Swapped a couple suspension parts, rear toe still out after hitting curb

[NCYankee]

I thought about resurrecting my old thread from a few months ago but most of the info I gave then was more or less useless so I decided to save everyone from reading 13 or 14 obsolete posts.

To rehash - I spun out and hit a curb a while ago at low speed, prob less than 5 mph. No tire or rim damage, but something got bent.

The result was extreme positive toe, 1.37 deg, way past the .21 deg max. Camber is also a little out to the positive side as would be expected after a low rim shot, -.45 deg (spec is -.60 to -1.60)

I replaced the rear toe link, because the bushing was history - didn't help at all, other than maybe a little more stability because the inboard attachment stopped wandering around, but it didn't change the alignment specs.

Today I replaced the RLCA, because it appeared that the front attachment was a little bent - and it was, but only slightly, I took measurements with a Vernier caliper and one of the bushing brackets was torqued slightly down and in, but not more than 1-1.5 mm - prob not enough to cause the toe to be that far out of spec.

I haven't had the alignment checked yet (I got the lifetime alignement at Firestone) but I am pretty sure it's still way out - though I set the toe back to where it was, max negative, a rough check with a straightedge across the tire shows it still hitting the edge of the wheel well in pretty much the same place as before.

I also had a hard time getting it back together, with the ball joint and rear bolt in, the front bolt was still about a half inch out - it took some creative (but very light) use of the jack on the rotor hub to help me push it into line. This misalignment also suggests the toe is still way positive, and pretty much eliminates the front toe link - if it were bent in a way to cause pos toe, it wouldn't have held the bolt away from the hole.

I guess that leaves the RUCA, hub or the subframe or subframe attachments.

How likely is the hub to have bent on a low speed hit that didn't even damage the tire or rim?

If I post good hi-res pics of the front RLCA mount point would someone be able to tell if it was bent?

Could the RUCA get bent in such a manner as to cause pos toe and camber on a low rim shot? I can't visualize how that could happen, given the stresses that would result from such a hit.

[str33tprintz]

Hey sorry dude that blows its really unlikely that you bent the hub trust me I spun out doing more than 35mph and bent the lower control arm, upper control arm, toe. I have replaced all but the upper control arm. My rear end is still kinda out of whack though I got some serious positive camber but I am pretty sure its the last arm.

check the pics zerothread?id=417428

My suggestion is replace all the arms and bolts then check sub frame. I seriously doubt you bent the hub at all. gl

Oh I forgot PICS NOW

[destroyyourmind]

chances are you tweaked the subframe mine is the same way I bought spc adjustable ruca's, tied a string to the frame in the front ran it back to a jackstand and got it really even with the frame by measuring off of that

[NCYankee]

Holy sheet printz you did a job on that RLCA - my bend was so slight it took 5 mins and a Vernier to find it .

Looking at your pics, if the S13 subframe is the same as the S14 it looks like the one part you didn't bend might be the one I did - my front LCA attachment bracket on the subframe looked to me like it might have gotten a little twisted upward/inboard, where my car was parked in my garage yesterday I didn't have room to pull the other wheel and look but I will do that soon.

I guess your hit was more straight on to the rear end of the LCA, judging by the way it folded up, while mine must have been angled more along the front end. I was spinning at the time and I guess if I sort of backed over the curb that would make sense.

[NCYankee]

So I got the alignment checked, a tiny bit closer but still way out - 1.3 deg vs 1.37 before, camber now -.5 vs -.45 - really no progress.

One thing the tech suggested is an adjustable toe link, if there is one that will allow considerable adjustment shorter than stock. My concern is that this would have the effect of moving the entire wheel slightly in, assuming the subframe attachment is what is bent. Yesterday I even detached the toe link outboard bolt while trying to get the front LCA bolt in, and it didn't help much at all, so I am not even sure an adjustable toe link would help - it would essentially be forcing the whole suspension to twist even more that it is now.

Any thoughts would be welcome - thinking about going to a frame shop and getting their opinion.

One thing I am wondering - the last two guys who tried to align this put the other wheel at max neg toe to keep total toe to a min - I guess this would tend to make the back end want to wander slightly to the right - I guess to avoid having the car basically "pigoen-toed" and dragging both tires .

This guy put the right rear wheel in spec - so I am wondering, which is better when the rear is this far out of whack? I still need to drive this thing daily while I am fixing it.
Modified by NCYankee at 2:05 PM 6/11/2009