Need front alignment help (alignment spec sheet pic inside)

[92ShoOff]

Hello everybody. Two years ago I replaced my shot OEM struts and springs with a Tokico/Intrax combination. I used the Grand Prix GTP rear control arms and the alignment on the rear came out right where it needed to be.

For the front, I did as suggested and had the alignment shop break the tack welds one the plate on top of the strut tower to allow for more adjustment. I don't remember much that the mechanic that worked on my car told me other than something to the affect of, "Your alignment in the rear came out perfect... the front is just a tad out of a spec, but you shouldn't wear your new tires badly because of it."

Well this work was done about 10k or so miles ago and the insides of both front tires show a noticeably more wear than the rest of the tire. Not an awful lot, but enough to where I want to fix it. I'm not sure if it's my caster, camber, or toe that is out, or a combination. I know almost nothing about alignment, so I managed to find the alignment spec sheet that the shop gave me when I went to pick up my car.

I just got my engine and transmission back in the car today and while all the tie-rod ends, lower control arms, tension rods, half-shafts, end-links, etc. are disconnected I want to do what I can to fix this problem. Based on the spec sheet below, what can I do to get my front suspension where it needs to be? Will RCM's adjustable strut mounts do the trick? And what is my problem area (caster, camber and/or toe)??

Thanks!,
Andrew

 

[Ishodu]

1.2-1.3 deg neg camber is not that much to worry about. Maybe your not rotating your tires enough. I am at -2 camber and I have no issues with un even tire ware. Driving style will have a bit to do with this as well. I would have liked to see your toe closer to 0 tho, that could be causing a little extra ware.

 

[K-Dawg]

If you removed the subframe to while doing all of this, the specs are going to be completely different, so those old numbers won't matter.

 

[92ShoOff]

Thanks for the replies guys. Hmmm... so if my camber isn't too bad then what causes my toe to be a little out of whack? Is that adjusted soley with the tie-rod ends? Or how do you adjust toe?

I've never rotated my tires and I know it helps keep the wear down but I'm used to my other cars having wider tires in the back than in the front so I can't rotate those. I'd like my alignment to be good enough that I don't have to rotate my tires due to irregular wear if that's possible. The rear tires on the SHO seem to be wearing just fine--nice and even. Any suggestions on perfecting my front?

And the subframe has stayed in the exact place. I took the motor and trans out from the top and left the subframe bolted up right where it was. But thanks for the heads-up on that because that's something I wouldn't have thought of.

 

[Ishodu]

Toe is adjusted with the tie rods. Also you can't expect to ever get good tire ware with out rotating tires on a front wheel drive. They have to do so much more than the rears.

 

[K-Dawg]

Right, even on a perfectly aligned car, the front tires are going to wear more than the rears. Rotating tires is simple, or cheap if you don't want to do it yourself.

 

[92ShoOff]

So if my toe is causing the excessive inner tire wear then what can be done to fix it? Should the tie rods adjust more to correct this, or are they possibly adjusted to the max??

I do realize that the front tires will wear quicker since they are the driven wheels of the car, and especially since I tend to get aggressive with the throttle a bit more than a normal driver. I just don't want to rotate them because of abnormal wear. I'd rather replace them and keep the rears right where they are since they're wearing evenly. I'd just rather replace front tires every time I wear them down. On my GTO the front alignment is evidently near perfect because I've changed my rear tires twice and my fronts haven't been touched yet and are wearing perfectly. I just keep rotating drag radials that are mounted on an extra set of rims when I go to the track and never touch the front tires for anything and I like it that way for whatever reason haha.

 

[Ishodu]

The toe could be closer to zero. Now you cannot expect a fwd car to behave with tire ware like a RWD. As your turning the wheels and such angles and such change, once you apply power during this guess what happens?
FYI I rotate my tires every few few thousand miles (oil change time mostly). Simple and free.

 

[K-Dawg]

Yes, the tie rods will have plenty of adjustment in them.

 

[Storm-Chaser]

Excessive inner tire wear is usually either due to excessive toe, or excess negative camber. Other factors can cause front inner tire wear, but the wear tends to be uneven and is usually accompanied by other problems, which often results in feedback through the steering wheel.

While your initial toe ("before") were well outside factory specs (-1.28° / 1.24° left versus right respectively), a cross toe value of 0.05° suggests that the subframe had either been loosened or dropped, and then was not aligned using the front subframe alignment holes.

What I don't understand, is why there was virtually no change in both camber values, after the tach-welds on the upper shock-tower plates were broken/cut. [He] should have been able to get more than simply 0.1° out of only one side after breaking/cutting the welds. Ideally, you'd want the camber set at -0.5° left and right, with 0.00° cross camber for ideal tire-wear on a street-driven-only setup.

 

[Storm-Chaser]

There may not be any "problem" with your front suspension. Personally, it looks like the previous numbers were the result of a "get-r-don" or "close-enough-for-government-work" mentality on the alignment tech's part.

As far as what to look at before it's back together, you should check the front strut rod reciever cups in the subframe to see if the welds have broken (read this thread: Just joined the broken subframe club). This is something that's easier to repair (ie. get welded or install Moog repair kits) when you have the subframe broken-down. Also check the ball joints in the lower control arms.

The ball joint studs should be difficult to move by hand, without using some sort of leverage. While not being able to move the ball joint stud does not mean it's good, if you can move them relatively easily by hand, they're definitely shot. Regardless, you should still recheck ball joints for play once the front end is back together, as well as rechecking the outer tie rods for play.

Next look at the general condition of all the rubber bushings. If they show signs of dry-rotting, excessive cracking, or have chunks missing - replace the bushings. If it is the lower control arm bushings at the subframe mounts that look shot, replace the lower control arms.

The strut tension rods rarely need replacing except when damaged due to an accident or road hazard incident. Also look for shows signs of significant rust corrosion under the bushings, which you're most likely to find where the strut rod attaches to the subframe.

The first thing to look at on the half-shafts is the condition of the CV joint boots and ABS tone rings.

If the boots have any cuts or show signs of cracking, replace those that have cuts and consider replacing those with boots that are cracking. Once cut (or the cracks break through), the CV joint looses most of the CV joint grease which results in failure of the CV joint in as little as a few months (depending on mileage and driving habits).

If the boots are in relatively good shape, I then check them by trying to rapidly compress the joint together - and listen a for metal-to-metal clacking sound, which would indicate there is insufficient CV joint grease and possible CV joint damage already. I also rotate/flex the joint through it's range of motion to check for binding or excess play. Since you probably don't know what the CV joint should "feel" like, take the half-shafts to your parts store and ask them if you can compare your's to a new on-the-shelf half-shaft. It's unlikely they will have either half-shaft for a SHO (left and right are different), but they should have both half-shafts for a non-SHO Taurus.

To check the tone rings, clean them as best you can and carefully inspect for any cranks or large nicks. If there are any cracks, either the ABS tone ring or entire half-shaft assembly should be replaced. If there are any large nicks and you've been getting any ABS problems or the ABS idiot-light occasionally flashes, you might consider changing the half-shafts.

While the end-links are essentially mini-ball joints, you should be able to move the studs without any additional leverage. The movement/motion in the end-link joints should be smooth and have no play. Again, take one/both to your parts store and compare them to a new end-link. The end-links are not SHO-specific, but there are "heavy duty" links available which you can pick-up at any parts store.

If everything seems fine, there's a few checks you can do once the front suspension has been re-assembled. The method for checking for "play" in the lower control arms and tie rods ends, is once the tire is mounted, to grasp the tire and try to move it in and out while grasping the tire at the 6- and 12-o'clock positions (ball joints), and then at the 3- and 9-o'clock positions (outer tie rods). If you get any movement, then the respective joint is likely bad and will need replaced.


Btw, kdawg is correct - if the subframe has been loosened or removed anytime since that alignment, the previous alignment numbers are no longer valid. You can get lucky and get it close enough to not be noticeable (ie. result in a mis-aligned steering wheel or pulling while driving), but the alignment should be done anytime bushings, struts, springs, or tie rods are changed - regardless of how well it seems like it drives after you get it back together.

I agree with Ishodu - the front toe should be closer to zero, ideally it should be 0.04° left and right, and the closer it is to 0.00°, the less tire wear you'll see as a result of the front toe adjustment. There are several threads here and on Shotimes.com, which discuss all the alignment numbers and what varitions from factory do to handling and tire wear.

 

[houghton33]

having a little negative camber and a little toe out is good
for a performance car driven on the street.
If you want to maximise tire wear then I would reduce the toe out.
But be aware that changing the setting will affect
turn in, in a negative way.
If that was my SHO and it didn't pull and the steering
was straight, I would leave it alone.
Enjoy the crisp turn in quality that this setup enables
and rotate your tires once in a while.

 

[Storm-Chaser]

While I might agree - if 92ShoOff occasionally tracked the SHO - all indications in the original post are that he's more concerned with tire wear, and has another vehicle for his "need-for-speed" fix.

 

[87hurricane]

Another item to note in this whole mess is....

I have NEVER gotten a decent alignment done at a tire shop. Even with a computerized setup, most shops seem to be incapable of aligning a car properly. Anytime I want to get one of my cars aligned, I take it to a local frame/alignment shop. It cost a little more, but I make up the extra money in the fact that my tires wear evenly (with regular rotation) and I don't have to buy tires as often. That being said, these guys are right, even with a decent alignment, your front tires are never going to wear well perfectly on a fwd car, you need to rotate them.

 

[Storm-Chaser]

And that's a direct result of a "get-r-dun" or "close-enough-for-government-work" mentality, fostered by set labor-rates.

Remember that many mechanics/techs are paid based upon set labor-rates. Let's say that the industry standard for aligning a Taurus is 0.6 hours. Using the set labor-rates, the mechanic/tech is paid 0.6 hours for the alignment, regardless of how long it actually takes. Thus in a 3 hour period s/he could theoretically align five vehicles. If s/he can align the vehicle in less than 0.6 hours, lets say in 0.4 hours, then s/he gets paid the 0.6 hours labor for 0.4 hours work.

So the incentive is there to get it within specs, but not to the ideal specifications that would minimize tire wear. That's also why alignment specifications now list ranges (eg. -1.1° to +0.1° for camber), versus exact values with tolerances (eg. -0.5° ±0.6° for camber). Customers are much less likely to question to quality of the alignment if the numbers "fall with the ranges", versus are not at the factory specification, "but within standard tolerances".

 

[rubydist]

As others have suggested, the tire wear will be more uniform if the fronts are toed in slightly from the current setting, based on my experiences.