Hopefully the suspension gurus on here can answer my question. Is it possible for the rear suspension crossmembers to shift to one side (causing the wheel to stick out more than it did when it came from the factory) from installing coilovers, braces, and sways? How about from a minor 3mph fender bender impact? Also, if an alignment is within specs, does that mean the rear suspension did not shift after an accident?

 

accidents usually bend control arms and radius rods and connecting arms. These need to be replaced after a suspension impact.

the lasers on the alignment machine should pick this up if the toe, camber, or caster are totally out of whack.

 

It should also tell you if the suspension isn't aligned with the centerline of the car. It's possible, but unlikely, the subframe could shift as a result of an accident.

 

Maybe the Fender repair is not in spec..??

 

measurements of the depth of the wheel well match the measurements on the other undamaged side. body shop is saying the cross member shifted when I lowered it, or it shifted during the 3mph impact.

 

Some physics for you. The potential energy of a 3600 lb car traveling at 3 mph is equivalent to a 200 lb human falling from 5.5 ft. This is enough to often times break bones, and sometimes cause death.

For comparison in car terms, this is equivalent to if you jacked your entire car up 0.3 ft, and then just let it free fall.

This is plenty of energy required to bend or break something.

 

Some physics for you. Suspension forces under normal operation are measured in tonnes. Under braking from high speed over rough pavement the instantaneous forces are again, measured in tonnes. Every piece of the suspension tolerates this as normal activity. A sudden stop from 3 mph could bend the soft pieces like wheels and might damage wheel bearings but it should not shift the subframe or bend any suspension parts - if it could, the rear of the car (or the front) could not be expected to tolerate the loading of a typical medium speed (80 - 120 mph) turn on a racetrack, much less a truly high speed turn.

As for the breaking bones piece - there isn't a single part involved in the suspension breakable with a mere 7 pound force, but there are PLENTY of bones that will break at 7 pounds of force. There's absolutely NO comparable information between human bones and automotive suspension.

 

thanks for the replies guys. i'm getting told now that the subframe or suspension shifted to the passenger side when i lowered the car. is that even possible? the rear driver-side wheel has plenty of clearance from rubbing, but the passenger-side is rubbing against the fender lip. this issue is driving me nuts!

 

When I first purchased my car and installed aftermarket wheels, I also noticed that the passenger side rear wheels stuck out appx 2 mm more than the driver side. Once I dropped the car, there was rubbing on the passenger side only. Concerned, I went to a Lexus dealer and checked the specs on a car on the lot and found the same thing. So, I just live with it now. Maybe, that's just the way the 2IS is made?