How to improve/hold alignment better?

[romero1990]

My car has about 125K miles on the clock. The previous owner replaced the front control arms kit probably back at 100K ish mark.

The car currently has B12 Pro kit and Vorshlag camber-caster plate.

admittingly Bay Area HW/Road condition is pretty bad and I have probably did 1-2 medium potholes in between the 2 alignments. The front is horrible My X3 has been to worse but doesn't seem going bad as fast.

I wonder how do I check what is coming loose easily and how to make it a bit better at holding alignments? Or if I just have to go doing alignments more frequently to keep it straight?



This is the alignment right after I installed B12 kit.


This is the alignment today after 1.2K miles and about 2 months driving

[atopa2002]

Did you torque the camber plates to 55 ft lbs which is the torque specs ?
my also slipped when I under torque it

[DRLane]

Originally Posted by atopa2002

Did you torque the camber plates to 55 ft lbs which is the torque specs ?
my also slipped when I under torque it

That torque spec sounds high. You sure about 55ft lbs? GC is only 18ft lbs.

[romero1990]

Originally Posted by atopa2002

Did you torque the camber plates to 55 ft lbs which is the torque specs ?
my also slipped when I under torque it

did you mean between the plate and the shock or to the top mount?

the plate to top mount is only 31NM

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...struts/GUXUC3w

Between the plate and shock I use the Vorshlag "pulsing" method with impact

[atopa2002]

sorry ,
initially it was slipping at the recommend torque spec , I increased it to about 50 NM and it stayed put.

[slowdown_dan]

Have your alignment tech mark your bolts/nuts, etc. this way you can see what "slipped".

Also, mark the inside of your tires and rims bead. Slipping tires will cause the wheels to go out of balance which can feel like the alignment went bad.

Example shown in pic.

This was just one track day, and the inside of the apex wheels are even knurled to help prevent slipping. Granted the Toyo RR's are way stickier than your average street tire and I was absolutely givener on the track, but it's an example of things to look for none the less.

[romero1990]

Originally Posted by butte2butte

Have your alignment tech mark your bolts/nuts, etc. this way you can see what "slipped".

Also, mark the inside of your tires and rims bead. Slipping tires will cause the wheels to go out of balance which can feel like the alignment went bad.

Example shown in pic.

This was just one track day, and the inside of the apex wheels are even knurled to help prevent slipping. Granted the Toyo RR's are way stickier than your average street tire and I was absolutely givener on the track, but it's an example of things to look for none the less.

good points. I thought about at least mark the camber plates, but procrastinated. The tire slip is... wow

[ne92m3]

**HELP**

Not sure what to do… recently had H&R lowering springs installed, car is now pulling to the right and steering wheel tilted to the left. Went to 4 different Firestones to get a “Wheel Alignment” but still having issue with pulling. Firestone recommended going to a specialty shop.. have an appointment saved with bmw dealer this week for their alignment but not sure if it’s worth the $$ they charge or if they would even fix the issue.

[Redd]

If your car is pulling to one side or the wheel is not straight on after an alignment then it's the shop's fault. You need to find a better alignment shop. By default, many BMWs will have a slight pull to the left and the alignment guy needs to know how to compensate for this.

[MineralWhiteF80]

Originally Posted by ne92m3

have an appointment saved with bmw dealer this week for their alignment but not sure if it’s worth the $$ they charge or if they would even fix the issue.

Yes, BMW wants to charge something like $249+ for an alignment, but BMW dealerships tend to do 'stock spec' alignments very well and much more accurate than your typical $99 dollar tire shop. Only a specialty race car shop that costs equal or more than BMW would likely give you a better alignment.

For example, BMW uses a tool that has bubble level on it that mounts on the steering wheel to ensure the wheel is aimed dead straight, and then a tool that locks the steering wheel to keep it from moving (most tire shops just eye ball it, or use a bungee cord or strap to 'hold it'). This allows BMW to more accurately adjust front toe settings in relation to steering wheel direction, and BMWs are super finicky about steering wheel direction.

BMW also ballasts the car with sand bags to simulate occupants/luggage (on average) so the car is aligned more closely to real-world scenarios.

[bbnks2]

Originally Posted by Redd

If your car is pulling to one side or the wheel is not straight on after an alignment then it's the shop's fault. You need to find a better alignment shop. By default, many BMWs will have a slight pull to the left and the alignment guy needs to know how to compensate for this.

Not true. The steering wheel being "off center" is different than a "pull."

A pull is caused by the side-to-side difference in CAMBER that he has. See the left front is much higher camber than the right front?

OP needs to check the spring installation. Also check the top strut mounts for signs they have collapsed. Something is causing your camber to be off from side-to-side. There is also play in the mounting slots for the strut... Maybe one strut is pushed more toward the engine bay than the other.

An alignment shop generally won't touch front camber because it's not considered as adjustable. Only the strut mount can be manipulated really.