subframe riser bushings, eccentric adjusters, or both?

[kronus]

I have my subframe out and torn down. Deciding on what to install. I have an AKG eccentric adjuster kit sitting around as well as a set of subframe riser bushings, so either or both are an option. The car will be used for aggressive street and track stuff.

So far this is what I've thought up..

eccentrics only
+ full adjustable
- can maybe slip
- non-optimal camber gain curve in lowered position
- somewhat annoying to install

riser bushings only
+ can't slip
+ better camber gain curve
+ easy to install
- no individual adjustability

both
+ best combination of adjustability and camber gain curve
- potentially not enough space for the eccentrics to clear the chassis

yes, I should have measured how much space is available prior to pulling the subframe. Anyone have both and can verify that they clear?

[fight4life28]

I've went with riser bushings in the past and they worked out great if you arnt very low, does make getting to diff bolts and possible adjustment for eccentrics alittle more difficult. I plan on doing only the eccentrics for my 325is car because I think it will be easier to adjust them without subframe being pushed up against the frame of the vehicle....

[ak-]

What's your camber goal for the rear? Is it performance orientated or I want to fit X amount of tire so I need X amount of camber?

I did the posi-lock camber/toe adjustment and haven't had it slip with the wtq abuse of my car. Still dead set at 2.5 degrees.
I wanted to use risers as well, but tbh I completely forgot and did regular AKG urethane stuff.
My guy also told me that if using the eccentric, you can just tack weld it once aligned and not have to worry about it anymore since it's not something you're constantly adjusting and if you ever need to, it's just a tack weld..

[kronus]

performance oriented, looking at ~-3.5 front, ~-2.5 rear. I have rear e30 M3 5 lug so I can fit a lot of tire before worrying.

I've actually never had the eccentrics slip, I have them on two other cars, one of which is a full time track car that gets punted around a lot.

[kronus]

FWIW I've just installed the combination of adjusters and riser bushings. No clearance issues, but it will certainly be almost impossible for me to adjust toe without inventing a tool that can reach the nut from the fuel tank side of the subframe.

[wilholl]

Just saw this... I have both (9mm risers and camber/toe adjustment, running H+R race springs. I can adjust for almost no camber(street) or 2degrees (track). I don't do Toe adjustments.

[FredK]

FWIW I've just installed the combination of adjusters and riser bushings. No clearance issues, but it will certainly be almost impossible for me to adjust toe without inventing a tool that can reach the nut from the fuel tank side of the subframe.

One way, if you haven't seen it yet, is to cut slots in the rear seat area to allow sufficient clearances for wrenches, and tape over with aluminum HVAC foil tape once you're done with your adjustments.

[kronus]

I have not seen that yet.

The place I'd need to cut is not flat, there's a decent bit of structural box section in there. I think I could probably reach it with a modified obstruction wrench of some sort.

The car will be up on a lift for some stuff next week, so I'll take some shots to document the geometry of the available space.

[digger]

What is the consensus these days on the eccentric adjusters vs the serrated plates for a street car that needs only relatively small correction not an extreme race alignment? To me the eccentrics seem ok for street car but never used either setup personally

Are the cons with the eccentric just potential slippage and max range of adjustment?
Are the cons with serrated more difficult to adjust and fine adjustment not possible?

Lastly given how they work is it better to use poly bushes or OE rubber as potentially the adjustment may unevenly squish them

[hopeful]

What is the consensus these days on the eccentric adjusters vs the serrated plates for a street car that needs only relatively small correction not an extreme race alignment? To me the eccentrics seem ok for street car but never used either setup personally

Are the cons with the eccentric just potential slippage and max range of adjustment?
Are the cons with serrated more difficult to adjust and fine adjustment not possible?

Lastly given how they work is it better to use poly bushes or OE rubber as potentially the adjustment may unevenly squish them

I'm also curious, I doubt adjustable range is changed in either, more for a positive locking click vs. it potentially moving.

Realistically though, the sets sold by companies like SRS are so much cheaper than the positive lock design, I can't justify the cost. It can't be hard to just mark the location of the setting and monitor, conversly people who do have these slipping issues, who are they lol, is the subframe super slick? sand it up at the contact points. The eccentric bolt with infinite adjustment points has been serving the auto industry for a while, I don't see the need to reinvent the wheel here...

[hopeful]

Well, this is unsurprisingly stupid.

If you really look at it, the rear subframe "slotted" to allow the bushing to go up and down or fore and aft will have significantly reduced contact with the bracket. Prior to the oblonging of the hole, the whole round of the bushing metal inner was compressed allowing for it to remain square and well fitted. If your adjustment ends up in the center or even at the end of the oblong, at best you have 75% of the round inner metal sleeve being squarely compressed and at worst there is only 50% of the center sleeve being compressed. No wonder the adjustments "move", this stupidity should have been addressed by the makers of the rear subframe bushings by giving a much larger center metal sleeve, even if just at the ends. Per Condor's website (I bought their standard RTAB), they radius the sleeve so it doesn't hang up on the brackets but that doesn't solve the issue.

As others have said prior, Risers and adjustable brackets are two different things, both doing a required purpose. I think when I install my RTAB's with SRS's rear bracket kit I will maybe be cutting down the supplied metal sleeve/ bushings and adding washers to bring back the square compression applied by the bracket. I don't think even this will work