Fixing Negative Camber?

[urbex]

Ok...so I don't know much about suspensions or alignments...but my tires are wearing bad on the Lumina. Only the front...but I have a negative camber. Someone told me that you can't adjust the camber on the Lumina..is this true?

 

I have fairly new tires on the car and are in good shape...so I don't want to keep running through them, so I'd like to fix this. How would I go about fixing that then if it's not adjustable?

[RobertISaar]

http://i.imgur.com/jZ0Ji.png

 

enjoy.

[Schurkey]

my tires are wearing bad on the Lumina. Only the front

Excessive toe wear can be mistaken for camber wear in some cases.

 

 

...but I have a negative camber.

A slight amount of negative camber is a good thing. Excessive negative camber is...excessive. HOW MUCH negative camber do you have?

 

WHAT IS THE RIDE HEIGHT of the vehicle, measured by the official GM procedure? Ride height can dramatically affect alignment settings. You might find that fixing a ride-height issue will return the alignment angles to the proper spec.

[urbex]

http://i.imgur.com/jZ0Ji.png

 

enjoy.

 

Thank you! I'm just glad it can be done...I was getting worried.

 

Honestly I really don't know if it's toe wear or camber is off, but the inside of each front tire is wearing down drastically on each..so I just assumed that's what it was. If it makes it any more helpful, the cause of whatever is off is from an accidental "fall".

 

I'll have to go check the ride height in a little bid once it stops snowing....

[RobertISaar]

check/adjust toe before playing with camber.... though the fall could have caused the issue, do the easier process first.

[urbex]

Well, I think I might just see about having it done at school. It's like $10 plus parts for any service...and I've never done an alignment before, so I don't have the proper tools.

 

I do have to ask though, how do you know so much shit?

[RobertISaar]

because IRL, i have no friends(or people i regularly contact) outside of my wife, which leaves plenty of time to learn damn near anything i want.... not necessarily a good life choice, BTW.

[urbex]

Hmmm...doesn't sound all that different than me, yet I still don't learn anything. Just Facebook...

[carkhz316]

A simple check of the alignment at any competent alignment shop can see if it's actually camber wear or a toe out situation. And RobertISaar is spot on with that link. I had to do that in both of my Luminas and my MC.

[RobertISaar]

well, i am driven by the thought that death is inevitable and random, therefore, any time i am doing something that is not utilizing the fullest extent of my time left is waste.

 

and that's enough OT discussion for me.

 

i did a little bit of the adjustment on the wife's GP before i did discover it was a toe issue, it no longer burns up tires due to stevie wonder's alignment.

[urbex]

Yeah... I know I'm probably taking a risk getting it done at school, but for $10.... I don't really have the $ to go to a shop...especially since the HHR needs an alignment too. Hopefully it'll at least be better than it is now, and if not, it should make do until I can save up a little bit more for a shop. I mean, the teacher is with them in the shop...so it's not like a bunch of random people...and any shop can screw up, not just students.

 

I'm just really glad to hear that it is adjustable. Like I said, someone told me that on front wheel drive cars you couldn't and I'd have to replace a lot of parts...

[RobertISaar]

for $10, if there is anything more sophisticated than a tape measure and masking tape(how i measured toe BTW), it's a good deal.

[urbex]

Well and that's what I figured. The last time I had it done at a shop it was $50, and that was about 4-5 years ago..so it's probably gone up since then. And, if I'm getting it done on two cars, I'll save quite a bit.

[carkhz316]

You'll be fine having it done at the school. At least where I went, any time a customer brought something in, the instructor made damn sure that things were done right. Also, I know prices vary, but around here, the average 4-wheel alignment is ~$80

[urbex]

I just checked my ride height. 9" all around.

[Schurkey]

I just checked my ride height. 9" all around.

 

What is GM spec for your vehicle?

[RobertISaar]

http://i.imgur.com/yV1fy.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/Z6azC.png

[urbex]

Hmm...well maybe I'll have to go back and check. Mind you, it's very cold, so I was in a hurry...lol

[Schurkey]

I don't understand. Measurement J and K don't make sense to me.

 

There is NO WAY that rocker-panel to ground is .39 inch.

 

I'm not sure that 3.9 inches is enough...but maybe. I suppose this COULD be a decimal error.

[RobertISaar]

wouldn't be the first time.

[urbex]

Yeah, I really don't think it's 3.9" off the ground.... I think I would have bottomed out a few times. Maybe 9.3"?

[RobertISaar]

or, it could be showing the difference you might see between the two points.

[Schurkey]

or, it could be showing the difference you might see between the two points.

 

Good call.

[stockgp]

what's wrong with alittle negative camber?

 

seriously, though, if you decide to take it to a shop, make sure it's a reputable one. one of the previous owners of my tgp had an alignment done at some point, and the shop filed one of the bolt holes so much that there is maybe 3/16" between the inside of the bolt hole and the outside of the strut tower cutout

[urbex]

Well, I think I'm going to take it to school and get fixed. I mean, yeah it's students working on it...but the teachers are there helping them. I've only had one auto class, and it wasn't a lab, but from what I've heard and seen I'd trust them. I mean, I doubt they'd make it worse than it is...