[aphael]

Hey guys, I am currently looking to get an alignment after installation of M3 lower control arms and Tension Struts in the front. I want something more spirited in terms of alignment specs. Any recommendations? I do plan on a few track and autocross days in the future in this car.

I drive pretty hard in the canyons/backroads. No camber plates but I have alignment pins removed right now and maxed out. Has anyone zeroed out the toe in the rear? I was thinking around -1.5 to -2.0 camber in front. Not sure about rear.

Any suggestion would be helpful. I do not enjoy the OEM alignment specs very much, previous tech just said oh its within the range and didn't care.

This is all on a e92 328i with KW V3.

[335i54n]

you want toe in the rear cause under acceleration the rear tire will toe out. although more camber will help handling i find it eats too much of the tire if its a dd also. I tend to do 1.2 camber front, 1.4 in rear, .04 toe front, .08, toe rear

What's the max capability for camber up front with your current setup? Also, since you're on coils, I'm guessing Dinan fixed plates are out of the equation?

With respect to toe, try 0 up front since you'll be driving aggressive enough to take advantage of it.

For the rear, as mentioned by 335i54n, you need some toe-in to account for more pronounced bushing deflection, etc. Going too aggressive on a street car out back will likely eat tires faster and be less forgiving when compared to experimenting with different settings up front. For that reason, start with 1/32" toe-in at each tire, monitor for wear, and adjust from there.

[MightyMouseTech]

Not going to get much camber up front with just pulled pins and M3 lower wishbones, so just be happy with what you get, maybe 1.5 degrees. Run the rear around -1.8 degrees, will still under steer until you can get more front camber. Set front toe to total 4 mins toe in, and the rear to 10-16 minutes total toe in. The less you go in the rear, the easier the car will be to rotate.

I like a little toe in in the front. Car wanders significantly less, and it preloads the outside suspension in the direction you are turning, which means quicker steering response.

[aphael]

Thanks guys for the suggestions. Probably right on at 1.5 or so in the front, I'll try to max it out. I can order Dinan fixed camber plates, what is the consensus on those vs the adjustable ground control or kws other than price?

MightyMouseTech What is the conversion of minutes and degrees?

I still want to maintain high speed stability on the freeways since it is my dd, rotation but not oversteer. When I ran a square setup I definitely noticed the handling being more neutral and tossable in corners.

Originally Posted by aphael

I still want to maintain high speed stability on the freeways since it is my dd

Ok, so what percentage of the time are you canyon carving vs commuting in a straight line? That will obviously dictate how aggressive you can go with toe.

[aphael]

Pretty much every other day or so. I live really close to backroads. However, every week or so I will take a 50-60 mile freeway trip. Right now, I am driving way less due to the pandemic.

What are the advantages and drawbacks of going more aggressive with toe? I just don't want the tires to be destroyed with a weird toe configuration. Camber is okay, I don't think even -2 is enough to cause significant camber wear.

Correct, that amount of camber is fine. Straight line driving with toe trending outward will definitely kill the tires faster though. Again, you'll likely be driving aggressive enough to even it all out anyway.

Start with 0 or 1/16" total toe-in up front and go from there.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by aphael

Thanks guys for the suggestions. Probably right on at 1.5 or so in the front, I'll try to max it out. I can order Dinan fixed camber plates, what is the consensus on those vs the adjustable ground control or kws other than price?

MightyMouseTech What is the conversion of minutes and degrees?

I still want to maintain high speed stability on the freeways since it is my dd, rotation but not oversteer. When I ran a square setup I definitely noticed the handling being more neutral and tossable in corners.

Well, 60 minutes is one degree. All the BMW dealers, and factory specs, are in degrees and minutes. So a typical spec for camber would be -1.30', or -1 degree 30 minutes, which is the same as -1.50 degrees. So we always do toe in minutes.

To reduce under steer, you want more camber in front than in the rear. My summer 135i runs -2.2 in front, -2.0 in rear.

[aphael]

Thanks a lot guys, i ended up with -2.7 front camber. -1.8 rear camber 1/16 toe in front and 1/32 toe in rear for each.

I wanted a bit less front camber, but I did the dinan fixed camber plates as well as the m3 control arms and tension struts all at the same time and it couldn't go any more positive. also that drive was very very sketchy, the toe was all over the place and the steering wheel was very soft and would not return to center properly.