Left rear negative camber WTF?
04-10-08, 03:57 PM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
Left rear negative camber WTF?
Guys...I'm stumped.
Checked the tires on the LS (UL air suspension) and noticed the left rear tire is wearing way unevenly. The inside edge of it is showing threads...the tire needs replacement anyway but I see a huge negative camber problem on this wheel. The other rear wheel has wear on the inside edge as well but not as much. I can even see that the top of the left rear wheel is tilted further in than the bottom of that wheel.
Looking at the trusty repair manual...I came know that the camber requires replacement of the #2 lower suspension arm. That makes me think...wtf is going on....neither the #1 or #2 look bent or damaged in any way. How is my wheel sitting so crooked when there isn't any way for it to go out of spec but for an accident or damage to the #2 arm? The manual states that the camber adjusts slightly with a change in toe but that wouldn't explain this huge camber problem. I believe that the toe is correct or at least, darn close to it.
Checked the tires on the LS (UL air suspension) and noticed the left rear tire is wearing way unevenly. The inside edge of it is showing threads...the tire needs replacement anyway but I see a huge negative camber problem on this wheel. The other rear wheel has wear on the inside edge as well but not as much. I can even see that the top of the left rear wheel is tilted further in than the bottom of that wheel.
Looking at the trusty repair manual...I came know that the camber requires replacement of the #2 lower suspension arm. That makes me think...wtf is going on....neither the #1 or #2 look bent or damaged in any way. How is my wheel sitting so crooked when there isn't any way for it to go out of spec but for an accident or damage to the #2 arm? The manual states that the camber adjusts slightly with a change in toe but that wouldn't explain this huge camber problem. I believe that the toe is correct or at least, darn close to it.
Last edited by Nauticalx; 04-10-08 at 04:26 PM.
04-10-08, 04:29 PM
#6
Instructor
Thread Starter
Can you guys also check your vehicles. Upon a search I found at least one other thread complaining of left rear camber problems as well as the following thread at Lexus Owners Club.
http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums...howtopic=40322
http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums...howtopic=40322
04-10-08, 05:20 PM
#7
I recently had an alignment done on my 05' LS UL.
My left rear also has 0.5 degree more negative camber then the right side. For your info, the cambers are: left rear is -2.0 and right rear is -1 3/8.
I just bought the car and it got new tires on it, but the left rear tire does have slightly more wear on the inside edge, but not too bad.
I had the shop put the rear toe at -1/8" to compensate for the negative camber.
And yes, the camber are not adjustable from the factory, the guy in the other thread said Lexus offer 3 different lenghts of arms to allow adjustment of camber by switching out the arm, somehow I don't believe that, but I will ask the dealer when I bring my car in next week.
My left rear also has 0.5 degree more negative camber then the right side. For your info, the cambers are: left rear is -2.0 and right rear is -1 3/8.
I just bought the car and it got new tires on it, but the left rear tire does have slightly more wear on the inside edge, but not too bad.
I had the shop put the rear toe at -1/8" to compensate for the negative camber.
And yes, the camber are not adjustable from the factory, the guy in the other thread said Lexus offer 3 different lenghts of arms to allow adjustment of camber by switching out the arm, somehow I don't believe that, but I will ask the dealer when I bring my car in next week.
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04-10-08, 05:24 PM
#8
Instructor
Thread Starter
The repair manual does list 3 part numbers....I'm assuming those are the three lengths but it doesn't say what length each is. I'm just puzzled as to how the camber can get out of whack at all w/o damage to the vehicle. A steel bar doesn't just change length over time.
04-10-08, 05:35 PM
#9
I looked on www.l-tunedparts.com and the rear lateral arm does come in 3 different length, so that guy was right!
The lengths are: Length = 441.5 mm, Length = 446.5 mm, Length = 451.5 mm
See for yourself here:
http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...layCatalogid=0
So it is possible to change the camber by switching out the arm!
As to why it happened? Since your car, my car and that guy's car all had extra camber at the left rear, maybe they were all build this way, some kind of consistent factory mistake I guess. Who cares as long as we can get it fix!
The lengths are: Length = 441.5 mm, Length = 446.5 mm, Length = 451.5 mm
See for yourself here:
http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...layCatalogid=0
So it is possible to change the camber by switching out the arm!
As to why it happened? Since your car, my car and that guy's car all had extra camber at the left rear, maybe they were all build this way, some kind of consistent factory mistake I guess. Who cares as long as we can get it fix!
04-10-08, 06:47 PM
#13
I looked around, found 2 more people saying their left rear got extra negative cambers.
Seems like it is a common thing.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ghlight=camber
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ghlight=camber
Seems like it is a common thing.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ghlight=camber
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ghlight=camber
04-10-08, 06:54 PM
#15
Instructor
Thread Starter
I don't know if you guys recall this but a while back I posted about how I corrected my car's notoriously low right rear (common on the air suspension LS430's) by adjusting the height control arm attached to the height control module. I wonder if moving the arms to lower the left and raise the right side to correct the sagging right side can cause the left rear to camber negative. As the wheel moves in the wheel wheel it seems to automatically camber in to fit. (We all recall seeing those ridiculously overloaded vehicles rolling down the highway with their bowlegged looking rear tires)