Suspension giants Eibach may be most commonly associated with precision spring manufacture, but the firm also offers an extensive range of precision alignment components, allowing tuners, garages and enthusiasts the ability to create the ultimate all-around handling package.
Eibach’s alignment products cover a wide portfolio of vehicle types and the range encompasses almost every type of adjustment – from simple shims and camber bolts through to fully adjustable top mounts and suspension arms.
Superior figures
A wide variety of US, Japanese, European and Tuner cars are covered in the firm’s product range. This allows owners to either correct their camber, caster and toe settings following the fitment of lowered suspension, or if preferred, create the ultimate stance with the ranges’ ability to adjust camber front and rear as well as caster on most models. Eibach alignment products allow tuners to achieve superior set-up parameters, over and above the OEM figures, to achieve either a fast road or track set-up, if desired.
The range covers hundreds of different models, including many classic and retro cars, offering workshops a wide range of solutions to create the perfect set-up. Many of the shims, washers and pins start at just a few pounds, making for a hugely cost-effective upgrade that will transform the handling and ‘feel’ of the recipient vehicle, as well as optimising tyre wear and increasing active safety.
A missed opportunity?
Alignment is an aspect of suspension work often overlooked by many garages, but it can represent an excellent source of income and is also a superb method of customer retention.
Not only do cars drive much more positively once aligned, but the safety improvements and increased responses to inputs gives drivers a much greater feeling of control and confidence in their car. Often, minute changes can make a huge difference to the character and feel of a vehicle, making alignment excellent value for money in the customer’s mind.
A wide range of related workshop tools is also available from Eibach that includes presses, gauges, adapters and stands.
When does the use of specialist alignment products make sense?
- Accident damage will often leave the car slightly out of alignment. Specialist alignment products can set the car back to the OE figures, which may be outside the range of the standard offering to return it to stock alignment.
- Many repairers ignore the need to correct alignment issues following the fitment of new dampers, springs, or whenever they take the chassis apart. Eibach’s kits can return the vehicle to a standard OE approved range more easily, or can offer adjustment where there simply isn’t enough.
- Without correct alignment you’re potentially compromising the handling of the vehicle (thus negating one of the major reasons for fitting a performance spring or anti-roll bar kit), as well as unduly affecting tyre wear and noise.
- When lowering a vehicle the adjustment left may not be enough to ‘dial out’ the potentially unwanted camber and toe changes now brought about by this. This is particularly relevant for the customer who wants to maximise tyre life and everyday grip.
- For those fitting Performance chassis kits to their car, they may wish to set up their alignment to obtain a more performance-orientated state of tune.
