Ok, so I completed my Ohlins install this weekend. The Ohlins were paired with a set of Vorshlag caster/camber plates. Vorshlag make some quality parts and they are racers, so their gear gets R&D’d on track. I know that spherical camber plates will not be for everyone, but our cars need camber for the track if you do not want kill the outside shoulder. They simply bolt to the top of the shaft and get torqued to spec.
On the RHS I set the Caster to the stock position (forward position in the oval cutout). On the LHS I set it to the full Caster position (all the way back in the oval cutout). Using the angle finder on my phone, it appears to give you an additional degree of Caster. Not sure what this will translate to on an alignment machine. I am also very curious as to whether this will move the tire forward any….? The pivot on the bottom is fixed at the ball joint and the Vorshlag Caster plate is moving the upper location backwards. I will test tire/fender clearance with additional Caster after my fall DE season. FYI – you can adjust the caster without removing the coilover. Remove the nuts on the top bolts and drop the strut. There is sufficient clearance to access the countersunk locking bolts on the caster/camber plate. You are working blind and by touch to get your 3/16” allen wrench located on each bolt. I turned the camber plate and tilted it fender side down to provide a little additional clearance.
Definitely set your preferred Caster before installing the coilovers. I have SuperPro 018K’s LCA’s which already provide an additional 1-degree of Caster without creating any tire clearance issues for a 255-35-18, so I took the conservative approach and kept the Caster location on the Vorshlag plate in the stock position. Now I know that I can dial in additional Caster, without having to remove the complete strut. Some time and patience is all that is needed to make the change.
I used the 2x4 method to remove stock struts from the knuckle. I bolted the 2x4 to the upper endlink mounting tab on the shock. I did not disconnect the ball joint or the drive shaft. On the RHS, I was able to slide the Ohlin into the knuckle. On the LHS, I did not have sufficient clearance and had to use the 2x4 to compress the spring slightly to get the bottom of the Ohlin to clear the knuckle and get it into position. It was the adjuster screw that would not clear. This was my first time doing coilovers on this car and it went smoothly. Initially I had trouble getting the RHS Ohlin to seat fully to get the pinch bolt through and quickly found that I had to move the knuckle spreader to the top position. Nooby error.
I maxed out the camber on the Vorshlag plates before locking it all down. Left the front sway disconnected while I wait on some adjustable endlinks. Very interested in what the before camber reading is from the alignment today. The initial short drive to make sure that I had no shock knock from the mounts, was promising. The ride is firmer on the 450lb Swift springs. Front shock’s were set at 6 from hard. Rears were full soft. Front end feels responsive even with the front sway disconnected. Initial impressions seem promising. Got to get it aligned and get some miles on the new setup.