Rear alignment is off

[Blk04MM]

Anyone know what could be the cause of this???

http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag82/blk04mm/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsf5c0cd3d.jpg (http://s1300.photobucket.com/user/blk04mm/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsf5c0cd3d.jpg.html)

[Curless]

The axle housing is crooked...could be from an accident or just the fact that when the axle assembly was welded together it was not straight the in jig...

[fastblackmerc]

Accident..... Frame might be bent.

[Blk04MM]

The axle housing is crooked...could be from an accident or just the fact that when the axle assembly was welded together it was not straight the in jig...


Accident..... Frame might be bent.

Car has never been in a accident

I have replaced one axle on that side from behind bent

[Blk04MM]

There is no rear wheel vibration and the tire tread always wear even. This is odd to me.

[whitey]

There is no rear wheel vibration and the tire tread always wear even. This is odd to me.

Id leave it alone then.

[Blk04MM]

Id leave it alone then.

I was thinking this. I don't know how long it's been like this. But my last set of tires (BFGs) wore from the middle out on both sides. Now I have NT555s and they haven't worn much at all and if they are its dead even and looking at the car you don't see anything leaning :confused:

[myrodr]

I don't know ....but could it be in the control arms?

[fastblackmerc]

I don't know ....but could it be in the control arms?

I'd assume that if the alignment is off that much you'd see an obvious kink in the control arm(s).

OP.... how are the rear control arm bushings?

If you tires are wearing in the middle it's usually because there is too much air.

[Curless]

Car has never been in a accident

I have replaced one axle on that side from behind bent


A replacement axle (shaft as in the internal shaft) will not affect the alignment, the housing is bent at the ends where the bearings ride. The control arms will not cause the tires to lean in either. They can't possibly do that on a solid rear end housing.:beer:

[Pat]

When you spend north of $800.00 the gages will be reset and read normal.

Sign me;

Incredulous.

[Marauderjack]

What kind of adapter did he use on your wheels and how was it attached??:confused:

0.30* and -0.10* is mighty little......could just be experimental error!!:cool:

[clmrt]

Yep - see if it repeats when set up twice. My (old) alignment guy couldn't get his machine to read the same thing twice. We were talking fronts at the time, trying to get Carfixer's spec dialed in.

[Blk04MM]

I'd assume that if the alignment is off that much you'd see an obvious kink in the control arm(s).

OP.... how are the rear control arm bushings?

If you tires are wearing in the middle it's usually because there is too much air.

The bushings need replacing they are visibly worn (little cracks all over) but haven't went to :censor: yet


When you spend north of $800.00 the gages will be reset and read normal.

Sign me;

Incredulous.

1. Spend north $800 on what??
2. What is "gages"?


What kind of adapter did he use on your wheels and how was it attached??:confused:

0.30* and -0.10* is mighty little......could just be experimental error!!:cool:

Well I thought that could be the issue. It was a SHE that set up the adapters. It was the ones that push in just around the edges of the rim. After speaking to my buddy we think it could have possibly been the way she set it up


Yep - see if it repeats when set up twice. My (old) alignment guy couldn't get his machine to read the same thing twice. We were talking fronts at the time, trying to get Carfixer's spec dialed in.

I will let my buddy take it to his shop and see if he gets the same reading

[lifespeed]

If you tires are wearing in the middle it's usually because there is too much air.

I think the BFGs will wear in the middle of there is too little air. 36 - 37 psi seems to be about right for them to last 20K miles, about all you can expect from them.

[MOTOWN]

I think the BFGs will wear in the middle of there is too little air. 36 - 37 psi seems to be about right for them to last 20K miles, about all you can expect from them.

When i ran BFGs on the oem wheels they wore in the center no matter what the tire pressure was, never got away from the center wear issue until i widened my wheels.

[Blk04MM]

When i ran BFGs on the oem wheels they wore in the center no matter what the tire pressure was, never got away from the center wear issue until i widened my wheels.

Yup same here. I have a set I want to get widen but can't see paying 500 plus shipping. I wish I lived closer to them.

I run 295 on stock width and it's wore even so far

[FreddieH]

Are they aftermarket wheels, and do they spin straight, check that the wheel is firmly mounted and flush with the hub, if aftermarket they may need hub centric rings. The obvious way to tell is on a lift and the car in drive watching the wheels turn. If the tire is wobbling the alignment will not read correctly.

[RF Overlord]

I think the BFGs will wear in the middle of there is too little air. 36 - 37 psi seems to be about right for them to last 20K miles, about all you can expect from them.This is correct.

Way back when people first started having the issue, BFG stated that because of the tire and rim size combination, the tires would "balloon" at highway speeds and wear the centres faster. They recommended higher inflation pressure to help counteract.

Also interesting is that the door sticker on the 2003 300As said 32 lbs all around, yet the 300Bs and 2004s were 35...

[vegasmarauder]

You have a tweaked Watts link.

If you ever hit the rear wheel hard enough to bend the axle, the Watts link will give first. It will throw off the rear end alignment because the rear end is sitting slightly off to one side of the car. Usually opposite of the bent axle.

How do I know? Let's just say a family member got too eager going around a corner on the throttle and hopped a curb. Bent the axle and you couldn't really tell the Watts link was bent until you overlayed it on a good one. Then you could see it. Car drove with the steering wheel slightly offset after the new axle, that's how the Watts link was found.

If the axle housing is bent, even slightly, it will wipe out a new rear wheel bearing or diff clutch plates in no time at all, not to mention is will be noisy as heck.

The frames are QC checked at the factory. A mis-welded rear end attaching point would be easily found and the frame rejected. Other than the 4 trailing arm attaching points and the Watts link, there really is nothing else holding the rear to the frame. An offset front on rear impact can "Diamond" the frame and throw off the rear alignment, but you would be able to see something replaced in front or rear (bumper covers, impact absorbers, etc.) if the hit was that hard.

I have seen worn trailing arms cause the rear to mis-align, but hitting a curb and bending an axle moves the Watts link to the front of the list. Replace both arms at the same time.

[Blk04MM]

Are they aftermarket wheels, and do they spin straight, check that the wheel is firmly mounted and flush with the hub, if aftermarket they may need hub centric rings. The obvious way to tell is on a lift and the car in drive watching the wheels turn. If the tire is wobbling the alignment will not read correctly.

No sir. OEM wheels here


You have a tweaked Watts link.

If you ever hit the rear wheel hard enough to bend the axle, the Watts link will give first. It will throw off the rear end alignment because the rear end is sitting slightly off to one side of the car. Usually opposite of the bent axle.

How do I know? Let's just say a family member got too eager going around a corner on the throttle and hopped a curb. Bent the axle and you couldn't really tell the Watts link was bent until you overlayed it on a good one. Then you could see it. Car drove with the steering wheel slightly offset after the new axle, that's how the Watts link was found.

If the axle housing is bent, even slightly, it will wipe out a new rear wheel bearing or diff clutch plates in no time at all, not to mention is will be noisy as heck.

The frames are QC checked at the factory. A mis-welded rear end attaching point would be easily found and the frame rejected. Other than the 4 trailing arm attaching points and the Watts link, there really is nothing else holding the rear to the frame. An offset front on rear impact can "Diamond" the frame and throw off the rear alignment, but you would be able to see something replaced in front or rear (bumper covers, impact absorbers, etc.) if the hit was that hard.

I have seen worn trailing arms cause the rear to mis-align, but hitting a curb and bending an axle moves the Watts link to the front of the list. Replace both arms at the same time.

I will definitely check the watts link.