For those that have removed their front struts for lowering or otherwise.... Is there any play in the front struts for camber adjustment, where the two bolts attach to the knuckle? If I remove a strut then put it back, is factory camber retained? Or was there a lot of wiggle room? I've seen cars where the bolts are press-fit so the assembly connects the same every time, and some where there is a lot of wiggle room to slightly adjust camber. Just want to be sure before diving in.
Looking through this 3rd gen Repair Manual excerpt, the answer would appear to be yes, there is some adjustment possible. To see if it would still be possible with 4th gen Prius Prime, I'd get a short term subscription on Toyota Tech Info and confirm, see what the details are.
The technique in the Repair Manual for the fourth-generation Prius and for the Prius Prime is similar to the one in the third-generation excerpt @Mendel Leisk kindly shared: the standard bolts are replaced only if the camber can’t be brought into specification by pushing or pulling the front axle hub. (See Suspension: Alignment/Handling Diagnosis: Front Wheel Alignment: Adjustment; there is no adjustment for rear camber.)
Nope - just curious if I will lose the factory camber settings if I were to lower the vehicle in the future. If it's non-adjustable, I'm totally fine with that. Gotcha - so it sounds like there is a little bit of play when the bolts are installed but not tightened down. I'm used to that. If I end up lowering the vehicle, I'll make sure to mark the knuckles against the struts to take it back to the original camber it shipped with. Thanks!
Based on both your statements,...realize that when you "mark" things before you take it apart & then lower your chassis, you'll get added negative camber. Marking suspension components won't keep your current stock OE camber settings once you lower it. Rob43
Usually with Toyota with non adjustable camber bolts there is approximately .5 or 1/2 (half) a degree of adjustment. If you remove them before hand mark with paint pen, sharpie, something permanent and bright. I use touch up paint white and silver.
Thank you, you are getting us where we need to go. Your mention of bolts for adjustment got me thinking of this old gag, that could always be found on the walls in engineering offices and fab shops. Thankfully someone scanned it:
And there is adjustment for rear camber toe but it deals with aftermarket shims that fit in between the hub mounting surface. Only to be used to correct normal out of adjustment measurements. Mainly you would have to have access to an alignment machine which will have that option to give you a specific part number for your application.
