Suspension and Brakes Springs, shocks, coilovers, sways, braces, brakes, etc.

Need a quick confirmation about SPC ball joint installation

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 08-17-12, 05:27 PM
  #1  
Gville350
Moderator
Thread Starter
iTrader: (10)
 
Gville350's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 11,573
Likes: 0
Received 433 Likes on 385 Posts
Default Need a quick confirmation about SPC ball joint installation

So I'm reading the SPC instructions and I'm pretty sure I'm thinking about it all backwards; when it says to "change positive camber" to set it this way versus the other. What the instructions don't say is that if you set it this way to adjust the positive camber is that you are not actually adding positive camber to cancel out the existing negative camber. At least, this is what I'm thinking in my head.

So, to confirm what I'm thinking in my head I'd like to present these pics :

Set it this way for adding positive camber to remove negative camber. In doing this the ball joint will be pushing closer to the middle of the car thus moving the connecting arm closer to the middle of the car and adding positive camber.



Set it this way to add negative camber thus pushing the top of the tire away from the middle of the car.



Option #1 is what I want to take my 2.5 degrees of negative camber and get it back to OE spec...correct?

Thx!

Last edited by Gville350; 08-05-13 at 06:34 PM.
Old 08-17-12, 05:50 PM
  #2  
Gville350
Moderator
Thread Starter
iTrader: (10)
 
Gville350's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 11,573
Likes: 0
Received 433 Likes on 385 Posts
Default

Here are the instructions if you would like to read it for yourself :

http://www.spcalignment.net/instruct...30-INS_WEB.pdf
Old 08-17-12, 06:05 PM
  #3  
es808
Pole Position
iTrader: (32)
 
es808's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: SoCal
Posts: 382
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Default

Looking at the pictures and the diagram took me a minute. Then I realized that the pictures are of the underside of the control arm and it's upside down from the instructions sheet.

Hold on...

Last edited by es808; 08-17-12 at 06:14 PM.
Old 08-17-12, 06:22 PM
  #4  
es808
Pole Position
iTrader: (32)
 
es808's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: SoCal
Posts: 382
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Gville350
Set it this way to add negative camber thus pushing the top of the tire away from the middle of the car.
You mention this but if you push the top of the tire away from the middle of the car, this is adding positive camber.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camber_angle

If you do have negative camber, where the top of the tire is further towards the middle of the car than the bottom of the tire is, then you would do option #2. This is illustrated in the top picture of Figure 2 in the instruction sheet.

Last edited by es808; 08-17-12 at 06:29 PM.
Old 08-18-12, 10:51 AM
  #5  
Gville350
Moderator
Thread Starter
iTrader: (10)
 
Gville350's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 11,573
Likes: 0
Received 433 Likes on 385 Posts
Default

Ok, I'll try to make my wording a little better. To take me from 2.5 degrees negative camber to 1.0 degrees I will need for the offset of the ball joint itself set the entire ball joint closer to the middle of the car. Reason being is that the end result will pull the top part of the hub closer to the middle of the car as well thus adding positive camber. So I would need option #1 from the picture above. Am I thinking about think correctly?
Old 08-19-12, 10:25 AM
  #6  
Gville350
Moderator
Thread Starter
iTrader: (10)
 
Gville350's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 11,573
Likes: 0
Received 433 Likes on 385 Posts
Default

So I watched a video online about another vehicle's SPC adjustable ball joint upper control arm and I'm confirming my thinking was correct. The offset of the ball joint itself needs to be closer to the middle of the car, versus the outside. This will add positive camber, thus moving my 2.5 degrees of current negative camber to a tire-friendly OE spec 1-1.2 degrees. Yay!

Now it's time to get the rear arms and get an alignment.
Old 08-19-12, 04:53 PM
  #7  
es808
Pole Position
iTrader: (32)
 
es808's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: SoCal
Posts: 382
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts
Default

Let me know if your choice is correct. If you have a negative camber of 2.5 degrees and want to change it to a negative 1.0 degrees, it seems like you would want to have the ball joint further out (away from centerline), thus rotating the arm/hub.

As an example if you look at the front right arm, sitting in the driver's seat, as you push the ball away from centerline of the car, you rotate the arm/hub in a clockwise fashion. Does this make sense and help you out?
Old 07-08-13, 04:22 PM
  #8  
carlos
Lexus Champion
iTrader: (1)
 
carlos's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Miami, FL
Posts: 2,191
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

Did you have to do any grinding on the control arm to add positive camber?
Old 07-08-13, 06:03 PM
  #9  
loroko
Rookie
 
loroko's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: californication
Posts: 87
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default First pic.

I did it ,how the first photo , pushing it all the way out
Old 07-09-13, 11:56 AM
  #10  
quick123
Lexus Test Driver
iTrader: (2)
 
quick123's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: GA
Posts: 1,391
Received 16 Likes on 9 Posts
Default

Let's simplify this...

when installed, have the top nut loose so you can adjust it. If you push the top of the wheel in towards the car you get negative camber. If you pull the top of the wheel away from the car, you get positive camber.

So your first photo is positive camber and the second is for negative camber...mine are maxed out negative
Old 07-09-13, 12:11 PM
  #11  
Gville350
Moderator
Thread Starter
iTrader: (10)
 
Gville350's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 11,573
Likes: 0
Received 433 Likes on 385 Posts
Default

To make it even more simple, let me just state it this way (now that I've had them on the car for 10k miles) :

Pic #1 : If you wish to add additional negative camber into your setup, use the ball joint this way.

Pic #2 (how I have mine right now) : If you wish to add positive camber into the setup to subtract away excesssive negative camber, use the ball joint this way. You WILL want to grint the lip off of the UCA.
Old 07-10-13, 12:02 PM
  #12  
B16da9
Racer
iTrader: (7)
 
B16da9's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Miami
Posts: 1,882
Received 11 Likes on 9 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by carlos
Did you have to do any grinding on the control arm to add positive camber?
I had to grind mine to add positive camber, after my aligment my camber was on .5 on each side. This is also lowered about 2.75" on BC coilovers.
Old 07-10-13, 01:17 PM
  #13  
HAiS250
Pole Position
iTrader: (10)
 
HAiS250's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: CA
Posts: 298
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

How can you tell how far you need to go with the adjustment on these SPC ball joints?
Old 07-10-13, 01:27 PM
  #14  
carlos
Lexus Champion
iTrader: (1)
 
carlos's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Miami, FL
Posts: 2,191
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

Originally Posted by B16da9
I had to grind mine to add positive camber, after my aligment my camber was on .5 on each side. This is also lowered about 2.75" on BC coilovers.
Thank you sir. I already ordered and received them. I will probably have them installed tomorrow/

Originally Posted by HAiS250
How can you tell how far you need to go with the adjustment on these SPC ball joints?
I would assume with an alignment.
Old 07-11-13, 05:11 AM
  #15  
B16da9
Racer
iTrader: (7)
 
B16da9's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Miami
Posts: 1,882
Received 11 Likes on 9 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by HAiS250
How can you tell how far you need to go with the adjustment on these SPC ball joints?
As mentioned above you need to have the car aligned after you install these. I'm actually a firm beliver that any car should be aligned after you lower or raise it any amount.


Quick Reply: Need a quick confirmation about SPC ball joint installation



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:32 PM.