shop tells me i have frame damage!!

PersianLegacy

yep i changed that, that was the front tire. and after it was done went and got an alignment done right away. and everything was back to normal.

the second time i went and got the alignment was because i noticed how badly the rear tire was cambered in. it was so noticeable.

No potholes were hit, no curb was hit. i just dont understand what threw off the alignment.

the alignment got all screwed up after i installed the bolt on 20mm H&R spacers on the rear. but there is no way it would threw it off by that much!....

ZMan8

My guess would be some ridiculous pot hole unless your frame is rotting and decided to bend. (unlikely)

Edit: 20 mm spacers will not throw off your alignment. In fact I would say that anyone adding just spacers probably doesn't need an alignment.

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2010 370Z 40 Anniv., 6 MT | Fast Intentions | Swift Springs | SPC | Z1Motorsports | JWM | Redline Oils | 35% Window Tint
2015 Mazda6 | 370ZChicago: Chicago Area Cars & Coffee

speedfreek

Not sure other than go to a different Firestone and see if they can do better. I have the lifetime alignment with Firestone and ended up going to a different one further away as I did not like the techs at the one closest to where I live. With that said I get my alignments done at a Ford dealership now as their alighnment rack is in the ground and doesn't require me to remove my front bumper to get the car up on it. They did an awesome job getting my alignment dialed in for the track.

The only thing I can think of as to why your rear is at -3.7 camber is if they didn't tighten everything up correctly and you went on some spirited runs and each time you stressed the suspension it worked its way out more and more. It happened to me at Zdayz this year. I got an alignment done before I left at Firestone. And by my last run on the Dragon one of my rears was visibly way out of spec at -3+ camber. Since then I have completely changed shops and haven't had any issues with my alignment. FYI I was running with Swift springs and 20mm spacers on all 4.

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PersianLegacy

you know i bet that is what happened as well! they didnt tighten up the bolts the first time and as i drove the car it just got pulled out. now here is my question. how come the jackass keep telling me that he cant push it out anymore and this is as far as it goes? couldnt he just keep pushing it out till it get back to where its suppose to be?!..

speedfreek

The problem isn't the fact you can go -3.7 give or take. It is trying to go back in towards spec. -1.5 let's say. When lowering depending on other variables you will most likely need the rear camber arms and toe bolts to get the Camber and Toe back to spec in order to prolong tire life. I would go to a different shop as they sound incompetent at your current one. See if they can do a better job with the alignment with what you have now. It won't cost you anything if you got the lifetime package. Then if they confirm that is the best they can do with the stock hardware you will need to upgrade to aftermarket arms for more adjustability.

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PersianLegacy

yea i do have the lifetime warranty. they did the second alignment for free. I will try and take it to a diff firestone. and hope they can do a better job.

what i am scared of is that they had forgotten to tighten the bolt, and as a result of me driving, something is now actually bent.....

what would be a correct camber adjustment for rear anyways? i really dont want to keep chewing the hell out of my tires..they arent cheap..

Haboob

I haven't needed an alignment w/my 20mm spacers. Something else is going on me thinks.

speedfreek

Depends on your purpose. Just for street and only worried about tire life. You would want to be around -1.5. Obviously this has an effect on handling but you can't have both. I would shoot for -1.5 camber and close as you can get to 0 toe if your goal is to preserve your tires. Toe is worse than camber when you have a misaligned car. Toe angle will eat a brand new set of tires up in a few months time.

Stock specs for rear:

Camber
-2.16 to -1.17

Toe
.09 to .21

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forza370z

That is strange. Spacers shouldn't get you that much negative camber. And you stated you didn't have any collisions. Car is on stock suspensions. I'd re-check if the spacer is installed correctly. Are there any loose bolt? Re-tighten them but don't over tighten too(80ib of torque).

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09 PW 370z Nismo | K&N Drop Ins | HKS Hi Power | Berk HFCs | Work Meister S1 3P | Project Kics R40 Neo Chrome Lug Nuts | KW V1 | SPC rear camber arms/toe bolts | Southbend Stage 3 daily clutch | Southband 19Ib Steel Flywheel | ZSpeed CSC

PersianLegacy

The spacer was a bolt on. used a torque wrench to get it exactly at 80. i have checked the spacer its not loose or damaged or bent..

forza370z

Hmmm... very interesting. So if you take the spacer off will the camber back to normal? If not, then something else is up.

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09 PW 370z Nismo | K&N Drop Ins | HKS Hi Power | Berk HFCs | Work Meister S1 3P | Project Kics R40 Neo Chrome Lug Nuts | KW V1 | SPC rear camber arms/toe bolts | Southbend Stage 3 daily clutch | Southband 19Ib Steel Flywheel | ZSpeed CSC

PersianLegacy

na once the alignment goes off you gotta readjust by the 2 bolts underneath the car. i am so convinced that the spacer has nothing to do with the camber and alignment issue i have.. i bet these jackasses forgot to tighten one the bolts the first time, and over time as i drove the car the bolt became lose and pushed the alignment off...

now here is a question...if either bolts were loose and not tighten properly it would deff cause the alignment to get thrown off..now will it damage or bend anything?...

kenchan

loose camber/toe bolts will throw off your setting, but does not bend or damage anything.

if it really bent or broke, you probably wont be able to drive your car at all.

kenchan

in fact, some shop that people recommended in my area did my alignment on my dd. i asked the tech (who also rang me up to pay which i though was odd) wat torque he used on the camber bolts. he said 'i gave a few zips, that's all that's needed.'

zips as in impact gun zip noise. i was like WTF ... so when i got home, i torqued the camber bolts. sure enough, not enough torque.

i never go to that place any more.

ZMan8

I haven't encountered any mechanics or alignment techc that use torque wrenches. All of them "give it a few zips"

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2010 370Z 40 Anniv., 6 MT | Fast Intentions | Swift Springs | SPC | Z1Motorsports | JWM | Redline Oils | 35% Window Tint
2015 Mazda6 | 370ZChicago: Chicago Area Cars & Coffee