[acdHQK713K]

Took my car to a very very reputable suspension shop in the area to have the M3 control arms installed, neg camber added in through the camber plates, and aligned afterwards.

After all of that was done I noticed that the car would track to the right at highway speeds even on the most level roads. It is not terribly noticeable at lower speeds, and I don't remember it doing this before the install and alignment. The car has never been in an accident. Tires have about 2k miles on them and per shop are not the cause of the problem.

I had the shop recheck everything and they said the alignment was perfect, and that the coilovers are likely to blame.

From what I remember the driver side is about 1/2" higher than the passenger side. I am not sure if that was 100% due to strut length or spring level (JIC coilovers have both adjustments) but I believe it was a combo of the two. They tried to explain why this would cause the car to track to the right but it was a bit over my head but had something to do with sway bar.

The car also has an interesting tendency to torque the wheel clockwise when hitting bumps at highway speeds when the initial deflection of the car is upwards.

Anyone care to explain what is going on and how I might go about solving this on my own before shelling out another several hundred to get it corrected.

I assume height adjustment is the first thing. Is that it though?

[acdHQK713K]

Double checked just now and measuring from the garage floor to a point on the fender. The driver side is 1/2 CM higher than the passenger side. Doesn't seem like that much.

[CALWATERBOY]

Originally Posted by Stangorang

Double checked just now and measuring from the garage floor to a point on the fender. The driver side is 1/2 CM higher than the passenger side. Doesn't seem like that much.

Try measuring when you're in the driver's seat, a reason BMW spec'd it that way.

Hmmmmmm....did the alignment shop place weights in the car per BMW's recommendation before performing the job?

Hunter reputed to make the BMW Kinematic Diagnosis System (KDS) used for dealer alignment.

Register to download this informative BMW doc at bottom of first post; goto page 34 for preload (weights) spec. That site's a treasure trove o'info.

Also:

[acdHQK713K]

Alignment was done the old fashion way. I was not sitting in the car. No weight was added.

In the past the car was aligned on one of the Hunter machines. Again I have never sat in the car nor was there ballast. Never had an issue with the computer alignment.

[CALWATERBOY]

Originally Posted by Stangorang

Alignment was done the old fashion way. I was not sitting in the car. No weight was added.

In the past the car was aligned on one of the Hunter machines. Again I have never sat in the car nor was there ballast. Never had an issue with the computer alignment.

Assuming you didn't have the same behavior before suspension arm replacement, coilover problems seem unlikely - maybe they can be more specific. What coilovers do you use?

Assuming control arms were new and genuine BMW M parts, replacing old M control arms, look at the install - ask what torque values were used. You might want to jack it up, take a wheel or two off, and inspect....

Front control arms only? Guessing you have the other M parts on the front end. If not, M tension struts and front sway, please, provided your coilovers are compatible. Easy DIY if you have a place to work.

[acdHQK713K]

Originally Posted by CALWATERBOY

Assuming you didn't have the same behavior before suspension arm replacement, coilover problems seem unlikely - maybe they can be more specific. What coilovers do you use?

Assuming control arms were new and genuine BMW M parts, replacing old M control arms, look at the install - ask what torque values were used. You might want to jack it up, take a wheel or two off, and inspect....

Front control arms only? Guessing you have the other M parts on the front end. If not, M tension struts and front sway, please, provided your coilovers are compatible. Easy DIY if you have a place to work.

Coilovers are in my sig. Yes, brand new M3 parts for the front end only.

I can't say that the problem wasn't there before the control arm install and alignment, I can say that I did not notice a problem before they were done.

[CALWATERBOY]

Originally Posted by Stangorang

Coilovers are in my sig. Yes, brand new M3 parts for the front end only.

I can't say that the problem wasn't there before the control arm install and alignment, I can say that I did not notice a problem before they were done.

Shoulda asked. Poss wear on coilovers / many miles? Can see a diff between sides would cause the problem.

[sle39lvr]

I have the same problem, posted here several times, no luck.

There's a post here somewhere on how to re-align your front sway bar, which could be the culprit. Give that a try.

Me driver's side is taller about .6" inches, make the car pull to the right excessively.

[acdHQK713K]

Originally Posted by CALWATERBOY

Shoulda asked. Poss wear on coilovers / many miles? Can see a diff between sides would cause the problem.

Nope. They are basically new. Shop said no issues with them. Just the height, which can be corrected.

The coilivers have both preload and strut length adjustments. Shop wants some time to adjust it all, but the labor charges are

I know these guys know what they are doing. Just don't get how new m3 control arms + neg camber + alignment leads to a car that pulls.

[CALWATERBOY]

Originally Posted by Stangorang

Coilovers are in my sig. Yes, brand new M3 parts for the front end only.

I can't say that the problem wasn't there before the control arm install and alignment, I can say that I did not notice a problem before they were done.

If I've read you right, relatively new sway. If adjustable end links, was all installed w/wheels at normal ride height, no load on the bar [torque due to one side or both a bit off]; checked after new suspension parts?

[tinnsoldaten]

Im on my way to install new coilovers , but I am not sure if I should go with Eibach R1 or the JIC CROSS. I got a lot of potholes and bad road sections in my town so I would go for the one that handles bad road the best.

Stangorang, you have any experience so far with bad road and these coilovers ?

[acdHQK713K]

Originally Posted by CALWATERBOY

If I've read you right, relatively new sway. If adjustable end links, was all installed w/wheels at normal ride height, no load on the bar [torque due to one side or both a bit off]; checked after new suspension parts?

No new sway. Stock sway still being used.

[ChuckD05]

odd, I just had BMW to my alignment for that reason... good luck...

[sonorous]

I am no expert but just throwing out an idea here. I see in the DIY instructions that one is supposed to compress the strut to bring the hub to approximate normal ride height prior to tightening the mounting points of the control arms. Is it possible the shop did not do this and could it somehow be related?

[acdHQK713K]

Originally Posted by sonorous

I am no expert but just throwing out an idea here. I see in the DIY instructions that one is supposed to compress the strut to bring the hub to approximate normal ride height prior to tightening the mounting points of the control arms. Is it possible the shop did not do this and could it somehow be related?

Yep, that was done.

[acdHQK713K]

Well I made some progress.

I measured the suspension with a digital caliper (spring perch to top of strut body, strut body length) and from what I can tell there were only 1mm differences here and there.

I then swapped the left and right front wheels, unbolted the sway bar and bolted it back up and torqued to specs. The sway bar did not seem like it had much tension as I unbolted it. My inexperienced eye did not see any abnormalities on the tires.

Took it on the freeway and the pulling is improved. Not perfect, but more livable. We shall see how long this lasts. Since I did both things at the same time I am not sure which one is responsible for the improvement.

[CALWATERBOY]

Originally Posted by Stangorang

Well I made some progress.

I measured the suspension with a digital caliper (spring perch to top of strut body, strut body length) and from what I can tell there were only 1mm differences here and there.

I then swapped the left and right front wheels, unbolted the sway bar and bolted it back up and torqued to specs. The sway bar did not seem like it had much tension as I unbolted it. My inexperienced eye did not see any abnormalities on the tires.

Took it on the freeway and the pulling is improved. Not perfect, but more livable. We shall see how long this lasts. Since I did both things at the same time I am not sure which one is responsible for the improvement.

Stuff happens. Maybe an imperfect number of torques due to wear or install problems. No M sway? You should consider acquiring that - simple install....got M tension struts?