IS - 2nd Gen (2006-2013) Discussion about the 2006+ model IS models

Went for an Alignment... but have problems...

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Old 07-08-09, 10:48 PM
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Nellyhx
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Default Went for an Alignment... but have problems...

So I lowered my car with H&R's a few months ago, and i didn't go for an alignment after. Just a few days ago i noticed that my tires were going really bald, the inside on all of my tires were so bald that you could see the wires. So I got new tires yesterday; Goodyear Eagle F1 All Seasons, they are good tires but also cost ALOT. I then go for an Alignment at Allen Tire Co. and have run into a bit of a problem. My front tires are OK just above the border of the Specs for the IS350, but the Rears are the real problem. The camber on the left rear was initially -1.8º and the right rear was initially -1.6º, the specs states that they should be between 0.5º and 2.0º. They aligned it to -1.7º on both sides in the end. This is a pretty negative camber... and they told me that that was the best they could do since i lowered my car. MY QUESTION is.... What can I do to try to fix this? Are there any camber kits or something that can help adjust this? Thanks in Advance for any help available
Old 07-09-09, 12:49 AM
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ISBU
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you are still within specs, you should be fine as long as the toe is within specs also.
Old 07-09-09, 12:58 AM
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PHML
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u need a camber kit...i heard there are upper arm camber kits for the 2IS...and also in development is rear (RCA) SS kit wth camber adjustment.
Old 07-09-09, 07:27 AM
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Nellyhx
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Originally Posted by PHML
u need a camber kit...i heard there are upper arm camber kits for the 2IS...and also in development is rear (RCA) SS kit wth camber adjustment.
Where would I be able to get these? and roughly how much money would it cost? Is this normal for a spring lowered IS?
Old 07-09-09, 08:03 AM
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LEXisJaDeM
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i had the same exact problem. i had my car lowered and alignment done. had the camber wear issue. tires lasted less than 5k miles so i had it realigned from another shop. they adjusted the toe and everything was fixed. my guess is the first shop didnt adjust the toe.
Old 07-09-09, 09:26 AM
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lobuxracer
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Originally Posted by ISBU
you are still within specs, you should be fine as long as the toe is within specs also.
This is exactly correct. Camber wear is typically a problem when it exceeds -2.5. You're still within acceptable limits since Lexus allows up to -2.0, so you just need to have a skilled alignment tech, not an "adjust until we see green" tech, who can put your toe at the minimum spec Lexus allows. Minimum toe will give you best tire wear. I learned this more than 10 years ago with my MkIV Supra and a set of D40M2s that lasted 6k miles with the rear toe set precisely to Toyota's spec. When we adjusted it to minimum spec (1mm toe in) all the wear problems went away and I got 25k to 30k miles on a set of rear tires when I kept my foot out of the gas.

This is what I came up with for the MkIV.

Last edited by lobuxracer; 07-09-09 at 09:34 AM.
Old 07-09-09, 06:47 PM
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Nellyhx
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So i'm not too sure about all this camber and toe... so here is the report from the alignment I got yesterday... Hope my car will be fine....

Old 07-09-09, 07:16 PM
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I'm running -2 up front and -2.5 in the rear with no problems. As long as your toe is straight, the tires will last. You might have to flip the tires around 15k miles or when the inner wear gets low. This will allow your tires to wear the other edge and wear more evenly across.
Old 07-09-09, 07:29 PM
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Nellyhx
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so my toe is straight?
Old 07-09-09, 07:40 PM
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What tires and wheels do you have? Those degree measurements are BS. I would request they give me the real specification - millimeters toe in, not angles. Angles don't tell you jack.
Old 07-09-09, 07:54 PM
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sinister2c
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Originally Posted by lobuxracer
What tires and wheels do you have? Those degree measurements are BS. I would request they give me the real specification - millimeters toe in, not angles. Angles don't tell you jack.
I dont think i've seen an alignment machine read in mm ever. Everyone Hunter machine I've seen my cars on have use degrees.

plus if they measure in mm from perpendicular...it would depend on where they are taking the measurement so its all relative to the hypotenuse
Old 07-09-09, 08:05 PM
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The spec Lexus publishes is in millimeters, not degrees. Degrees don't mean anything. Just because the machine is lame doesn't make the alignment good. See below:

Old 07-09-09, 08:16 PM
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Nellyhx
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Originally Posted by lobuxracer
What tires and wheels do you have? Those degree measurements are BS. I would request they give me the real specification - millimeters toe in, not angles. Angles don't tell you jack.
I have Stock 18's and Goodyear Eagle F1 all seasons
Old 07-09-09, 08:18 PM
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ok i get it...the caster and camber is in degrees. I think all the toe ive seen is in mm too but i was thinking it was degrees. They usually have a total toe reading which is be back of the wheel distance minus the front.

So on lowered cars...you want a lil bit of +mm toe which is toe in. this offsets some of the camber wear and gives you a tighter feeling steering wheel.
Old 07-09-09, 09:05 PM
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ISBU
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Originally Posted by N1gHt3R1d3
So i'm not too sure about all this camber and toe... so here is the report from the alignment I got yesterday... Hope my car will be fine....

it looks like your rear toe is out of specs. or am i reading it wrong.


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