When adjusting your car’s Camber, caster, or toe to achieve a specific specification in most cases stock adjustments will do fine. There are times when stock adjustments for certain angles are not present from the manufacturer. There are also situations where more and less adjustments are needed. In most vehicles Toe is the most adjustable angle. A lot of manufactures do not provide Camber or Caster adjustments.
This is the most simple way to explain the above. The wheels have different adjustments that allow you to make the above moments. When you don’t have the adjustments we can recommend an aftermarket replacement such as a control arm, adjustable plates or eccentric bolts that can give you the alignment adjustment you require.
Camber and caster eccentric bolts
These adjustment bolts are the most common type of adjustment used on factory and aftermarket applications. There are advantages and disadvantages to this type of set up. The advantage is that they are easy enough to replace and the cost of the bolts are fairly reasonable. The disadvantage is that they do not have a lot of adjustment. They will typically give you plus or minus 1 degrees. In most cases this is ok, but if you have an extremely lowered car more adjustment is always welcomed.
Another thing to keep in mind when using these bolts is that they might only be available for some vehicles, not all vehicles can accommodate eccentric bolts. So it’s important to check if you have the right suspension application bolt for your vehicle. If you need more adjustment you would have to look into adjustable control arms. In some cases adjustment bolts will make up bends in suspension due to road potholes and variations in the road. Alignment is constantly changing due to the road environment and conditions. Having adjustments will help you maintain your angles of your wheels to combat these road hazards.
Adjustable Control Arms
So when it comes to having a wide range of adjustment for your alignment, adjustable control arms make the most sense. They are available in all different sizes and shapes to match your control arm type. They are not always available for every vehicle. Most vehicles that install these types of arms are looking for a wide range of adjustment. Some of our regular customers have these installed and their vehicle is totally stock. They just like the wide range of adjustability away from stock.
Another reason that some people install these types of arm is if their vehicle is known for bad camber. Some vehicles will exhibit more negative camber and there is no factory adjustment that can fix this issue. This is where the arms work magic. As some people look to bring the tire outwards to achieve positive camber others with lowered cars look to make camber more negative. To achieve a certain look or to get the tires more in tune to the idea they have in mind.
Camber and Caster adjustable plates
So the adjustable plates give you more shock’s more adjustment. One of the most common adjustments with plates is camber. The Application where caster and camber is adjustable together requires the right amount of room to allow this travel. To get more adjustability the plates are combined with adjustable lower eccentric bolts to increase movement. These plates are used mostly for track application or installation to resolve driveability or handling issues.
In most situations adjustable arms and bolts are upgrades, these adjustments can give you more travel to accomplish desired look or specification. Having the adjustment can make your vehicle so much more pleasurable to drive. Also keep in mind your wheel alignment shop will have extra charges to adjust extra adjustments that are not factory with that vehicle. It requires extra time to dial them in perfectly. Using the right adjustment provides safe and practical adjustment to your vehicle’s suspension. Always use a well known premium brand, as there are offshore adjustments parts that dont always hold up in the long run. Level Auto can provide you with quality parts. We can install and wheel align your vehicle to stock or track applications. We can also suggest a little more aggressive alignment for road use for car enthusiasts.