how should you alighn the E30?

[Eric]

How should you dial in the E30 for neutral handling on roadcourses? I'm thinking that since the rear cannot be adjusted besides raising and lowering for static camber, the front has to be tailord to what the rear is set at.

Here is some questions i've been pondering while at work...


So how should the front be set at compaired to the rear?

i've heard you want a little bit of toe out in the front. I've also heard that you want a little bit of toe in in the rear and 0 toe in the front.

max out the caster as far back as i can go? if my shock towers are crooked and the caster is uneaven, what adverse handling effects will i notice?

[jlevie]

In stock configuration the only adjustment you have on an E30 is front toe. Zero to a touch of toe out up front will help at turn in, but without changing parts (springs, sways, camber plates, etc) the car will still understeer.

[Eric]

sorry, i forgot to post my car setup!

H&R E30 M3 coil overs
THR CAB's
10mm bump steer spacers
Vorshlag camber plates
E30 M3 rear subframe w/poly bushings
Ireland engineering hollow sway bars front and rear (rear diconnected though)
falken azenis rt-615 215/40/17

20mm spacers in front, 15mm rear.
330mm willwood rotors and SL6 calipers front
300mm willwood rotors and SL4R calipers rear

[jlevie]

What tires? You can adjust front camber and what you need depends on what tires you'll use on the track.

[Eric]

falken azenis rt-615 215/40/17

20mm spacers in front, 15mm rear.
330mm willwood rotors and SL6 calipers front
300mm willwood rotors and SL4R calipers rear

[1990m3]

Just aligned mine last wednesday and had the first two track days. Perfect for my tastes. I do have adjustable rear camber and caster though, the IE kit.

Front Camber: -2.5 (would like more but no coilovers)
Toe: 1/8" out

Rear Camber: -2
Toe: Zero

[jlevie]

I have no direct experience with those tires, but I'd suggest zero toe and 2.5deg negative camber as a starting point.

[Bavarian3]

Toe out is good for turn in but can reduce overall speed. If you are talking about your E30 M3 Eric, the car is setup pretty neutral from the factory. If you run a bit of toe out in the front, run a bit of toe in at the rear. -2.5 in the front is not too bad in terms of camber but it depends on how much the tire needs. Have you been checking the difference in tire temps? What tire pressure are you running at cold?

[Eric]

no, not on my M3, that car is long gone, since like 2004! It's on a 4 door 325i.

Honestly the car has been on jack stands for this or that for the past 2 years. what started out as spring and shocks to have some fun on the nurburgring, has blown up into this monstrosity of a project! So i've never even driven on these falkens, besides taking a few pictures a couple months ago.

I think my main question is over looked. In my E30 and most others, the static camber in the rear is fixed with no adjustments. So what i want to know is if there is a good theory as to how the front would be alighned to the rear.

say your running -4 in the rear, then use -3.5 front
or -1 in the rear then run -1 in the front.

is there a ratio that well setup cars go for, or is it just like F-it, can't do anything with the rear, just run -2 up front and call it a day.

[jlevie]

The amount of front camber to run has more to do with what the tires want and how the car is to be driven than it does with what the rear camber is. Unless you add in eccentric RTABs or adjusters you are stuck with what rear camber the ride height delivers. Front camber needs to be set to what the tires want.

[Bavarian3]

Front camber needs to be set to what the tires want.

Eric,

Basically the above quote is the main goal. If however you are looking for a generalized setup; the front will usually need more than the rear.

[Eric]

i see, i see.

so what would be signs of too much or to little of one adjustment for the tire?

[z31maniac]

Best indication would be tire temp most likely, you want even temps across the face of the tire.

[AlarmedBread]

Invest in a pyrometer and find out what temp spread works best for the tires you are running. If a sub $100 tool saves one tire, then it has already paid for it's self.

[Kosla]

Im running Falken Azenis 615 205/50/15 with -3.2 camber, 9.8 caster, 0 toe. I don't have a pyrometer but what I can tell is that its way too much camber for the tires, because I'm wearing out the inside of the tires on track. The car tends to understeer. I think -2 camber should be enough.