Steve-O

Providing you give us the tools to calibrate the chassis ie: adjusters, then the actual trim height is of absolutely no concern to me whatsoever. It's my job to advance the handling and compliment the modifications you make, how you want the car to look is in your eye not mine. I can only assume the complaints from the guys in SXOC is due to poor calibration or lack of adjusters for the calibrator. I think to be honest you should set them up as you would like in terms of ride height (within reason) and suitability for the roads you travel on. From what i know the most important thing when it comes to fitment of coilovers is that the preload is set CORRECTLY and the collars are nipped up properly. I have seen it a few times (even on a friends MK4 supra !) where the person setting the coilover has misunderstood what was involved in setting a coilover properly and therefore introducing various complications into the handling. I've seen people adjust their ride height by winding on a SHEDLOAD of preload... which means the spring is too compressed and the stroke of the coilover itself is affected which in turn then affects the on-road handling and causes instabilty. I have seen someone measure the coilover from different points on the car when adjusting and as a result all 4 corners were all over the shop (eeek!) ! Complete lashup !! I think thats more of an issue than the ride height to be honest, and probably could be confused with ride height causing problems ? Running level on the 200 obviously doesnt look great cosmetically, but bringing the front down to look tidier shouldnt be an issue. I've done just that and its made no difference in my opinion. Providing your sump/bumper isnt catch on speedhumps etc (lol) i would set it at a reasonable drop (within the adjustable and safe range of the suspension components you have fitted i.e having the wheel half tucked in the arch lowrider style isnt going to be good at all), set your preload properly, allowing the springs a full range of movement without rattling about (when compressed) and then get the geo done. At the end of the day you will know if you are taking the p**s if tone can't get the car on his ramp Steve

Nah, in the dry the pattern is redundant other than cooling properties so for short term testing there's no problem. ok well i will swap the wheels over at the weekend for a week and see how i get on I am only pottering to and from the station at most during the week so will need a bit of time to judge the effects. Watch this space ! Steve

Thats a shame !!

Morning chaps I recognise that pic In case anyone is wondering what car it is, its the one featured in my signature. I remember when you first voiced your concerns with this Tone back when first had my car aligned in 2007 after all the bushing/coilovers had been fitted. I've basically set the front ride height as low as it will possibly go. I am not sure on the drop from standard ride height as i basically adjusted them with a tape measure on the car and went from there. The limiting factor when lowering my car in particular was the offset of my wheels (30 offset) and the clearance of the preload collar and its locking collar. The rim will foul the actual locking collar unless a 5mm spacer is used. Depending on what rims/coilovers are used the rideheight can be adjusted lower than what i have achieved with little fuss - as the coilovers dont tend to take up as much space near the wheels rim. Anyway - i posted a thread on the SXOC forum as soon as you mentioned it and it turns out quite a few people have had the same issue. Not may have got actual noticable symptoms as such, but its been noted that the angle might not be the best in the world. The reason why i haven't addressed this is because of 2 reasons... 1) I dont notice any issues when driving 2) If i replace them i want an uprated item thats built to handle UK roads/salt/grit etc etc... I believe fitting pillowball 'tuning' rods with exposed joints will wear out in no time, and require regular maintenance, and even if you did pop a greased rubber boot on, i am not particularly keen. I'd like something off the shelf that does the business with minimum of fuss. The closest i have come to a part that might fit the bill is the Tein adjustable tie rods and ends. They have a sealed joint from what i can tell so should be suitable for UK fast road applications. The only concern is - that they might address the horizontal length issue, but wont there still be an angle issue once the lengths been extended ? Will the bumpsteer risk be minimal once the lengths been extended? And also in terms of outright rod/joint failure when under load - will a longer rod reduce the risk in that respect if there is still an angle issue ? I am still keen to do the rods.. i've love to find something like the teins but maybe cheaper. I dont think such a product exists though So Adsmithy i think Tein rods and ends (purchased as two kits) would be the way to go if you do 'slam' the car.. unless you find something just as good for cheaper - in which case please do let me know !!! Tony : Since we last looked at this - i dont suppose you know of any adjustable rods/ends other than tein that have OEM style sealed joints that will do the job and be cheaper than teins ? Cheers ! Steve

Tyres have been on for about a year - maybe 7000-9000 miles on them. Falken 452's With regards the rear alignment side i will have to consult the printout again later on. I know tony did visually inspect the tyre wear and although he had reservations on the amount of rear camber i was running when we set it first - before he had his new unit (kipling) - it would appear the rears are wearing quite well - particularly being a rear wheel drive car. Perhaps if tony sees the thread later tonight he might be able to make a comment

Hi All First of all thanks to Tony and the guys for taking a look at the 200 the other week. It turned out the front alignment was well out and needed sorting. I think the changes will save the front rubber now so its saved me money already (for now!) Brilliant setup. Will be recommending to all that value their cars setup thats for sure ! Now i have a bit of an ongoing issue. I thought the adjustment would sort a slight pull to the left. I had the caster adjusted and levelled out using my new tension rod bushes which have internal adjustment via a splined bolt. However on driving it afterwards it appears there is still a pull to the left. My next plan of action is to swap the rubber over on the front and see if the symptoms are mirrored and make the car pull to the right. Would this suggest a fault with the tyre ? The tyres are stretched ever so slightly so that might be an unknown quantity.. They are also directional so would only be a test ! Failing that what else could i look at to try and sort it. As i said - the front geo looks spot on now. The only other thing to mention is on the run up to my place i have a number of the b@stard speedhumps. Table top type with sloped side edges. Made of a hard rubber and square in shape. The type that sit in the middle of the road and have sloping edges for the tyres to run over (great). Not wide enough to go over nice and level/flat, but just wide enough to make sure i have to hit them dead on. Would that : A)cause my front alignment to get royally fecked ? I have to crawl over due to my ride height and coilovers. (On a side note i would like to ask if hitting them dead on is the best? Part of me is saying no as the car will roll over the sloped edges perhaps making the tyres/alignment do odd things ??. Part of me is saying best to move the car to one side and let one side of the car hit the hump square on and have a nice flat surface to travel over on both sides if you know what i mean?... Any ideas ? b)Make my tyres exhibit odd symptons like this ? Could the tyre somehow get damaged/comprimised (due to the odd angles of attack) by these speedhumps and make it pull to one side? Thanks all ! Steve

Nice Batmobile - always had a soft spot for those babies

I'd be interested to have a look at your setup/kit when the next adjustment takes place Very interesting !!

Hi Tony Right the situation with the car is as follows : Word for Aus : The Tension rod bushes need to be changed for some Noltec ones which apparently allow live caster adjustments which is what i thought these ones do. The ones currently on the car are missing a special adjustment tool...Either way some new ones will be going on that should sort the issue with adjusting the caster. Fingers crossed. The rear camber - as far as i am concerned has been setup now. I am slightly concerned about wear rates but thats something i will monitor. As you said swapping the tyres on the rims will double the life span of the rubber but i was also thinking along the lines of adjustable camber arms for the rear (not rose jointed) to replace the OEM arms. The level of adjustment on these should be more than able to bring the camber out towards a more conservative angle... which then might cause me a rim/arch issue but that is easily sorted. So for now things are 95% or so complete in terms of getting the alignment spot on to my taste. Not sure on timescales for getting the new bushes and getting them in the car but i have a feeling the next time you will be looking at the car will be in your new premises , as i will have to work on the car to fit in around other work/social commitments Looking to get some new tie rods and ends on at the same time to solve that other issue also. Will keep you updated though Steve

Hi Tony Can you confirm the car was on its wheels and suspension loaded up when these pics were taken ? Thanks Steve

I am on SXOC yes, my board name is Dave there too. Kazama Auto Super Tie Rod End Kazama Auto Super Tie Rod Ikeya Formula "Foot Works" (Arms) Sent you a PM on SXOC Dave... very interested in the Kazama Auto Super Tie Rod Ends if they fit standard arms!! Steve

Right This monday coming (6th) @10am is all good Tony so get her booked in if you please Dave can you PM me your number and we'll discuss these TRE's Steve

Welcome to wim Mark and thank you for the comprehensive, glowing report. E55EX_RACER the car is having OEM shocks and springs so with luck the calibration will remain the same... If not Mark has a hard copy Lexus can work to. The reason Mark will forgo the fine-tune is that he traveled from Edinburgh to wim Bloody hell now thats a compliment and a half Tony !! Its worth it though

Hi Dave Thanks for the reply The Kazama TRE's : So they will fit standard rods as pictured by tony ? Thats a good solution in which case for £75!. Are there any pics floating about of the said items so i can take a look ? I know for a fact there are a number of 200 owners that would like these if they work. They would love to hear as £141 is a tad on the steep side. Are you on SXOC by any chance ? Tony: Still waiting to hear from Tone about monday morning.. should know soon ! Steve

You tell me when. Your the customer.... The Tie-rod, i can see the mechinisam now but!!!! I cannot understand how it will rotate to acquire the correct adjustment? So i definitely need Tony there for some instruction. Is monday any good to you ? Steve

Argh going to have to reschedule tomorrow i am afraid mate - Tone cant make it due to personal commitments now. He said he can do next week ? What do you have on ? Steve

Hi Tony I managed to dig out a image of the caster adjustment on the tension rod bushes Camber ones at the rear work in the same way : Will drop the car off at 8.30am tomorrow if thats ok ? My friend Tone will be along for 1.30pm as agreed. Steve

Hi Tony Just got back from leeds First indications on the alignment that was possible on friday is very good as you said Car seemed more eager to move on and was more planted in all situations... exactly what i am looking for. Worlds apart from a standard 200 which is to be expected. As far as i see it things can only get better once the caster has been equalised and adjusted, and the rear camber has been dialed out some more. The only thing i have seen that i might like to improve if possible is the tramling?.. its only very slight but it was noticeable so if possible i would like to try and take some of it away ? Is that possible ? Would it be the toe adjustment that would help with this ? Those tie rod ends look the part.. can you supply those ? Who manufactures them and whats the price ? Cheers Steve Excellent news so far then. The "tramlining" is due to the toe positions... we will need to experiment on the final positions since the spacers add subliminal maths toward the end positions. As for the adjustable TRE i will make some enquiries. "ASAP" Sorry yeah i meant to say Tramlining no Tramling ! Whatever adjustments are made will only need to be small.. i wasn't having to wrestle with the wheel when i got caught in the grooves in the slow lane of the M1 but i did have to make minor corrections.. i could live with it if i wasnt so picky I was toying with the idea of putting on my spare set of 5mm spacers onto the rear so the wheels all sit equal.. but my only concern is when the camber is made more postive the wheel/tyre may foul the arch lip... which itself is not a problem as i can get them rolled but fingers crossed we can get as close as possible to the elusive 1.1 without the need for arch rolling I guess a 5mm spacer wont make a massive change to the geo work you have already done ? We should get the caster and camber sorted and then i could just bolt them on at my leisure or do you want them on for the fine tune on wednesday and see what happens? either way its no prob. Look forward to hearing more about the TRE's i know the Tein and K-Sport offerings require their own matching arms... if these fit the standard arms thats great... failing that i will have to stump up for matching arm/end set. Cheers Steve

Hi Tony Just got back from leeds First indications on the alignment that was possible on friday is very good as you said Car seemed more eager to move on and was more planted in all situations... exactly what i am looking for. Worlds apart from a standard 200 which is to be expected. As far as i see it things can only get better once the caster has been equalised and adjusted, and the rear camber has been dialed out some more. The only thing i have seen that i might like to improve if possible is the tramling?.. its only very slight but it was noticeable so if possible i would like to try and take some of it away ? Is that possible ? Would it be the toe adjustment that would help with this ? Those tie rod ends look the part.. can you supply those ? Who manufactures them and whats the price ? Cheers Steve

Cars in now so fingers crossed we can get it somewhere near the settings i have

Hi Tony I hope you get this this evening Having gone to leighton from my work in london and picked the car up at 7.45pm and got home i managed to quicklydial on what i thought was 10mm on the shock body. Top of the arch to centre of hub read 310mm both sides before i started. When i lowered the car back onto its wheels i now have 330mm arch to hub both sides which is 10mm more than i was expecting... anyway that was a good thing but its still sitting lower than i think you need it...?? I can get my hand under the arch up to my knuckles on the rear (after the arch lip there is more clearance so its the body thats the limiting factor. Fronts i can get pretty much my whole hand on and i think you would be happy with it. Its a bit too late in the day now to go back and make another adjustment... do you think you will be able to work with it? Maybe its best i turn up at 8.30 tomorrow and you can have a quick look.. if its no good i will have to reschedule for a week or two... i knew it would be tight but i have run out of time now tonight What do you think mate ? Please call me on my mobile number if need be as i cant reply this evening as i have to dash out again !! will cheak later tonight when i return Cheers Steve

10mm should allow another 20 to 30'... This would be a valuable extra is i need to use this to make the positions symmetrical over the axle..... Other than that don't worry, calibrating a modified car like yours always needs some manipulation to acquire the best set-up. Let me worry about the calibration... Remember i need a full fuel tank so that the suspension is preloaded. Ok thats cool - i'm just worried that the excess negative camber wont be able to be dialed out enough even after a 10mm raise without going and adding rose jointed camber arms or the like... I dont fancy going down that route as i cant be arsed to maintain the rose joints, and put up with the knocking that they cause on today's roads ! I would like to drive it to leeds this weekend, hence the concern... that and i havent driven her for ages - i'm getting withdrawal symptoms ! Cheers Steve

Right quick question... At present the rear can only give 2 degrees negative camber (wound out fully positive!!) because the ride height might be too low for the camber bolt and bushes to compensate. I need to raise the arse to provide the extra positive camber so i can run 1.1 or as close to that as i can. Do you think a 10mm rise in ride hight would be able to scrub all that negative camber off ? I know it might be hard to say but i need a ball park figure so i Dont waste your (Tony's) time when he sets about aligning it tomorrow. Any help/advice appreciated ! Steve

I'm pretty sure i have that kind of adjustment.. i will take a peek when i collect her tomorrow... gonna have to raise the arse a bit for you (few turns of the collar) so you can get you alignment kit on the wheels properly. So what sort of cars are you seeing in your place? I bet you have a broad cross-section? Do you get many tasty cars from the local areas ? I never seem to see many enthusiast (older) performance cars being driven if i am honest... my mate has an 500BHP R34 Skyline GTR in hemel who is looking for some adjustments also before he hits the ring in august so he is keen to see how the 200 goes

Yeah i was pretty impressed with the bodywork i can pass on details if you ever need someone. He is based between berko and chesham He is a friend of a friend and his partner in the business is running a tuned saphhire cosworth which he is rebuilding at the moment. The apsley garage is nothing to do with the agro with the alignment (just wanted to make that clear). The garage the pics were taken outside of is Apsley Pit Stop and that is owned by a friend of mine. I used his bay to get the wheels on. The clearance of the rim against the standard shock was pretty damn tight i agree.. but as far as i know its not the end of the world as long as your rubber doesn't foul the shock as the wheel as no give in it ? Regarding the location of the caster adjuster - to be honest at this moment i cant say with any certainty. I know enough to get me by and i am learning new things quickly but there are still things that elude me at present. I was hoping joining here and posting my experiences and bantering would increase my knowledege as i am getting hands on with the car more and more these days so its really interesting Steve