So I've noticed recently a ridiculous amount of "toe out" in my 93, which have caused pulling to the right when driving. The inside of the tires have been worn and I have rotated the tires, but I'm gunna need need new tires soon. I figured when I have new tires mounted, I might as well have them re-align the front end, which will probably lead to the discovery of multiple problems with my suspension. I was thinking of going ahead and getting some aftermarket parts. I probably know little to nothing about suspension so this is a learning experience for me. Now from what I understand the balljoints will probably need replacing along with my shocks and wheel spindles. I'm curious as to what else commonly needs replacing...

Also what are some things that get the most bang for the buck as far as suspension mods go? I am thinking of drop spindles, but I dunno how that would look, or if I should just go with lowering springs/stiffer shocks (not more than 1.5 in)

Right now my shocks feel really stiff, but as far as I know they are stock.

I'll probably think of some more questions in the future, but for now thanks for the help!

 

how did you determine you have a toe out issue???..........worn inside edges on tires can be a result of bad ball joints/ slop there amongst a few other things, also no need to replace spindles and or shocks, they won't be the cause of the issue, you need to have a qualified person check all suspension components and evaluate the suspension......if you lower the car, then for sure you will need caster/ camber plates to pull the geometry back into spec , so as to not cause tire wear as such

 

Toe won't cause the car to pull. Caster, camber and scrub radius differences will.

 

one tire is straight, while the right side is angled out haha. I read someplace that if you don't lower it more than one or so inches you don't need to realign the geometry.

also I know what caster/camber is... but what is scrub difference?

imma def take it someplace to have them look at it soon.

 

if one tire is pointed out noticabley, then look for something bent......any change in lowering will affect geometry/specs and will speed up tire wear, while still maybe in spec it'll be at outer limits and cause wear possibly not previously experienced

 

Let me see if I got this right...tires in front are walleyed or crosseyed. Jack up car look for worn parts by moving, look for irratic movement. Can always take it to front end optician. Bubba

 

K I think I'm gunna take it someplace and have them look at it. I'm just assuming something is gunna need to be replaced, mainly because I haven't touched anything down there besides the breaks shoes/rotors since I got it a few years ago. I know the first thing they're gunna tell me is I'm gunna need new tires...

 

Scrub radius is the distance between the centerline of the tire contact patch and the intersection point with the ground of the steering axis inclination. I'm sure it's much more clear now....

Steering axis inclination, or SAI, is the angle of the axis that the wheel pivots about when turning. In a double control arm setup the SAI is through the upper and lower ball joint, and the angle is measured in relation to how much it leans in or out from the car when looked at from the front or rear. SAI is determined by the location of control arms, ball joints etc and there's generally no way to adjust it without modifying the suspension.

SAI will effect what the scrub radius is, a negative scrub radius is when the SAI intersection with the ground is farther outboard than the tire center, and a positive SR is when the SAI intersection with the ground is farther inboard than the tire center. Negative SR results in greater stability, especially under braking, and helps the car track in a straighter line, a positive SR makes the wheel easier to turn, especially at low speeds, but the car is more susceptible to pulling under heavy braking. The angle of the SAI and the camber combine to create the Included Angle, which changes the SR slightly, so changing camber changes SR, but usually not enough to notice.

SR and SAI are pretty much designed into a suspension setup, but if either one is off from side to side the vehicle will pull no matter how you align it, unless you cross align the crap out of it in which case you'll rip up your tires in a hurry. If your alignment is good and the car still pulls and/or you have uneven tire wear, then the SAI or SR can be out from side to side, which is an indication of damaged or worn parts.

The sad reality is that most alignment shops barely understand the effects that the "big 3" have on vehicle performance....caster, camber and toe. And they know little to nothing about SAI, SR, Included Angle, Ackerman Angle etc.

 

you can thank manufactorers for such, reason being SAI and other measurements are often ignored are they are non adjustable, how rare it is I have a car come in where caster/camber and toe are all adjustable on front and rear, Caster on nearly all vehicles nowadays is preset via the prefab design of suspension components, often times toe is all that can be adjusted and if camber or caster is off, bent parts are lurking somewhere Op you live in frederick right??? if so your not to far from my shop

 

soooooo

you wanna take a look at it?