Alignment after lowering - Current Caster and Camber options?

So I settled on a ride height after getting my coilovers on, time for an alignment.

 

Felt a bit different after, it turns in easier but is more easily influenced by road conditions.

 

Current alignment readings on coilovers:

Front:

-0.41 CAMBER -0.41

5.45 CASTER 5.45

0.00 TOE 0.00

 

Rear:

-2.11 CAMBER -1.40

0.01 TOE -0.01

TOTAL TOE -0.01

THRUST ANGLE 0.01

 

Last alignment reading I have on OEM Bilsteins:

Front:

-0.07 CAMBER -0.07

6.24 CASTER 6.26

0.00 TOE 0.00

 

Rear:

-1.30 CAMBER -1.30

0.00 TOE 0.00

TOTAL TOE 0.00

THRUST ANGLE 0.00

 

I think I am missing the higher caster my old set up had? What are the current best options to increase caster?

 

Also, I picked up some negative camber on the left rear. I see SPC and Whiteline make lower arms for this. Which is the better option? Whitelines are actually a bit cheaper from what I see.

 

BTW, do the rear shock mounts affect rear camber? Are they supposed to install in a specific way? I'm wondering if the left rear mount was installed wrong way and caused the left rear camber increase.

Edited August 1, 2019 by Scubaboo

Rear shock mounts shouldn't affect camber. Having less negative on the right rear is a common occurrence on our cars for some reason, I'm not sure anybody knows why. What's interesting to me is that you barely gained any between suspension changes, I would've expected about .1 or .2 more than what you got.

How much of a drop did you end up doing?

I probably did not gain much camber because I ended up settling for about a 2-finger gap all around due to the roads and driveways here.

 

Rears were pretty close to that stock, it was at the front that got lowered quite a bit to get rid of the Subaru reverse rake. Which is probably why I gained camber at the front and hardly any at the rear.

 

Coco, I think youre right. From what I have read so far for these multilink rears the shocks are positioned so they dont affect geometry. I did see a case or two of cross camber situations with less camber on the right while browsing for info.

 

I did encounter a similar situation with one of my other cars with excessive rear camber. The upper link bushings had taken a set inward giving negative camber that couldnt be adjusted out. I replaced those upper links and was able to get camber into spec for that vehicle. I wonder if that is the case for the GT too.

Edited August 1, 2019 by Scubaboo

On the issue of rear cross camber, here is an interesting discovery by a Forester owner - off center subframe. Fixed with subframe locking kit.

 

https://www.subaruforester.org/threads/subframe-misalignment.27637/

I've since come across A LOT of Subaru owners complain of cross camber at the rear with the left rear (driver side) being the usual culprit. I wonder why that is?

 

I called the dealer to check the price of the rear upper arms and they are damn pricey at at more than $300 per side! Interestingly, the US part number 20252AJ00A/01A I got from Subarupartonline was not in the EPC. Our market shows 20252FG011/000 which is listed as a BRZ/08-up WRX part.

 

Also, the dealer mentioned they only have the right side in stock. I'm thinking maybe someone bought the left one to deal with camber issues like I am, lol!

 

The good thing is these BRZ/WRX arms have aftermarket bushes available from Whiteline and others, so there is the option to get my stock arms re-bushed if those are what is causing my cross camber situation. Need to get the car up on a lift and poke around.

I don't know if you rear suspension is the same as the US/CA, but we usually use adjustable rear LCA. The upper control a-arms require dropping the entire rear suspension/differential cradle to do.

Hey Dave, I didnt know the upper arms are that involved! If that's the case lower arms would be a better choice.

 

Yeah since the upper arms are different I do need to check if the lower arm is the same. I hope the SPC or Whiteline BRZ/5th gen Legacy lower arms will work.

Wow, I just noticed this thread has more than a thousand views with like three people with anything to say lol.

 

After a few days with the alignment it actually is pretty decent.

I'm not really looking to increase caster anymore at this time. Knowing I have cross camber in the rear bothered me enough though that I researched camber options.

 

Clear consensus for the rear is adjustable lower arms. Easiest to do with the most adjustment range.

 

There are 2 main designs for these, the stock looking arms with eccentric bolts at the hub side based on SPC arms, and the Hardrace/Megan style where the arm bushing is mounted on a threaded end that adjusts like a tie rod.

 

I prefer the less expensive and more OE-like SPC style, but they only come with poly bushings (Whiteline) or spherical joints (SPC). I would have liked rubber bushes for less hassle. I settled for the Whiteline because it at least had bushings, even if they are poly.

 

But Hardrace has an arm with rubber bushings. They are the only camber arms to have this option, so I may order a set and just sell the Whitelines when they come in.

Whiteline rear arms are in!

 

 

Well packed in a sturdy box and arms were wrapped to keep from scratching each other...but the stickers didnt survive the trip. I was wanting to bling up the arms and my water bottle with them. :/ Oh well, some were usable still.

 

 

Bushes were installed already, and standard type instead of the eccentric ones I saw online. Oh well, prefer these anyway, and theses should have more than enough adjustment as-is.

 

 

They are definitely SPC arms. Says so right on them. Eccentric hardware is SPC, too. Only difference besides the paint job is the end bush with whiteline having a standars poly bush while the SPC's having a spherical bush.

 

 

 

have you fitted front whiteline caster adjusters to get the caster back?

is your legacy jdm?

Whiteline rear arms are in!

 

Well packed in a sturdy box and arms were wrapped to keep from scratching each other...but the stickers didnt survive the trip. I was wanting to bling up the arms and my water bottle with them. :/ Oh well, some were usable still.

 

Bushes were installed already, and standard type instead of the eccentric ones I saw online. Oh well, prefer these anyway, and theses should have more than enough adjustment as-is.

 

They are definitely SPC arms. Says so right on them. Eccentric hardware is SPC, too. Only difference besides the paint job is the end bush with whiteline having a standars poly bush while the SPC's having a spherical bush.

 

Thanks for all the photos. I want to compare yours to mine I picked up cheap. The seller said the LCAs didn't have a particular bushing in them. Mind if I send you some photos tonight?

^Sure!

 

Offhand I know the earlier versions of this kit came with an offset poly bushing at the subframe side so you can get a bit more camber. Mine came with a standard centered bushing as pictured.