How to increase adjustability for camber on an NA8

[snshami]

When I got the wheel alignment done on my NA8 by Ray at Tyrepower in Reservoir, they discovered that the maximum adjustability on the front wheels on the driver's side is 0.28 degree of negative camber. They could not go to the 1 degree I had asked for.

What could be the possible reasons. I was under the impression that MX-5s had a fair degree of adjustability.
How would I go about adding some adjustability to the front.

I tracked down the previous owner of the car who had traded the car in to the dealership that had sold it to the dealer I bought from. That person had no reason to mislead me. He told me that the car had never been in an accident.

[93_Clubman]

When I got the wheel alignment done on my NA8 by Ray at Tyrepower in Reservoir, they discovered that the maximum adjustability on the front wheels on the driver's side is 0.28 degree of negative camber. They could not go to the 1 degree I had asked for.

What could be the possible reasons. I was under the impression that MX-5s had a fair degree of adjustability. How would I go about adding some adjustability to the front.

You seem to have answered your own questions in this post:
viewtopic.php?f=30&t=45953&p=581970&hilit=Ray+Tyrepower+Reservoir#p581970

Apparently it cannot be adjusted to be more without me getting the top arm bushes changed. Ray did say it was not going to affect performance on the road but for the track the car would not have enough grip.

Camber on stock NA? You can definitely get at least 1 degree front and 2 degrees rear with stock suspension and bushes. If your aligner doesn't know how, take it to a better aligner! Most tyre places will only adjust toe. I have been using Pedders - they're a bit more expensive but suspension is their specialty and you get want you pay for.

They were trying to adjust it by loosening the inboard lower control arm bolts and moving the control arm as far outwards as the slot in the allowed. There was no more movement possible. He told me that the only way of improving on that was to adjust the upper control arm inwards.

[rascal]

When I got the wheel alignment done on my NA8 by Ray at Tyrepower in Reservoir, they discovered that the maximum adjustability on the front wheels on the driver's side is 0.28 degree of negative camber. They could not go to the 1 degree I had asked for.

What could be the possible reasons. I was under the impression that MX-5s had a fair degree of adjustability.
How would I go about adding some adjustability to the front.

I tracked down the previous owner of the car who had traded the car in to the dealership that had sold it to the dealer I bought from. That person had no reason to mislead me. He told me that the car had never been in an accident.

Not uncommon to have something bent under there after 15+ years.
You can fit offset bushes top or bottom to give you back the adjustability you are missing.

[snshami]

Not uncommon to have something bent under there after 15+ years.
You can fit offset bushes top or bottom to give you back the adjustability you are missing.

Thanks Rascal. Are offset bushes something I can get from Mazda or MX-5 Centre ?

Are they easy to fit.

[zossy1]

You can also buy adjustable upper wishbones for both front and rear off eBay. Expect to pay round $250 shipped per pair. Offset bushes will also work fine though.

Something is bent - wishbones and/or crossmember. MX5s are built lightly. Big potholes, kerbs, ripple strips. I know you may not want to hear this, but the most probable cause is accident damage that has not been repaired properly. It is surprising how hard it is to realign a bent MX5, even on a car aligner. The tolerances, even a mm or two in the wrong place, can result in significant issues in alignment at the wheels.

Offset bushes are available from most suspension specialists. Superpro probably make a set.

http://www.fulcrumsuspensions.com.au/superpro.html

[lukearama]

As a wheel alignment tech myself I read with interest the comments in this forum... It seems that Ray is well versed in alignments. So I will go in his defence. Put simply Camber does not equal turn in reponse... Caster equals turn in response.

The lower control arm design on the MX5 offers a lot of adjustment however dialing up heaps of camber will significantly reduce Caster... its a simple trade off on the MX5... Ray can't change that.... His solution is to customers who want heaps of Camber for there super sticky wheel lifting MX5's is to fit an aftermarket kit to the upper control arm... Not a bad solution...

The other issue I have encountered this problem on was the super super low susspension settings. If your cross member is below the height of your control arms your losing camber... Raise it up an inch or two.

Interestly you can get heaps more camber on the rear wheels then on the front..

So tell Ray you don't want turn in response just heaps of camber to impress your mates at the Mcdonalds carpark and I'm sure he can have you driving away happy.. However if you want an alignment done correctly by a professional to give a great driving experience then let Ray set it up for you....

Happy steering...

[snshami]

As a wheel alignment tech myself I read with interest the comments in this forum... It seems that Ray is well versed in alignments. So I will go in his defence. Put simply Camber does not equal turn in reponse... Caster equals turn in response.

The lower control arm design on the MX5 offers a lot of adjustment however dialing up heaps of camber will significantly reduce Caster... its a simple trade off on the MX5... Ray can't change that.... His solution is to customers who want heaps of Camber for there super sticky wheel lifting MX5's is to fit an aftermarket kit to the upper control arm... Not a bad solution...

The other issue I have encountered this problem on was the super super low susspension settings. If your cross member is below the height of your control arms your losing camber... Raise it up an inch or two.

Interestly you can get heaps more camber on the rear wheels then on the front..

So tell Ray you don't want turn in response just heaps of camber to impress your mates at the Mcdonalds carpark and I'm sure he can have you driving away happy.. However if you want an alignment done correctly by a professional to give a great driving experience then let Ray set it up for you....

Happy steering...

Lukerama, what you are saying is very much what Ray was saying as well. BTW, the car is stock and at the standard ride height. Ray told me that the camber he managed to dial in was perfect for the road and to be honest the car feels really really really good. What he did say was that when I want to take the car to a racetrack is when I will be needing more camber. I certainly do not want camber to impress anyone.