I just recently got new tires and replaced the lower control arm bushing on my car so I took my car in to get an alignment today. The car drifts to the left and the tech said there was nothing they could do because the camber was not adjustable. I have heard of a camber kit for lowered cars but what exactly is it and will this help? Here are the specs from the report I got today

Front: Left
Camber | Actual -1.8*| Before -1.9*| Specified Range -1.8* to -.3*
Caster | Actual 3.5* | Before 3.5* | Specified Range 2.3* to 3.8*
Toe | Actual .09* | Before .36* | Specified Range 0* to .2*

Front: Right
Camber | Actual -2.1*| Before -2.1*| Specified Range -1.8* to -.3*
Caster | Actual 3.5* | Before 3.5* | Specified Range 2.3* to 3.8*
Toe | Actual .11* | Before .57* | Specified Range 0* to .2*

Front
Cross Camber | Actual 0.2*| Before 0.2*| Specified Range -.8* to .8*
Cross Caster | Actual -.1* | Before -.1* | Specified Range -.8* to .8*
Total Toe | Actual 0.2* | Before .93* | Specified Range 0* to .4*

 

Your alignment guy sucks. Camber does not cause pulling, and a difference of .2 between sides is not much.

Toe matters more, and your alignment is ok now, but if you did this on worn tires, you're going to need to get it redone when you get fresh ones, if they are worn unevenly. With your current align, it shouldn't pull much, other than normal tramlining, depending on how sticky your tires are.

 

I took it to Belle Tire and they were a bunch of idiots. I got there and they told me it was going to take 2 hrs that they were busy. The alignment rack was empty and I knew an alignment only takes about an hr. I walked to some local shops while I waited and sure enough an hr later they told me it was done.

I went to pick it up and they tried to tell me that It was going to be $80. I was like that seems high. They say well unfortunately, alignments have gone up. My response was, up from 2 hours ago when I called? I was told $55. They decided to honor it without any question. Also the tech told me that it may still drift due to whatever I hit of the driver side that it may have caused uneven wear. He also noted that the camber was not adjustable and that the car was lowered so they did the best they could.

I informed them that the damage to the front end was done prior to the new tires. I also pointed out that my front bumper was broken again where I had previously repaired it. They claimed it wasnt them but yet they informed me that they took it for a test drive which i found to be unnecessary. Im pretty sure they hit something on their test drive or while getting it on the rack. I ended up getting another $20 off and told them I wouldnt be back.

If I get a camber kit for my car where exactly does it go and would this enable a different technician to be able to adjust it properly? I know its only off by like .3* so would it even be worth it?

 

Uh, if you took a hit, that's probably why it's drifting to one side. Thanks for completely failing to mention that... This isn't a camber issue. Camber doesn't cause a car to pull to one side.

$80 is perfectly reasonable for an alignment on a laser guided rack.

 

I never hit anything with these tires on. The damage was caused several months prior before I got new tires and did the control arm bushings. All of the other suspension parts are in good condition. Nothing was damaged from when I hit a pot hole except for my bumper that bottomed out on the ground. If the tires took damage they are no longer an issue as they have been replaced.

 

There are few things that could be going on here.

1. The pulling you are experiencing could be caused by the tires if they are worn unevenly. It is common for tires to develop what is called a radial pull at somepoint during its life. Not all tires mind you. If you swap fronts left to right, see if the pull changes or goes away. You can even rotate front to rear if you like. also make sure the tire pressures are equal on the front. Since you front toe was jacked up, I would expect to see this have an effect on the pulling.

2. The side that you hit the pothole with may have sustained some damage to the control arm or at the frame. Even though you changed the control arm bushings, it could still effect the alignment and cause it to pull especially if the control arm is bent. Most often it will be bent backwards slightly.

I agree that 80 bucks is the norm for the align cost. Sucks cuz the only thing adjustable on our cars is the front toe. Shouldnt take more than 10-15 mins for some one who knows what they are doin.

The camber situation is something pretty much all lowered cars have to deal with. Especially since we have no adjustment for it from the factory. The only way Camber would affect the car to make it pull would be if one side has a negative value, and the other is in the positive values. this would make the lean in the same direction causing a pull. But the specs you have shown are actually really good if you like to take the turns. My 08' Sport is within a few degrees of what you have and its been that way since i purchased it new from the Stealership.

Hope this helps a little, or atleast points you in the right direction.

 

Thanks for the info. I will have to see if swapping the wheels around helps with the problem. When I had the control arms out to replace the bushings I didn't notice any major differences between the two. That's not to say there isn't a minor bend or something in the one.

Also I want to state that I wasn't trying to say that $80 was unreasonable for an alignment. When I called around several places were that price. I made the comment of that seems high to the salesman because I was told a much lower price on the phone. I can't say for sure if they were just trying to scam me or if the person on the phone just got it wrong.

Getting back to the camber kits that are available, where exactly do these bolts go? It is clear that it is not going to make much of a difference if any in my case but I am still curious.

 

There is nothing wrong with your camber. The eccentric bolts go in the top strut mount hole and let you tilt the strut in/out. If you get them, that is going to be $20 for the bolts, and another $80, or more to align. The shop will probably want to charge more for a custom alignment if you get them.

 

Thanks. That is all I needed to know.