Paco Motorsports eccentric locks
Paco Motorsports eccentric locks
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Description
If you've ever run your Miata on the track, you know that those alignment cams can slip. If you're lucky, it just ruins a session. You can change out the bolts on a regular basis and crank the torque way up on the nuts - but there's always that risk.
Until now! Paco Motorsports has come up with a simple solution to lock in your alignment perfectly. These locks replace the offset washer on an alignment bolt and prevent it from moving. They key into the same ridges used by the stock washer. The center section can be placed in any one of 16 positions, and you keep the same range of alignment - maximum negative camber is still maximum negative camber.
To use, align your car as normal. Then swap out the stock washer for the lock and retorque. It'll never slip again. Be aware that these parts do complicate your alignment and your alignment tech might call you (or us) names - it's worth it if you drive your car hard enough to have slipping eccentrics, though.
Sold individually. You can use as many as eight on a car, although not all cams are as prone to slipping. Fits all NA and NB Miatas with the H shaped alignment bolt. If you have the older D bolts, you will need to upgrade - we offer a kit for that. If you have tubular V8Roadsters control arms, these can also be used on the problematic outer cam on the front lowers.
Instructions
Shipping
$9.99 flat rate shipping. Orders over $40 ship for free in the US!
Details
There are no shipping restrictions on this item.
What does it fit?
Fits: 1990-1997, 1999-2005, 2004-2005 MSM
Emissions
Emissions do not apply.
Warranty
1 year
SKU
My alignment was slipping after I sprayed Fluid Film (anti-rust) on my undercarriage (it spreads everywhere). I installed these lock washers one at a time with the weight of the car on the wheels. Control arm definitely shifted when I loosened the nut. I used some large channel lock pliers to shift the control arm back to where it was. Had no problem installing the lock washers this way. I used a camber gauge after each washer installation to make sure I was back to the original position. Glad someone came up with this solution. Alignment felt good the whole way after a 6 hour mountain run - rough road, hard cornering. Happy.
Great idea for holding the alignment in-place. But as others have said, it does limit your alignment precision and is a @!&$# to work with. I had to smack the outer ring with a hammer to get them to deform slightly so I could slip it in it's spot on the CA. Not fun. I did purchase extended ball joints so perhaps using those will allow the locks to hit preferred numbers easier. My front right CA was slipping constantly, even after new bolts and torquing to 1000ft lbs, so far these locks haven't budged, so they do what they do. Maybe if it were a stronger metal with additional teeth and a more precise design it would be more practical for more people.
I really thought these were a great idea to put them on my car, but I really, really regret buying these. My alignment guy hates me when I bring my car in, and charges me at least double a typical alignment, because he has to take the bolts completely apart to move the eccentric locks (due to the thickness of the parts, and the coarseness of the teeth), and a lot of times the outer cam parts fall and have to be reinstalled. Next time I do my suspension, I'm going back to the stock eccentric locks; these things are just not worth it.
I’ve run these on my car on the front camber bolts (which are the ones they’re mainly needed for) for around 9 months since my last alignment. The good news is they seem to hold the bolt in place very well. The bad news is they slightly limit the maximum camber you can get up front. As an ES car, just losing 1-2 tenths of a degree is a problem.
The other bad news is that once you’ve got them in place, you had better be happy with the setting. The forces involved with hard use tend to deform the teeth just enough that the pieces are very difficult or impossible to re-align once they have been removed.
I think that if you have an alignment you won’t want to change, and you’ve got more camber adjustment up front than you need, these locks are a good solution. Install them once, and plan never to touch them again. Due to my use case I am not replacing my deformed locks and will instead just rely on over-torquing the bolts and replacing them periodically.
I use these on my 2011 Mitsubishi Evo's lower control arms (with slight modification). The stock cam bolts have the same issue as the miata's. These locks stop the bolts from moving, even after 10 or so track weekends. The coarse adjustment is not an issue as my aftermarket lower controls arms are adjustable from the arm, not the cam bolt.