FACTORY MANUAL SAYS REMOVE SPORT SHIMS FOR BETTER HANDLING!... THE EXPERTS SAY??

[EXECMALIBU]

In the 2001 factory workshop manual on page 2-91. They recommend removing the front "sport shims" for better handling during sporting events! They say it will give the front suspension a neg 1 degree camber and does not require a front end alignment.


Is there a major improvement and is it worth doing for FAST CANYON driving??? I understand that the tires will wear more on the inside..

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

The 96, 97, 98 and 99 shop manual say the same thing and it improves turn in(reduces push). Great for autocross events.

 

[Janni]

Gotta agree with Fred on this one - while it's great for periodic autocross or road course events, be aware that it will impact the toe settings on your car while adding 1 degree of negative camber.

No real sense for street driving....

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

A neck snapping turn in is great!!! 1 vote for the shims removed. With the old MXX3's you can reverse them on the rim. The Pilot sport drivers can also but not as easy since you have to swap front rims also.

 

[JonB]

Sport Shims are a quick and easy mod to make on Autocrosses and short roadcourses (under 1.4 mi for example)

The effect is more dramatic on Gen 1 1992-1995.
They EAT the inside shoulders of your tires, regardless of year.

IF you drive on the highway, you should adjust the toe a bit to compensate as recommended by the service manual.
DONT LOSE EM !! Easy to misplace.

 

[John Moore]

Pull the shims! Not only can you pick up the negative 1 to 1.5 camber but you also get a little toe out... about 0 to 1/16th inch. Toe out helps make the Viper noticeably more responsive in tight corners and decreases the car's tendency to push. Try it, you'll definitely like it.

 

[ElDiablo Viper]

OK, here is a stupid question: How to I remove them?

 

[Jerry Scott[CO]]

I remove the shims for every track event, also shorten the tie rods on each side by one full turn to bring the tow-in back in spec.. It does help the turn-in handling but will wear tires on the inside if you run this set up on the street. You will not notice excess inside tire wear on the track since you are always scrubbing the tires in the turns. In fact it seems to help balance the wear across the full width of the tire, in track conditions.

It is not that difficult to go back and forth on this set up. Just put paint dots on the tire rod ends so that you know where to reset the adjustment.

 

[Russ M]

Execmalibu,

I had my car alligned to -1.5 in the front, and am loving every minute of it. This is the setting that Socal uses on his car as well, and it made a big difference in the hills.