Im taking my car in tuesday to get an alignment, ive had problems in the past with my car wanting to wander real bad after i let off the gas on the big end of the track, and I dont want that. Im not worried about handling so much, just surviving a 130 mph shut down is all. What should I ask for? Thanks.

Toe in in the rear will give high speed stability. Front end, 0 toe or toe in. If you have toe out on the front, you get nice turn-in, but it's like death at high speeds....

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Very High Performance / Race Track Alignment Specs:
"Alignment settings are 1.5 to 2 degrees negative camber and 0 to 1/8 inch toe out on the front with 2 degrees negative camber and 0 to 1/8 inch toe in on the rear. Too much toe adjustment can cause rapid tire wear if the car is driven on the street. Street tires usually last about 30,000 miles."

Solo2: Those specs are for handling, not straight line stability.

For stability, toe IN front and rear, 1/16" to 1/8" overall. Zero camber on the rear, (or maybe even a smidge positive camber to make sure the tires are vertical when the car squats), zero to slightly negative camber in the front. Higher caster gives better high speed stability and center feel in the steering.

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'87 Fiero GT: Low, Sleek, Fast, and Loud
'90 Pontiac 6000 SE AWD: None of the Above

Luck, Fate and Destiny are words used by those who lack the courage to define their own future

[This message has been edited by Will (edited 06-21-2004).]

Before you go for the alingment.... If you didn't do it already, check/replace the cradle bushings if that is an 84-87 car. Those will let the whole rear of the car dance, especially when the engine load changes suddenly.

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I like more than spec caster if you have enough extra to play with. Ill warn you, shops hate messing with Fiero caster.....

Another thing to keep in mind: Since you're drag racing, you'll want the toe (front and rear) to be as close to neutral as possible, to reduce rolling resistance.

A little toe-in front and rear should help keep the car stable at high speed. And if you feel the steering is too fidgety, you could try more positive caster.

[This message has been edited by Blacktree (edited 06-21-2004).]

quote Originally posted by theogre: Before you go for the alingment.... If you didn't do it already, check/replace the cradle bushings if that is an 84-87 car. Those will let the whole rear of the car dance, especially when the engine load changes suddenly.

i'll agree with that, before i put in the poly on the K member doing 75 and mashing on the gas pedal in 5th the car would go half a lane to the left, let off the gas and i'd go have a lane to the right.

and by the way i just did my alignment today too.
The rack at the new dealership showed that the old rack at my dealership is a bit worn out cause 3 out of 4 corners had to be adjusted.

Front
Left side / right side

0.36* camber 0.50*
4.60* caster 4.11*
0.15* toe 0.15*

cross camber –0.14*
cross caster 0.49*
total toe 0.30*

Rear
-0.82* camber –1.01*
0.15* toe 0.17*
total toe 0.32*

trust angle –0.01*

of course I set mine up for street, we’ll see how I do on the track Sunday.

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i left caster alone. I had the guy put the front at 0 toe, .5 degrees camber. Rear 1/8" toe, 1 degree camber. i took it up to 80 mph and it felt dead solid. Used to bounce around and want to change lanes when I let off the gas. I think itll be good to go now. Thanks everyone.

Is that 1 degree negative camber on the rear? That might compromise your launch a little bit. Might want to experiment with 0 camber on the rear.
Firestone stores sell lifetime alignments... worth their weight in gold when you need to try a bunch of different alignment settings.

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'87 Fiero GT: Low, Sleek, Fast, and Loud
'90 Pontiac 6000 SE AWD: None of the Above

Luck, Fate and Destiny are words used by those who lack the courage to define their own future

quote Originally posted by Will: Is that 1 degree negative camber on the rear? That might compromise your launch a little bit. Might want to experiment with 0 camber on the rear. Firestone stores sell lifetime alignments... worth their weight in gold when you need to try a bunch of different alignment settings.

yeah 1 degree negative. No biggie on launch. Its been negative all its life even when I was pulling 1.57 60's. With the turbo it launches nice and soft like a brand new caddy. My problem is traction at 30 mph.