Hi all,

I've got my car booked in at TGM for a full 4 wheel alignment. But before I go, I need to decide which alignment settings to go for. My car's a MY03, so according to the Tech FAQ, I've got 2 choices:

- the original setting (for best performance)
- the Honda UK "optimised" setting (worse performance, but avoids tramlining on rough roads)

But I've checked out all the figures, and I can't see how the "optimised" setting would give worse performance?? According to the Honda bulletin here, the only differences between the settings are:

(1) The "optimised" setting sets the caster to the maximum value in the standard range. This is normally good for performance - more caster gives you more negative camber on turns, more steering feel, and more self-centring, at the expense of making the steering heavier.

(2) The "optimised" setting sets the front and rear camber to the maximum negative value in the standard range. Again, this should increase grip, at the expense of tyre wear on the inside edges.

(3) The "optimised" setting sets the rear toe-in to the minimum value in the standard range. Increasing rear toe-in in a rear-drive car normally increases straight-line stability and decreases oversteer. So by setting it to the minimum value, you're getting less stability and more oversteer!

So everything about the "optimised" settings seems to suggest that they're optimised for performance. Am I missing something, or is the FAQ wrong?

 

That sounds similar to the set up I have just had at CG......I now have heavier steering but can feel what the tyres are doing its much better.

I have a huge increase in grip but he did say tyre wear rate would increase as a result!

I also have huge stability compared to before and it feels solid at high speed even when provoked.

with more tyre on the road there is increased drag resistence so a slight drop in performance but I have not noticed a drop .....CG called the above set up you mentioned the safety set up....they also do a fast road and racing set up

 

I reduced castor to sharpen the turn-in and lighten the wheel.
There is no negative issue with self centering, hands off in a slide the car still sorts itself out.
There is noticably worse tramlining on old rubber but no loss of stability at speed.
I had more front neg camber added, now it really eats rubber but grip is a world better so i'll accept the small trade off.

Not my exact setup, but pinched from another on here, mine is almost exactly the same however.
Known by CG as the 'old fast road setup' :-

 

Erm...

Why not talk to they guy at TGM.
Tell him the kind of driving you do and what you would like the car to handle like.

They should be able to recommend settings to suit your style of driving.

If you get a blank look - go for one of the settings above.