GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

sup guys, i want to lower my car,but heres my question. are you gus having probs with their camber in the back and really bad tire wear?

No problem with my'04 dropped for 2 years, too soon to tell with my'06 dropped for 1 week. Had an alignment done after the drop though.

no problems on my '03 and they have been on since 12/03

i just had my 05 realigned but it wasnt off very far. the shop said the rear cant be adjusted. is this true? never heard of that. but as far as tire wear. my rears have been fine, the front is where the wear was. even wear though, no camber just toe.

Hiya...I'm gonna hopefully do the drop this Summer. The camber in the back does worry me a bit, I've just got to think a little lower has got to increase the camber and right now it wears the inside of the tire a bit more than the outside. My tire place did an alignment this past Fall when I got new tires, said the rear wasn't adjustable yet 2 years ago I had the Toyota place do an alignment and they showed me a workup that I swear had a before and after printout of both fronts and rears. (I may have misread it and they may have misexplained it though). Dave

Fellow Vibers...Our cars don't have independent rear suspensions, and on both the base model and GT there is no "camber" adjustment available on the rear wheels (don't know for sure about the AWD version, as I've never had the chance to look under one or at any mechanical specs).I've had my GT dropped within a few months of buying it, which puts me at just about three years of driving it lowered (about 30,000 miles). I'm using the Hotchkis lowering springs, which dropped the car 1.5" in the front, and 1.75" in the rear. When it was lowered (or had any subsequent suspension work done), I've had the front end re-aligned and have my front camber set at as close as possible to a negative 0.5 degrees, and my tire wear is pretty even on fronts and backs (I rotate them about every 10-12,000 miles). In fact, I'm finding tire pressure to have the most influence on how my tires wear on my 19" Bridgestone S-03's. I run around 38-lbs. in the front (40-lbs. when going on trips), and about 36-lbs. in the rear (38-lbs. for trips) and use nitrogen to fill them with.For regular driving habits, with the occasional spirited driving with a similar drop, go for about a negative 0.3 degrees of camber in the front. Just remember, the more negative camber, the more the tire will wear on the inside.If you plan on doing more of a drop in the front, you may want to look at adding a little more negative to the camber, but be sure to consult with your alignment guy to make sure he knows what you want. I hope this helped!

ballrub's correct: there is no camber adjustment to the rear wheels. For reference, see the Toyota service manual on rear wheel alignment:http://www.absoluteingenuity.n...1.pdf(misprint in it: "...become camber is not adjustable" should be "...because camber is not adjustable")That said, unless you're dropping more than 2", you probably won't notice as much wear due to camber as you would toe-in. Just make sure you do an alignment within a month/1,500 miles of your drop.BTW, I dropped mine last October and when I had the alignment done, the camber was still within spec.

Quote, originally posted by ZubenElGenubi ».BTW, I dropped mine last October and when I had the alignment done, the camber was still within spec.Was the toe-in within spec?

Quote, originally posted by Sunny »Was the toe-in within spec?No. I didn't ask what the numbers were, but the shop did have to adjust both front and back.(Now I'm curious...maybe I'll contact them and see if they have any records on the work...specifically, adjustments that were made. I doubt it, but I'll check.)

no issues yet but I plan on getting my alignment checked again this spring when I install my summer tires.

ok i made up my mind ill be dropping it soon

Quote, originally posted by thatboydavid »ok i made up my mind ill be dropping it soonIs that so you can "Drive it like you stole it?"...

well, the car handles better, but the body roll is this there, even with new tires. after having it for about 2 months the stock shocks started to give up, only at 32k. so lowering it is good, but add new aftermarket shocks, and an antiroll bar helps, to a point, but your really need independant suspension in the back...

Hey remusrm.. your a calivibe too!!!Just wanted to say hey! and see if your interested at all in helpin our soon to be club grow... SoCalVibz.

The AWD does have independent rear suspension and does require a slight camber adjustment. It can be done with a standard alignment and does not require a camber kit. My AWD was lowered on Hotchkis Springs and their advertised drop was 1.125 rear and 1.5 front. Well it was actually over 2" for both and my rears were just slightly out of Mfr. specs for the camber on the all four wheels. It was easily brought back to within specs with an alignment and without a camber kit. I don't think you would need a camber kit for your front wheels unless you were going to really slam your ride by lowering it 2.5" or more. Good luck with lowering your ride and, as always, post pics when your done.

I just got mine lowered today using the Hotchkis as well. They told me my front wheels need 2 Camber Bolts. I was little upset after reading how everyone else didnt need a Camber kit, But Oh well I guess, I will get it back tomorrow. They said it looks really cool so Im excited to see it tomorrow when I pick it up on lunch break. Not sure on how far it dropped. The Guy said there was about a good 1"- 1 1/2" from the tire to the car.

Cool! Congrats. Post pics when you get her back.

Ohhhh! I plan on it. Probalby wont have pics till Saturday though. I have to get it a carwash, cause from sitting at works parking lot with everything going it gets dirty real quick, which makes me mad lol I usually get a carwash every weekend haha.

had mine lowered since i got it two years ago, and haven't had any problems, i think the key is to have it aligned when you are done. if you don't plan on an alignment take some spray paint and paint our strut bolts before you take them out then you will be able to see where they where before the spring swap, then put the bolts back in the same position, that will get you close , but an alignment would be best.