My alignment tech recommended that I widen the holes on my uppers strut assembly so that he could adjust my caster. I just wanted to check to make sure that this would be acceptable or cause any issues. As far as I can tell, the car looks like it could have adjustable caster from the factory but they just didn't add the widened bolt holes. It looks like they made the area where the tip of the strut sticks through a bit wide so that it could be adjusted, but skipped the bolt holes.

I need to know a few things before I just go out and do it...

I would also like to know which way is positive for caster, towards the front or rear? Which way makes the wheels center themselves harder? Also is this safe?

 

According to Hyundai there are no adjustments for camber....... This is from the Hyundai dealer that last did my alignment and from a Hyundai tech. So with that being said I'm not too sure about what you are about to do.

 

moving the top of the strut towards the rear of the car will make the wheels center themselves as you put it, as for whether its a good Idea on our cars, I haven't looked into it.

 

The Camber adjustment kit is for vehicles using lowering springs because it may be knocked off.

As for the questions, I dont do alignments at my shop and have glady forgotten everything about them.

 

Bomello, this is a modification to the OEM specs.

Let me explain a bit better. Apparently, at the top of the strut, if you widen the holes so the strut will slide towards the front or rear of the car 1/4". This way, when you loosen the bolts, it makes a DIY camber kit adjustment. This seems like a viable option, but I don't want to go messing up my car's suspension system. If there's a reason why I should not do this, I'd like to know now.

Thank you likeyoumeanit.

Ericy, i'm talking about caster. That's the car's ability to recenter the wheels after you turn them. Apparently I'm almost out of spec on one of my wheels. I was out of spec last time I went, then I adjusted my strut bar to pull on my strut towers instead of push, and somehow this brought me back into spec. I want to get it perfect and my alignment tech said this is how he would do it. I edited my first post because I slipped the word camber in there.

It just seems too easy, remove some metal with a drill bit, add special bolts to the top of the strut, take it to Firestone for a full camber/caster/toe alignment. Why didn't Hyundai think of that?

 

my concern with doing it would be that you **may** apply a moment at the bottom of the strut, not sure though, as I said, I never looked into it.

 

^^ What is a moment? I'm not familiar with that term.

 

a moment is a twisting force around an axis, like torque (N*m) (inlbs)

 

Oh. No. I'd be more worried about the top of the strut then the bottom. The bottom has a ball joint at the knuckle where it meets the A-arm. It will rotate freely.

 

you should be fine then