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Alignment specs, S550's

11K views 7 replies 3 participants last post by  bullit4404 
#1 ·
Here's a Ford printout of alignment specs. Notice there's quite a variation, and if used as a daily driver, extra camber can cause accelerated tire wear.
 

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#3 · (Edited)
One person's opinion...

Getting a performance car aligned for the street can be challenging. First the equipment used by a lot of shops is not well maintained/calibrated and when that's the case you won't know what you have. Second, in terms of camber, a 1.5 degree range (front) and a 2.25 degree range rear is too much a variance especially when shops simply work off of the factory spec range and anything within that range is "acceptable" to the tech and to the machine. That means a left to right variance could be significant but arguably "within spec".

Good alignments IMO start with knowing that the equipment is correct and finding a tech who gives a damn to adjust the car within a tight range from side to side and best done with driver in the car. It's a pain to achieve this, but most towns/cities with a reasonable population will have a shop or two that gets it. I have "a guy" who I've worked with for over 10 years on chassis setups and I bring a bullseye level, a straight level and camber gauge every time and we start by checking the rack before working on the car. None of that means anything if the alignment machine is not calibrated and checked from time to time.

Positive camber, even a little on a car that is driven enthusiastically on the street is not a good thing for tires or driving fun. Probably best on a Mustang to align to max negative camber or close per the factory spec. That should provide good tire life and good handling.

It's more expensive for a good job but it's probably worth it.
 
#4 ·
I have a smart camber tool that I verify the shop's alignment rack with, and I bring a 6 ft level to check that the hoist is level.
Lot's of shops never calibrate their alignment equipment or their wheel balancers. In our small town here, most of the time I do my own alignment during lunch break. One time the alignment guy quit and I trained the new guy while setting up my truck.
 
#8 ·
The GT 350 has bigger tires on the rear than a GT, hence more grip, less camber needed. Also GT350 is a little lower and probably the front and rear end geometry is a little different and handling is more sporty (loose is fast)
For a Bullit street set up, I'd say -1.0 front and -1.50 rear. This will give you a slightly understeering (read safe) dynamic.
If you want to track the car you could add up to .5 more negative front camber and see how it handles. This will give you more front grip.(tending to oversteer). If you go more than -1.50 camber on either end then tire wear may become an issue.
 
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