After installing the Tokico handling kit (along with tie rods and ball joints), my car handles WAY better. Night and day difference. Almost no rear end squat on acceleration or front end dive on braking. Much more responsive steering and handling. If anyone is considering upgrading from stock, I HIGHLY recommend it. Not too stiff. My one issue with it deals with trying to get it aligned. Currently the specs are Left Front Camber -1.5 Caster 4.1. Right Front Camber -1.0 Caster 3.9. The shop said they there isn't an adjustment available for camber or caster. That I need to find adjustable camber caster plates. Does this sound correct? Are my specs that far off? Thanks

 

camber is good where it's at. I wouldn't worry about that stuff, as long as they got the toe set to zero.

didn't they do the rear? I'm interested to see how the toe/camber is with that stuff.

 

The left front toe is .01. The right front toe is -.08. Yes they did the rear. Left rear camber -1.7 toe -.05. Right rear camber -1.2 toe .21. He said rear was unadustable but was fine. He seemed more worried about front camber and caster more than front toe or rear. Wondering if i should look into adustable control arm bushings?

 

79 280zx
FRONT
Left camber (-.5 degrees) - (+1 degree)
Right camber (-.5 degrees) - (+1 degree)
Left caster (+4 degrees) - (+5.5 degrees)
Right caster (+4 degrees) - (+5.5 degrees)
Total toe (+.13 degrees) - (+.25 degrees)
REAR
Left camber (-.91 degrees) - (+1.25 degrees)
Right camber (-.91 degrees) - (+1.25 degrees)
Total toe (+.07 degrees) - (+.25 degrees)

80-83 280zx
FRONT
Left camber (-.56 degrees) - (+.94 degrees)
Right camber (-.56 degrees) - (+.94 degrees)
Left caster (+4.19 degrees) - (+5.69 degrees)
Right caster (+4.19 degrees) - (+5.69 degrees)
Total toe (+.09 degrees) - (+.25 degrees)
REAR
Left camber (-.06 degrees) - (+1.44 degrees)
Right camber (-.06 degrees) - (+1.44 degrees)
Total toe (+.15 degrees) - (+.31 degrees)


If you're worried about tire wear, then get the adjustable control arm bushings, so you can set the front camber. There IS an adjustment for caster, but if your car doesn't pull real hard I wouldn't worry about it. If it does, you can shim your tension rod. Just add a washer on the rod side (not the nut side). It won't give you alot of change, but it should help if it pulls.

 

the tie rod ends and ball joints probably did more for you than anything else. why didn't you do the bushings while you were in there?

 

I didn't do the sway bar bushings because I first wanted to see how the car handled with the changes and whether I should bet larger sway bars. It corners fairly flat, even with the crappy 70 seriers tires. I think I will keep the stocksway bars and just go with urethane bushings.

 

Still waiting for some pics of this lowered ride man! haha

 

Will post pics as soon as I can figure out why my computer isn't cooperating with my camera. Even without the performance end of it, the visual improvement was worth the effort.

 

Gotta love it when that technology works so well huh?

 

Going to the stock specs on your alignment will make a big difference in how the car handles. I had a slight toe out when I dropped mine with the HPK255 set and it made the car wander or pull in groves on the road pretty agressively. Had it aligned back to stock and now it's all good.

If you want to change your alignment for performance then go back to stock and tweek from there if you are AutoX or tracking the car. If you want to change it for "looks" (as in I want to slam my car but I'm too cheap to do it properly) then don't bother with a caster/camber kit. You can slot the rear cross member mounting points and use a star washer or weld a washer in place once you've got it where you want it. You can also use an offset camber bolt set up. MSA carries those.