Technical Wheel alignment

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Technical Wheel alignment

cdmoran

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Does anyone have an issue with measurement differences in wheel arch clearance between o/s and n/s? I have had new drop links fitted which seemed to cure the problem temporarily but now clearance seems to be drifting again. Has anyone else had this problem?
 
Does anyone have an issue with measurement differences in wheel arch clearance between o/s and n/s? I have had new drop links fitted which seemed to cure the problem temporarily but now clearance seems to be drifting again. Has anyone else had this problem?

Droplinks will quickly settle to whatever the static clearance was before fitting.

The only thing which should determine static clearance is the springs. If the car is sitting unevenly, then the springs should be checked for potential breakage and, if you are being thorough, the springs should be removed completely and their free length checked for permanent deformation.

Mind you, if I'd gone to the trouble of fully dismantling the struts, I'd be inclined to change the springs anyway, particularly if the car had a history of settling on one side.

The exception to this is if the anti roll bar is not properly centered with the car at rest. Check the static ride height with the droplinks removed - if this fixes the issue, then you need to refit the drop links, loosen the anti roll bar with the weight on the wheels, bounce the front up & down a few times to settle the suspension, and then retighten the anti roll bar.
 
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Thanks for your explanation. Full front spring replacement sounds expensive. Could I just live with the difference? The car is level on its springs it a difference in the wheel arch clearance with one wheel further forward in the arch than the other.
 
...Isnt great, about 7mm. Is this worth worrying about as long as wheel arch clearance is safe and sufficient?
 
Thanks for your explanation. Full front spring replacement sounds expensive. Could I just live with the difference? The car is level on its springs it a difference in the wheel arch clearance with one wheel further forward in the arch than the other.

What you describe is the caster on one side being more than the other.

This happens as not all cars are totally straight but if very pronounced one side might have taken a hit and/or the wishbone be bent, or the bush cracked.
 
My thought also. Do you know the history of the car? Has it had any accidents, even a minor front-end bump? Misalignment of such a small amount could easily result from such a bump.
If it drives, steers and brakes with no issues, it may not be worth worrying about.
 
Yes. It has hit a kerb at approx 30mph. This was the cause of the misalignment for sure. Just a worry that it seemed cured by new front drop links and bushes but now it seems to be reverting back. Thanks for all your feedback.
 
Have a look under the bonnet at the top suspension mounts, are they the same height above the body work? One spring sagging more than the other might also be a factor, difficult to measure though.
 
If you park on nice level smooth surface with the front wheels straight, handbrake on, then try to rotate the top of each front wheel in turn. If one or both can roll backwards and forwards about 25mm at the top, then the rear bush of the wishbone has failed. This would probably be an MOT failure although fortunately nothing would fall off. If the wheel on the side which hit the kerb is the one that is further to the rear, then that wishbone may be bent slightly back.
 
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