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Broken Ground Control Camber Plates, 3rd time, ritual self-disembowelment imminent

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    Broken Ground Control Camber Plates, 3rd time, ritual self-disembowelment imminent

    Has this happened to anyone else? Sorry if pics r huge, can't really deal rn





    Shortened struts (by ground control), coilovers by ground control, sport camber plates by, and personally upsold to me by ground control. All items bought direct and professionally installed by two different bmw-only mechanics with excellent reputations in the Bay Area, California, USA.

    Somehow, the whole works seems to be riding on the 1/16" of metal as shown by the red arrow. This is where it breaks every time, leaving me out parts, (Ground Control will not comp the $30 insert to a multi-car kit customer), labor, and an alignment for a nice swift kick to the nuts at the end.

    Thankfully i haven't fixed the hood before any of these times.

    I guess mostly I am asking for a recommendation for aggressive-street (driving not parking) camber plates that are NOT by Ground Control, but compatible.

    Thank you very much in advance for any help. This car is my daily and my favorite car.

    Darien
    Darien
    1974 2002 "Careen"
    1988 325i vert "Serene"
    1994 Ferrari 348 spider "Fiora"

    #2
    Wow, that sucks. I was just getting ready to buy a set of those, too. Vorshlag would be my next suggestion.
    '72 2002 pickup | '88 M5 | '89 330is | '89 M3 | '01 Z3M | '11 328xi-t

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      #3
      FWIW I have these same camber plates and have had zero issues. That being said, Vorshlag is about the only other option. UUC makes them as well but hasn't their reputation recently been called into question?
      Originally posted by LJ851
      I programmed my oven to turn off when my pizza was done, should i start a build thread?

      Feedback

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        #4
        I have Vorschlag plates on my swapped car. Numerous track days and mountain road weekends; no issues.
        Originally posted by kronus
        would be in depending on tip slant and tube size

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          #5
          That's not only strange, but more so that it happened twice. I have several friends using t5he same plates on race cars (some been on for years), and have never seen this before.
          john@m20guru.com
          Links:
          Transaction feedback: Here, here and here. Thanks :D

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            #6
            Originally posted by ForcedFirebird View Post
            That's not only strange, but more so that it happened twice. I have several friends using t5he same plates on race cars (some been on for years), and have never seen this before.
            Thrice. I will check out Vorshlag - thank you guys :)
            Darien
            1974 2002 "Careen"
            1988 325i vert "Serene"
            1994 Ferrari 348 spider "Fiora"

            Comment


              #7
              Is there something wrong with your strut? That should not be a heavily loaded spot on that camber plate design. What's going on with your bump stop?
              2006 GMC Sierra 2500HD 4WD LBZ/Allison
              2002 BMW M3 Alpinweiß/Black
              1999 323i GTS2 Alpinweiß
              1995 M3 Dakargelb/Black
              - S50B32/S6S420G/3.91
              1990 325is Brilliantrot/Tan
              1989 M3 Alpinweiß/Black

              Hers: 1996 Porsche 911 Turbo Black/Black
              Hers: 1988 325iX Coupe Diamantschwartz/Black 5spd

              sigpic

              Comment


                #8
                Bit hard to tell what the actual failure mode is there. are they relying on that weld you have pointed out to take the full force of the front suspension?

                On DIY coilovers i have been involved with there is a shoulder on the shock shaft that sits up against the camper top bearing. So it is the spherical bearing (inside the plate) that takes all the force, not a weld like that.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by e30davie View Post
                  Bit hard to tell what the actual failure mode is there. are they relying on that weld you have pointed out to take the full force of the front suspension?

                  On DIY coilovers i have been involved with there is a shoulder on the shock shaft that sits up against the camper top bearing. So it is the spherical bearing (inside the plate) that takes all the force, not a weld like that.
                  That’s a shoulder on a machined insert that has sheared off, not a weld.

                  The springs on this camber plate ride on a perch that is on a BMW OEM type bearing, so the strut shaft is ONLY loaded with strut loads. That’s why repeated failure here is so weird.

                  FWIW, I have both GC and Vorshlag camber plates. They both have plusses and minuses.
                  2006 GMC Sierra 2500HD 4WD LBZ/Allison
                  2002 BMW M3 Alpinweiß/Black
                  1999 323i GTS2 Alpinweiß
                  1995 M3 Dakargelb/Black
                  - S50B32/S6S420G/3.91
                  1990 325is Brilliantrot/Tan
                  1989 M3 Alpinweiß/Black

                  Hers: 1996 Porsche 911 Turbo Black/Black
                  Hers: 1988 325iX Coupe Diamantschwartz/Black 5spd

                  sigpic

                  Comment


                    #10
                    What was GC's response? I don't understand how you can break 3 of them, and GC isn't trying to find a solution. Their website even says they have a lifetime warranty. You'd obviously still be out labor/alignment/etc. but I just don't see how they could blow you off and make you pay for the part.

                    Anyway, I've been running IE race plates on my street car for 7 years or so, no issues at all. Koni S/A's on full stiff.
                    85 325e m60b44 6 speed / 89 535i
                    e30 restoration and V8 swap
                    24 Hours of Lemons e30 build

                    Comment


                      #11
                      If that's only strut loaded then is the strut bottoming out?
                      84 325e - 91 325i - 92 318 touring - 91 Trans Am - 01 S4 avant - 03 S-type R - 96 F350
                      Manual swap all the things!

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by chadthestampede View Post
                        UUC makes them as well but hasn't their reputation recently been called into question?
                        What's up with the hearsay?
                        "Time doesn't heal anything... It just teaches us how to live with the pain." - My Cracked Dashboard

                        Comment


                          #13
                          I've been running these for about 15k miles with no issues thus far. I'm inclined to think this has to be a bottoming out issue, I don't know how that much force could be translated to the failure point otherwise.

                          I would have your struts checked out, especially since you had them modified by GC. They might not have been shortened at all.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            pictures re sized

                            for charity
                            Attached Files

                            Comment


                              #15
                              So much easier to see the pics!

                              As nrubenstein said, the plates shouldn't be holding any weight in that area (only the spring perches should have weight on them) and the only way this could happen is if you were bottoming out the shock, not sure switching brands will help you any.

                              The spring is what holds the weight, not the shock - shock just control the rate of compression/rebound. If you were to remove the shocks and set the car on springs only, it would stay up just fine - I have many times rolled cars around the shop without rear shocks (would need something to keep the strut tube centered in the front).

                              Could you post some pics of your ride height and setup? Are the strut tubes shortened, or are you riding low with full length units?
                              john@m20guru.com
                              Links:
                              Transaction feedback: Here, here and here. Thanks :D

                              Comment

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