Good alignment shop in or near Ocala,FL?
06-28-2009, 03:33 PM
#1
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Suspension settings for a 65' Coupe?
Does anybody know of a good alignment shop in or near Ocala, FL? I just ordered new front tires after the last ones were chewed up beyond belief so I need to get a four wheel alignment done. Thanks for any help!!!
Last edited by Piraya33; 06-29-2009 at 09:41 AM. Reason: new title
06-28-2009, 05:15 PM
#2
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Location: Elk Grove, CA
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Make sure whoever does the job properly inspects the front suspension/steering before aligning it. Mustangs have a slightly different front suspension setup than most newer techs are used to seeing, and it the ball joints have to be inspected slightly different. Nothing a seasoned tech should have problems with.
Also, make sure they align them to specs you provide, not to the factory specs. Specs should be as follows:
Toe: 1/8" total toe in
Camber: -0.2* to -0.5*, depending on your driving style
Caster: +2.5* for m/s, +3.5* or maxed out for p/s
I had noticable (50% remaining) inner tire wear after running -0.5* camber for ~15k mostly freeway and light street miles on my Radial T/A's. Frequent rotations (6-8k mi) will help reduce this, but I can't rotate my tires due to size differences. Still, if you drive mostly on the freeway or long, straight roads, I'd recommend closer to 0* camber. I'm running -0.2* right now and I'm happy enough with it. -0.5* is better for cornering, however, so if you drive hard on windy roads, that's closer to where you want it.
Increased positive caster will improve the return-to-center function of the steering, improve the camber curve, and keep the car going straight down the road. I actually run about +4* caster on my m/s car, but I have a roller idler arm and I don't care much about steering effort. Most m/s drivers with standard idlers are ok with +2.5*.
In any case, caster needs to be within about 0.2* between the two sides. You can increase the right side slightly more than the left to counter for road crown (I run +4.0*/+4.2*, lft/rt), but they need to be close to keep the car from pulling to one side.
Also, make sure they align them to specs you provide, not to the factory specs. Specs should be as follows:
Toe: 1/8" total toe in
Camber: -0.2* to -0.5*, depending on your driving style
Caster: +2.5* for m/s, +3.5* or maxed out for p/s
I had noticable (50% remaining) inner tire wear after running -0.5* camber for ~15k mostly freeway and light street miles on my Radial T/A's. Frequent rotations (6-8k mi) will help reduce this, but I can't rotate my tires due to size differences. Still, if you drive mostly on the freeway or long, straight roads, I'd recommend closer to 0* camber. I'm running -0.2* right now and I'm happy enough with it. -0.5* is better for cornering, however, so if you drive hard on windy roads, that's closer to where you want it.
Increased positive caster will improve the return-to-center function of the steering, improve the camber curve, and keep the car going straight down the road. I actually run about +4* caster on my m/s car, but I have a roller idler arm and I don't care much about steering effort. Most m/s drivers with standard idlers are ok with +2.5*.
In any case, caster needs to be within about 0.2* between the two sides. You can increase the right side slightly more than the left to counter for road crown (I run +4.0*/+4.2*, lft/rt), but they need to be close to keep the car from pulling to one side.
Last edited by Starfury; 06-28-2009 at 05:18 PM.
06-28-2009, 05:40 PM
#3
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location:
Posts: 230
Make sure whoever does the job properly inspects the front suspension/steering before aligning it. Mustangs have a slightly different front suspension setup than most newer techs are used to seeing, and it the ball joints have to be inspected slightly different. Nothing a seasoned tech should have problems with.
Also, make sure they align them to specs you provide, not to the factory specs. Specs should be as follows:
Toe: 1/8" total toe in
Camber: -0.2* to -0.5*, depending on your driving style
Caster: +2.5* for m/s, +3.5* or maxed out for p/s
I had noticable (50% remaining) inner tire wear after running -0.5* camber for ~15k mostly freeway and light street miles on my Radial T/A's. Frequent rotations (6-8k mi) will help reduce this, but I can't rotate my tires due to size differences. Still, if you drive mostly on the freeway or long, straight roads, I'd recommend closer to 0* camber. I'm running -0.2* right now and I'm happy enough with it. -0.5* is better for cornering, however, so if you drive hard on windy roads, that's closer to where you want it.
Increased positive caster will improve the return-to-center function of the steering, improve the camber curve, and keep the car going straight down the road. I actually run about +4* caster on my m/s car, but I have a roller idler arm and I don't care much about steering effort. Most m/s drivers with standard idlers are ok with +2.5*.
In any case, caster needs to be within about 0.2* between the two sides. You can increase the right side slightly more than the left to counter for road crown (I run +4.0*/+4.2*, lft/rt), but they need to be close to keep the car from pulling to one side.
Also, make sure they align them to specs you provide, not to the factory specs. Specs should be as follows:
Toe: 1/8" total toe in
Camber: -0.2* to -0.5*, depending on your driving style
Caster: +2.5* for m/s, +3.5* or maxed out for p/s
I had noticable (50% remaining) inner tire wear after running -0.5* camber for ~15k mostly freeway and light street miles on my Radial T/A's. Frequent rotations (6-8k mi) will help reduce this, but I can't rotate my tires due to size differences. Still, if you drive mostly on the freeway or long, straight roads, I'd recommend closer to 0* camber. I'm running -0.2* right now and I'm happy enough with it. -0.5* is better for cornering, however, so if you drive hard on windy roads, that's closer to where you want it.
Increased positive caster will improve the return-to-center function of the steering, improve the camber curve, and keep the car going straight down the road. I actually run about +4* caster on my m/s car, but I have a roller idler arm and I don't care much about steering effort. Most m/s drivers with standard idlers are ok with +2.5*.
In any case, caster needs to be within about 0.2* between the two sides. You can increase the right side slightly more than the left to counter for road crown (I run +4.0*/+4.2*, lft/rt), but they need to be close to keep the car from pulling to one side.
My car is a m/s car and it takes quite a bit of effort to steer. I don't do too much really hard driving and I drive a mix of straight lines and curvy roads. All the roads I drive are pretty flat because I live in FL. I am pretty ignorant when it comes to suspension stuff so I am not really sure what numbers I need to tell the shop to set the car at. A little more help on this would be greatly appreciated.
If it helps with making recommendations, the front tires are 225/45/17 and I think the previous owner put coils with a 1" drop on the front. The Shelby 1" drop has not been done yet, but I am seriously thinking about doing it soon. Should I do the Shelby drop and the roller idler arm before I take it to the alignment shop?
Also, Starfury, are those numbers for a 67' stang? Will they be the same for my 65'?
Thanks again for any help!
Last edited by Piraya33; 06-28-2009 at 05:43 PM. Reason: more questions
06-29-2009, 08:36 PM
#5
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Elk Grove, CA
Posts: 5,896
Sorry, busy couple days.
Yes, the roller idler is from OpenTracker. I'm happy with it, although it's not for everyone. It does reduce steering effort slightly when the wheel is close to straight-ahead, but it still takes quite a bit of grunt to turn the wheel more than half a turn. By then, the vehicle's caster is trying to pull the wheels back to the straight ahead position.
The rarely-mentioned side effect of the roller idler is that it reduces the return-to-center function of the steering at low turn angles. The result is that you can turn the wheel slightly and it won't try to center itself. This is more pronounced at lower speeds where I can turn the wheel 1/4 turn and the car will keep veering to that side instead of recentering itself. The other issue with this is that the car has a slight tendancy to wander on the freeway if you don't pay attention to where it's going, or if you have any slop in your gearbox or pitman arm. Small bumps and dips can tweak the steering one direction or another, and instead of the rubber idler bushing pulling everything back to where it started, the roller bearing lets the steering go where it wants.
The major improvement I've noticed is an increase in steering feedback. I just feel more connected to the tires. It's easier to tell where they're pointed and when they start to slip. That was my ultimate goal, so I'm pretty happy with the end product. Some other people who care more about street manners may not be so happy.
As for alignment, the specs are the same for '65-70. If you're going to do the Shelby drop, the car will need to be aligned afterward. Just give the guy the specs I mentioned above. With those tires, I probably wouldn't run any more than +2.5* caster, at least not initially. It would improve handling and steering response and increase the return-to-center function to compensate for a roller idler, but it would also increase steering effort, which is already going to be stiff with those tires.
Yes, the roller idler is from OpenTracker. I'm happy with it, although it's not for everyone. It does reduce steering effort slightly when the wheel is close to straight-ahead, but it still takes quite a bit of grunt to turn the wheel more than half a turn. By then, the vehicle's caster is trying to pull the wheels back to the straight ahead position.
The rarely-mentioned side effect of the roller idler is that it reduces the return-to-center function of the steering at low turn angles. The result is that you can turn the wheel slightly and it won't try to center itself. This is more pronounced at lower speeds where I can turn the wheel 1/4 turn and the car will keep veering to that side instead of recentering itself. The other issue with this is that the car has a slight tendancy to wander on the freeway if you don't pay attention to where it's going, or if you have any slop in your gearbox or pitman arm. Small bumps and dips can tweak the steering one direction or another, and instead of the rubber idler bushing pulling everything back to where it started, the roller bearing lets the steering go where it wants.
The major improvement I've noticed is an increase in steering feedback. I just feel more connected to the tires. It's easier to tell where they're pointed and when they start to slip. That was my ultimate goal, so I'm pretty happy with the end product. Some other people who care more about street manners may not be so happy.
As for alignment, the specs are the same for '65-70. If you're going to do the Shelby drop, the car will need to be aligned afterward. Just give the guy the specs I mentioned above. With those tires, I probably wouldn't run any more than +2.5* caster, at least not initially. It would improve handling and steering response and increase the return-to-center function to compensate for a roller idler, but it would also increase steering effort, which is already going to be stiff with those tires.
06-29-2009, 09:12 PM
#6
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Join Date: Jul 2008
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Thanks for the info Starfury. I was looking at the roller idler arm for when my wife is driving the car. I wanted the steering to be a little easier for her and that looked like it was the cheapest way to achieve that. But, from your review of it having a tendency to wander, I might just skip that and apply the money elsewhere. The new tires should be here sometime this week so I am hoping to get to work on the Shelby drop and a couple of other things this weekend. Thanks again for all the help and if anyone else has some good info, please let me know!
07-01-2009, 04:12 PM
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