Eibachs and alignment

["Duane Collie" <drcollie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>From: Troy Wesley <tawesley@domain.elided>
>Subject: E30 allignment
>
>I've recently installed Eibach sport springs in my '87 325is. It has
>resulted in major negitive camber is there any way to do a four wheel
>allignment? My trusty imported auto service station says they don't know
>how!

Troy,

Item # 1 : Get a new 'Trusty Imported Auto Service Station'.  Sounds like
they only know how to pump gas. They are prolly lousy at beer drinking, too.

Item # 2: Anytime you install a lowered 'sport' spring into a car, you
change all sorts of things (as you've found out!).  The car handles like
crap now, doesn't it? You MUST get the alignment set immediately afterwards
anytime you do this.  You've effectively added in about - 1/2 to - 3/4 worth
of additional negative camber by lowering the car.  That won't really hurt
you much for tire wear.  Makes the car handle better once you get the
alignment spec'd.

Item # 3:  What's making you crazy is the toe settings are all outta whack.
You don't need a 4-wheel alignment - that's a bucha crap.  You need to set
the front and rear toe and then the rear camber (Front is fixed - I'm an E36
guy, not E30, but I think they are pretty much the same for these purposes).
If you want to bias the car towards good street driveability, then you want
TOE IN.  About 1/4 to 3/8" total toe-in will probably be pretty good. If you
want to bias it for the track or autocross (real track or autocross, not
street-racer-boy), then you want ZERO TOE or even a wee bit of TOE OUT if
you can stand the straight line nervousness.  Set the rear camber to factory
specs or in the neighborhood of -1.6 to -1.8.  You can probably get better
setting info from the E30 guys here on the list, though.  No fancy-schmancy
wheel alignmemt rack is needed, either.  Once you have your settings, you
can tell any guy with a rack how to spec it and he can do it for about forty
bucks.  You can even do it yourself with a bit of string and some scrap
lumber.

Item # 4: Not saying you've done it, but some sound advice to upgraders out
there is to RESEARCH what installing a component will do to your car before
you start in. Here at The Land O' Da Digest, there's not much you can do
that someone here has not already done.  And the advice is free.  Suspension
mods are done by many to get "THE SLAMMED LOOK" without regard for how
changing a component really messes up a car's handling and performance.  You
did upgrade the shocks when you installed the Eibachs, yes? If not, start
shopping....your stock shocks won't last or dampen correctly with shortened
springs.

Duane Collie

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