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adjustable spring plates.are they worth it!
gizzo - February 6th, 2011 at 02:59 PM

just wondering if adjustable spring plates are worth considering,so i can get my 1.5deg camber spot on.or do i
keep persisting with turning torsion bars and stuffing around to i acheive it . its type 3 irs on a baja bug and is
used for mild off road & road work.what do you think?

Sides - February 6th, 2011 at 08:35 PM

IMHO the answer is yes and no.

The yes part...they will make small adjustments to your ride height nice and simple compared to the normal process. Minutes instead of hours. If you can find a set they're also not normally all that expensive... $150 or so seems about the norm.

The no part is that they really won't directly affect camber... just ride height, and the camber you want may not be at the same ride height that you want.

gizzo - February 6th, 2011 at 09:59 PM

thanks for the info,when i lift it up with a jack to reach my 1degree camber, the car is sitting pretty good & i have still got 2 degrees caster at the front. and the ride hieght is good being a baja .sounds like they might be the go. any other comments appreciated

vwo60 - February 8th, 2011 at 08:11 AM

You could try some castor shims to increase your castor to about 4 degrees, as you adjust the rear height the camber will change, thats the nature of the diagonal link trailing arm rear end.

gizzo - February 8th, 2011 at 08:54 PM

thanks for that. i,l set the rear end to 1 degree neg camber. there about 2 deg at the moment ,their leaning
in a fair bit , then il put the protractor on the front end and see what it reads , then shim it to 4 degrees and go for a test run.

matberry - February 9th, 2011 at 07:59 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by vwo60
You could try some castor shims to increase your castor to about 4 degrees, as you adjust the rear height the camber will change, thats the nature of the diagonal link trailing arm rear end.


Com'on dude, it's the nature of any rear end......

As for adj. spring plates, they are great for adjusting the rear height, BUT (IMO) they are only so so for a baja. Generally if you only have a stock or similar engine and only mild off roading they will be ok, but any real serious off-roading and they may fail/bend.

Yes get the caster right, but it is the vehicle rake that effects the caster, so set the rear ride height first.

gizzo - February 13th, 2011 at 12:15 PM

thanks,the car has a subaru motor in it and will see a few
back tracks. so i,l just keep adjusting them to i get it right,ive got a hoist which makes it easy to do this job.
i,l probaly take 5 ml of the inside spring plate so it doesnt top out on the lower stop.this will give meabout 12m springplate to lower stop clearance