully next week to rectify the settings, and with luck ill notice the handling distance...

Next will be the clutch, flywheel and brakes...

[RBN1]

dude, first thing i'd do is drop the car into someone who knows Skyline suspension well and let them put it on a hoist. There maybe the possibility that the car has been in a kerb type incident previously or something has been bent some how. Fix the problem not the symptoms kinda thing

Hey SydneyKid...

 

Just the response i was after...just to make sure i wasnt going boggy...

 

As usual, you are correct on the headings and their meanings...

 

When i look at the front of the car, i could've sworn that the car looks uneven. I got a tape measure and measured from the bottom of the tyre to the top of the wheel guard (dodgy, i know). Its about 2mm difference consistently each side, and the tyres have same psi in each...

 

I have some cash put aside for mods, but now im wondering whether i should invest it in a whiteline handling kit to fix this....and if so, which one ??

 

OR - is there a cheaper option to fix this properly and get the same result - ie is the whiteline option overkill for my problem ??

 

Ive already planned the spending of my mods, and to go purchase this would wipe it all out !!

[Gizmo73]

Hey Guys...

thought id finish the story...

got the whiteline handling kit installed, and found in the process that both front tyres were showing threads on the inside, due to not having a camber kit !!!

So - the handling kit and two front tyres later (235X40X18's thankyou very much !!) and the car sticks like glue to the road ...

Damn happy to go this option and leave it at that - with the current wheel/handling/suspension setup i dont plan on lowering the car, as it will cause more hassles daily driving in/out of driveways than be an effective mod...

and so - onward and upward to the drivetrain and engine mods...

thanks again to Sydneykid for the input...

Cheers,

Matt

[Duncan]

Hey Matt, re the worn inside tyres, it was probably not caused by camber (unless they said that after checking the alignment specs). The worst wear on the inside of tyres comes from incorrect toe (either in or out). Very easy to fix with an alignment and can save a fortune on replacing otherwise good tyres

[Gizmo73]

Hey Duncan...

True. I think it was a combination of factors, but overall it was mainly due to someone taking shortcuts (ie just wanting the 18inch fat tyres and not finishing the job)

Anyhoow - its all done now and so onwards and upwards to stage 2 !! ($$$ pending)