Alignment guys (Fox body Mustang)?

[Rockettman]

Maybe someone has some info on my questions. I just figured some of you have owned Mustangs (or do).

Are there any settings that are better than "stock" settings, for a stock set-up on a '91?
Or are the "in spec" settings just fine for normal driving?

Should the camber settings be slightly more negative on the passenger side for driving straight?

I just got new tires, and the camber settings (while in spec) look like the tires are going to wear huge on the insides! Plus I get a right side pull>

Thanks.

[ctrlraven]

I have fully adjustable coilovers on mine, took it to a local shop that specializes in suspension geometry, they worked some magic with all the settings on mine.

[EMAS]

It all depends on how you are going to drive it. Did they give you a print out of the before and after measurements? How did the previous set of tires wear?

Different settings from side to side are more commonly done on FWD cars since the power is transmitted through the steering wheels and that causes some movement of the components. Usually with RWD cars, that don't do circle track racing, you want your caster and camber to be as close a possible to the same, side to side.

[Rockettman]

^^^^ They did give me a printout of the before and after. The before (also concerning tire wear) really doesn't play in here; as the last alignment I had was - here it comes - in 1992!! That was when the last new tires went on!

From side to side now, everything is in spec and virually the same on both sides.

I do have a pull to the right though, and thats some of my concern here. Everything has been checked and cleaned and freed-up; and I'm being told that asymetrical tires can do this - not sure about that statement myself.?.

Just didn't know if there was a better setup that anyone has found for a very average driving car. No track or racing or anything of the like.

[ctrlraven]

Are your tires one directional? If they are not switch your front tires from side to side and see if it still pulls to the right, if it does then its a suspension issue, if it tracks straight leave it alone and if it pulls left then you should have the now front driver (originally front passenger tire) re-balanced and checked.

[Rockettman]

^^^ crap! I was afraid of that.

The tires are not directional. I did the swap side to side; and the car still pulled right (as it did before the swap).

What do I look for in the suspension for an issue? It's never been hit or anything like that; the shocks were done by me last summer; the springs are original. Not sure what to do next.

Maybe just have the alignment guy adjust afew degrees to drive straight? I know that's not the "right" way, but....

[ctrlraven]

Maybe you should have the front tires remounted and swapped to opposite sides?

Something won't cost anything but time, could swap the front shocks?

[Rockettman]

^^^ maybe I'm alittle uneducated on this, but what will remounting change? Also, why would remounting the shocks do? (I'm not being "smart" - I just don't know).

[WI Fordguy]

pull didn't start until the new tires were put on? If there's no pull in the alignment and it didn't start until the new tires went on, there's your answer. You could also check out the steering rack as a possible culprit.

Also is it a drives itself into the ditch pull or a general wandering to the right. I do have to explain road crown to a lot of people. Not saying anything to be derogatory, just covering all the bases.

[Rockettman]

^^^ Ford did the alignment before the tires were put on (about 2 weeks before - on 20 year old tires). The pull started then. The car was set to spec; then the mechanic just put some degrees in it to correct the pull. It was clearly not in spec after that based on the "before and after" printouts given to me by the shop that just did the new alignment Monday morning. But it did correct the pull.

Now with new tires, the car has the same right-side pull. It is a "general wandering pull" as you put it. Not drastic.

[Got_1]

it sounds like they were trying to correct a tire pull originally when they aligned the car with the 20 year old tires. now that you have good tires that don't pull, its now pulling due to the way they set it up previously.
the new alignment should have corrected it. it would help alot if you gave us the current specs
you'll want slightly more positive camber and/or negative caster on the left side to correct a pull to the right.

[Rockettman]

I'll post up the numbers when I get back home this afternoon.

[SpartaPerformance]

For a street car I always set the camber to 0, If you can a bit more crispness cornering then you want to bring the caster settings positive as much as possible. Setting positive caster will give you NO tire wear but increase camber while turning.

[Rockettman]

Ok, here's what I've got.
Left Front:
Camber: -0.9
Caster: 1.8
Toe: 0 in

Right Front:
Camber: -0.7
Caster: 2.0
Toe: 0 in

Total Toe:0 in
Steer Ahead: 0

Yet I still have a drift (not a pull) to the right. Everything is tight, and solid.
As the caster/camber plates are stock, they are as positive as they are going to get. The Camber is as close to 0 as they will get also. They will adjust no more. The rear end is straight.

[SpartaPerformance]

Hmm as per the specs you posted the vehicle should not pull or drift. Are you sure you don't have a seizing caliper or wheel bearing??

[Got_1]

Hmm as per the specs you posted the vehicle should not pull or drift. Are you sure you don't have a seizing caliper or wheel bearing??

according to those specs, that car will drift right due to road crown. there isn't enough lead to counter it

[EMAS]

With 0 toe you are going to have a car that drifts, you need some toe if you want to keep it going straight whether it is "in" for general purposes or "out" to improve turn in response you really want some toe.

[Rockettman]

Caliper and bearings...checked those. All is fine there.

Even did the "rotate the tires to every different corner" thing. Still a drift to the right.

[Rockettman]

I thought toe was for more for if the car "plows" of not; and tire wear. I thought caster was more for going straight.

I can't bring the caster anymore "positive". We tried bringing the right side in as far as it will go (as much negative camber as possible), with no difference in the drift.

[Got_1]

get that left side camber down to -0.3 or -0.4 and you will no longer have a drift right.

[Got_1]

With 0 toe you are going to have a car that drifts, you need some toe if you want to keep it going straight whether it is "in" for general purposes or "out" to improve turn in response you really want some toe.

negative caster will cause drifting or instability. toe does not effect pulling/drifts

[EMAS]

negative caster will cause drifting or instability. toe does not effect pulling/drifts

Yes a lack of or no caster will cause a vehicle to wander but so will zero toe. Besides being a Ford guy I've got a bunch of IH's that the factory setting is zero or negative camber, but with a little toe they drive straight and true down the road no matter which side of the crown I'm driving on. Granted I'm in the Seattle area where they don't put a lot of crown on the road. However if you set up a car to not drift right due to a steeply crowned 2 lane road then driving in the left lane of a steeply crowned divided hwy you have a car that drifts to the left heavily.

[Rockettman]

^^^ "IH's" ??

So are you both suggesting that I should get a little bit of positive toe (toe-in) or just leave at zero? I'm thinking maybe that "camber-thrust" is going to cause a toe-out just slightly when the car is in motion. Zero on the rack may not be zero due to stock rubber A-arm bushings.

I should be trying to get the camber close to 0 then? (Ford sets at 0?)

The alignment guy said the adjustment plates on the strut towers, are maxed-out. I can't get any less-negative than the -0.9/left & -0.7/right.
Short of buying and installing camber/caster plates (which I have no intension); maybe I could just create more negative on the right then (maybe to match the -0.9)?

[EMAS]

^^^ "IH's" ??

So are you both suggesting that I should get a little bit of positive toe (toe-in) or just leave at zero? I'm thinking maybe that "camber-thrust" is going to cause a toe-out just slightly when the car is in motion. Zero on the rack may not be zero due to some 21 year old parts.

I should be trying to get the camber close to 0 then? (Ford sets at 0?)

The alignment guy said the adjustment plates on the strut towers, are maxed-out. I can't get any less-negative than the -0.9/left & -0.7/right.
Short of buying and installing camber/caster plates (which I have no intension); maybe I could just create more negative on the right then (maybe to match the -0.9)?

IH's International Harvesters. Scouts and a Travelette (0 camber) Travelall (neg camber)

Yes I'd try a touch of toe in to see if that helps since the rest isn't adjustable anymore as is.

You may want to check out this article, particularly the toe-in toe-out section. http://www.mustangmonthly.com/techarticles/mump_0911_the_importance_of_fr ont_end_alignments/viewall.html