uneven front camber rates

[nomansland92]

ever since i got my IX i've noticed my passenger side had a little bit more of negative camber than the driver side. And not that i lowered it a little bit it has became more noticeable. My driver side is at -1.61 which isn't bad but the passenger side is -2.13. So its a .53 degree difference. I have the carfax and history of the car and its never been in a bad accidents and even from the locks from under the car everything looks straight and everything lines up fine. So I was thinking the strut housing must be bent. But when i had it out before i didn't noticed it bent so how noticeable would it be and whats the best way to check it.

I have billy hd's on in also.

Thanks for any advise

[ak-]

Bent control arm?
Maybe it's not noticeable to the naked eye, and I'm not familiar with iX suspension geometry so it could be something else I suppose too.

[nomansland92]

that would be nice if it were the control arm because IX strut housings are uber expensive,

Its all coming apart soon so i can trim the bump stops down so i'm going to check everything out real carefully and with a straight edge

[jlevie]

A curb strike is enough to bend a control arm or strut tower. That is unlikely to show up in the history of the vehicle unless other damage was incurred. I think I'd replace the control arms and then see what the camber looks like. If still off I'd fix it by installing GC touring plates. Camber anywhere from 1.5-2.5 deg is okay on a street car if both sides have the same camber. If camber winds up above 2deg I'd set toe to zero to minimize tire wear.

[nomansland92]

either way im putting new top hats on which is 200 bucks so i was just debating using gc adjustable for 400 bucks and set it even.

[Hellabad]

Whenever you have uneven camber on a car with struts (that's your 325ix), you need to check for a bent strut. Fortunately, it is VERY easy.

Did you ever adjust your valves? Same philosophy.

You do not need to jack up the car. It does not make a difference.

Turn the steering wheel all they way to the right, if you are right handed.

Grab a socket from your socket set. Maybe start by grabbing the 12 mm socket. Try to squeeze it between the strut and the tire, right below the spring.

Is the socket loose in the gap? Then try again with the 13mm, or the 14mm socket.

Is the socket tight in the gap? Then try again with a 10mm, or 9mm.

When you find the socket that is a smoov fit, then take that exact same socket and go around to the other side of the car.

Do the exact same thing. If the socket is the same fitment in the gap between the tire and the strut, that's great. That means you do not have a bent strut. Of course now you have to find out why the camber is different, but this is a big headstart.

If the gap is unequal, double check the gaps, but you probably have a bent strut.

It is hard to say which is bent, at this point all you know is that they are different, but most struts bend towards POSITIVE, from the front tire hitting a curb and bending the top of the tire outward.

Jay from GC

Note: This only checks for a bent strut HOUSING, but a bent strut shaft is very easy to diagnose. Basically the strut wont move.

[nomansland92]

^ thank you, this will be very helpful