Nissan 370Z Forum - Front camber alignment?

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- - Front camber alignment? (http://www.the370z.com/brakes-suspension/120209-front-camber-alignment.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by k67p67 (Post 3624249)

The Voodoo13 FUCAs appear to be a great alternative and about $100 cheaper than SPL.

At a $100 difference, might as well buy the SPL arms, which have proven to be the best option. Voodoo's are yet to prove themselves.

Besides, see it as an investment, since the SPL will sell in a heart beat and will retain their value if you choose to part.

:twocents:

SPLs:
- best locking mechanism for your alignment guy
- track proven durability across multiple platforms
- high quality balljoints that are self-cleaning
- camber AND caster adjustment

There's a reason why they don't pop up much in the FS section and are scooped up quickly when they do.

Sorta like Fast Intentions Exhausts. They easily sell in a day or two and retain a healthy chunk of their value.

Buy SPL. Never worry again. Plus, after you get the FUCAs, you can run pretty much any size wheel/tire in front. any. size.

I recently purchased a set of the Voodoo13 FUCAs. I'm pretty skeptical when it comes to "unproven" brands but I did as much research as I could before purchasing and I am definitely not disappointed. The build quality is excellent. They offer independent camber and caster adjustment. Design and adjustment are very similar to the SPLs. The self-cleaning aspect of the SPLs sounds cool but time will tell how necessary that feature really is.

I've always been a fan of SPL products but I think this Voodoo13 stuff is well worth the consideration.

The SPC kit was just the ticket for me. I got more caster and exactly the camber I was looking for. Not sure why SPC isn't very popular. SPC UCAs seem to be very well built. Easy to replace the ball joint when it wears out along with OEM style bushings. Super easy to adjust if needed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by YYZ (Post 3624423)

Maybe you have the new design?

http://www.spcalignment.com/sport-compact

They weren't always like this.

I guess I have the original design. Should I expect any trouble with them?

Original design is prone to slippage under hard driving conditions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gomer_110 (Post 3624505)

Original design is prone to slippage under hard driving conditions.

I have heard that. I was told to add torque to the ball joint to eliminate slippage.

Even then they will slip under enough load with repeated use. I have to re-adjust mine here soon as they've slipped (again). Wide R-comp tires can put some serious stresses through the arms.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Senna-F1 (Post 3624213)

I was very disappointed to see that my Z1 arms were not adjustable once installed on the car. I set them up using the stock arms as a guide. But that's where they stayed too. Luckily the numbers came out ok, but if I want to change the alignment, it's really not possible without removing them, and with swift springs that also means removing the wheels, strut tower bar, and struts themselves. There is no room to remove the 2 bolts holding the arms to the chassis because spring coils are compressed. What am I missing? I find this to be an almost pointless purchase at this point. Especially since I set them up to be like stock, so my numbers are probably what they would be on stock arms. Except for the caster.

There should be no reason to undo the inner bolts on the Z1 arms since that is the castor adjustment which, if adjusted properly should give you more than stock which is desired for better handling and turn in vs stock. The camber adjustment is easily made by unbolting the center heim joint which is simple for either you or the alignment guy. If you are tracking the car all of the time than the SPLs are the best for max adjustability but this was not for me. Once the settings are made on the Z1s, they will never 'slip' as comparable cheaper designs do! In addition, mine is a street car so SPL arms and track settings (which wear tires much too fast) were too much for my wallet!

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyguy0812 (Post 3623559)

Last year I installed Z1 motorsports upper control arms. Then had a 4 wheel alignment. What a difference. The Z1 arms have 6 degrees of caster built in which help with turn in. The align was what most suggested for a track/street set up. Some camber and some toe. Best money spent for the dollar.

Agreed - Love mine!

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarksZ34 (Post 3624860)

Adjusted properly? As in off the car? It's more like castor setup, as in "set it, and forget it". And hope you got it right. You're speaking as if there is one way to properly set it, in which case it should come as a static piece. The impression with the design is that it's "adjustable"

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks everyone for your great input! I did go with Z1 FUCAs, if I ever need more adjustability I'll now know about the pros of SPL and SPC arms. Thanks!

The Z1 upper control arms are adjustable but only for camber. They have the recommended 6 degrees of caster already built in which makes for a stronger design. To adjust the caster you simple remove the upper ball joint and turn in or out and reattach. My alignment shop was familiar and used a floor jack on the ramp to slightly lift the car and reach from under to adjust. Wheels never came off. Had my alignment done at Texas Track Works in Ft. Worth.