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I'm new to the GS game and have been struggling with getting my wheels to fit correctly. A little back fill...I have Megan front upper control arms, RCA's, rear lower control arms, traction bars, and toe bars. I have a square set up 19x10 with 245/35/19.
I've had 3 alignments from different shops.
My front driver side wheel is tucked in the fender while my passenger sits flush with the fender (how I want it). My alignment guy said he made all the wheels identical, but still I can see different...so on paper it's straight and even but it's bugging the crap out of me.
Any input?
I'm new to the GS game and have been struggling with getting my wheels to fit correctly. A little back fill...I have Megan front upper control arms, RCA's, rear lower control arms, traction bars, and toe bars. I have a square set up 19x10 with 245/35/19.
I've had 3 alignments from different shops.
My front driver side wheel is tucked in the fender while my passenger sits flush with the fender (how I want it). My alignment guy said he made all the wheels identical, but still I can see different...so on paper it's straight and even but it's bugging the crap out of me.
Any input?
When camber is set via the lower support arm, it naturally moves the bottom of the wheel in and out. Alignment shops will try to get the alignment angles correct for proper tracking and handling. However, the chassis mounting points and upper control arm may not be exactly in the same position in/out on your vehicle. The UCA and its mounting points are not adjustable in/out. So it's quite possible for the in/out position of the the wheel to be uneven when camber is correct set.
I would measure the camber on a known level surface and verify they match left vs right. I suspect they will be within 0.5 degree of each other if you had three alignment shops do alignment. If cambers match and are in spec, your solutions to in/out mismatch are....
1. Get get camber adjustable upper control arms and have the shop use them to get both camber in spec and wheel in/out position to match left/right.
2. Accept an incorrect camber setting on one or both wheels to be more visually matched, but suffer a continuous pull to side while driving.
The above is predicated on your left and right picts having been shot with lens center in plane with rear and right edges of each wheel & both turned to the straight ahead (equal toe) position. Otherwise, parallax can make the photos completely useless for judging whether there is an issue or visual illusion.
Are you sure the rims have the same offset/width? No spacer on one side and not the other? Might try swapping the wheels left to right and see if it still sits the same way.
When camber is set via the lower support arm, it naturally moves the bottom of the wheel in and out. Alignment shops will try to get the alignment angles correct for proper tracking and handling. However, the chassis mounting points and upper control arm may not be exactly in the same position in/out on your vehicle. The UCA and its mounting points are not adjustable in/out. So it's quite possible for the in/out position of the the wheel to be uneven when camber is correct set.
I would measure the camber on a known level surface and verify they match left vs right. I suspect they will be within 0.5 degree of each other if you had three alignment shops do alignment. If cambers match and are in spec, your solutions to in/out mismatch are....
1. Get get camber adjustable upper control arms and have the shop use them to get both camber in spec and wheel in/out position to match left/right.
2. Accept an incorrect camber setting on one or both wheels to be more visually matched, but suffer a continuous pull to side while driving.
The above is predicated on your left and right picts having been shot with lens center in plane with rear and right edges of each wheel & both turned to the straight ahead (equal toe) position. Otherwise, parallax can make the photos completely useless for judging whether there is an issue or visual illusion.
Thank you for the response. I have adjustable camber through my UCA's (Megan extreme upper arms). Are you saying my UCA could be installed incorrectly? Are there different mounting points or preferred ways to install them?
I had a reputable alignment shop set them and measure to make sure they are in spec, this is why I am so mind blown that it still looks this way....
Thanks for your time on this!
Originally Posted by TrueGS300
Are you sure the rims have the same offset/width? No spacer on one side and not the other? Might try swapping the wheels left to right and see if it still sits the same way.
The wheels are squared, and no spacers in the front.
If you have camber adjustable UCA's, then that is likely the issue. Both the adjustable UCA and lower support arm are able to move in/out. If both UCA and lower support arm camber adjustments are moved together in/out, the absolute position of the wheel shifts in/out. If both UCA and lower support arm camber adjusts are extended outward on the left side, the left wheel will extend outward further, not just tilt to get correct camber.
That should be easy for shop to adjust once they understand you are unhappy with non-matching, absolute in/out wheel position. They are in spec for camber, but not matched for absolute in/out position.
If you have camber adjustable UCA's, then that is likely the issue. Both the adjustable UCA and lower support arm are able to move in/out. If both UCA and lower support arm camber adjustments are moved together in/out, the absolute position of the wheel shifts in/out. If both UCA and lower support arm camber adjusts are extended outward on the left side, the left wheel will extend outward further, not just tilt to get correct camber.
That should be easy for shop to adjust once they understand you are unhappy with non-matching, absolute in/out wheel position. They are in spec for camber, but not matched for absolute in/out position.
Understood, thank you kindly. My lower support arms are stock, will I still be able to adjust those?
Understood, thank you kindly. My lower support arms are stock, will I still be able to adjust those?
Yes, the lower support arms ARE the OEM adjustable portion for camber. They have limited adjustment range, and that is why adjustable camber UCA's are often needed if one lowers the car from stock height. The lower the ride height, the more negative camber becomes. The lower arm's control range then can't pull in the bottom of the wheel enough to meet camber spec. Adjustable UCA lets you extend the top of the wheel outward to get camber back into spec.
In your case, I think they got the UCA's and lower arms adjusted to get good camber spec, but didn't pay attention to absolute position. BTW, the OEM left and right camber adjust range may differ left/right, just due to tolerances of the vehicle construction. That might also be a reason the alignment shops have the absolute positions uneven. They may have run out of adjust range.
If you are not lowered, you should have more range for them to get the wheels to equal absolute in/out position. If you are lowered, you may need to accept a more negative camber than desired.
Yes, the lower support arms ARE the OEM adjustable portion for camber. They have limited adjustment range, and that is why adjustable camber UCA's are often needed if one lowers the car from stock height. The lower the ride height, the more negative camber becomes. The lower arm's control range then can't pull in the bottom of the wheel enough to meet camber spec. Adjustable UCA lets you extend the top of the wheel outward to get camber back into spec.
In your case, I think they got the UCA's and lower arms adjusted to get good camber spec, but didn't pay attention to absolute position. BTW, the OEM left and right camber adjust range may differ left/right, just due to tolerances of the vehicle construction. That might also be a reason the alignment shops have the absolute positions uneven. They may have run out of adjust range.
If you are not lowered, you should have more range for them to get the wheels to equal absolute in/out position. If you are lowered, you may need to accept a more negative camber than desired.
Thank you for the insight. I am lowered a bit and have modest negative camber up front. If I am understanding you correctly, I can have the shop adjust absolute wheel position to give me a little outward push and add a touch more negative camber (if needed) to get the wheels identical?
Yes, have them extend the UCA outward, and then set camber by also extending the lower arm with the OEM camber bolt. That will extend the wheel outward. The OEM camber bolt has more range to get camber more negative than more positive.
I'll bet driver side UCA is currently set fairly retracted.
Yes, have them extend the UCA outward, and then set camber by also extending the lower arm with the OEM camber bolt. That will extend the wheel outward. The OEM camber bolt has more range to get camber more negative than more positive.
I'll bet driver side UCA is currently set fairly retracted.
Thank you very much. I will getting this done in the near future. I appreciate your time explaining this to me.
02-21-21, 12:38 PM
Wheel fitment nightmare
