Get a PROPER alignment done, and post your numbers.

The above sheets are a clear example of complete incompetence.

 

I would expect nothing less with the current alignment you have.

 

I did have the car aligned after the sheet I posted, and all the numbers were "in the green". However, from the reading I've been doing on here, I'm starting to realize "in the green" isn't close enough. I made an appointment at a local place that only does alignments and comes highly recommended to me for next week and just ordered some new rubber. Hoping that resolves this once and for all.

Thanks for your help!

 

If you had your location under your name, members could direct you to a proffesional to get your car sorted, and not some clown. That is what s2ki is all about.

Based on the current numbers, I strongly feel something is bent.

 

"In the green" is where you teach your dog to crap

There is a lot more to it than that. Post your numbers, and location

 

Now you are on your way to getting her right.

 

If you haven't, check the inner tie rods also. They can get wiggly after an accident.

 

For my money, a *proper* alignment will have *some* negative camber to provide ultimate cornering grip. This is a reasonable sacrifice in the interest not only of performance, but also safety. This will give *some* asymmetric wear, of course, but in my experience decent street camber settings (for me, negative 1-2 degrees or so) don't cost you more than ~10-15% in terms of tire life. Toe-in will have a VASTLY more dramatic effect on tire life.

My generic street alignment recommendation that any shop should be willing to do (i.e., falls within "spec"):
Absolute minimum (closest to zero) toe front and rear within spec range (the stock AP1 spec range for rear toe goes WAY too high)
Maximum negative camber front and rear within spec
Caster within a tenth or two left/right, within spec range (I prefer it to also be minimized, but this is down to personal preference and usage)

 

The sheet I posted was the one prior to me having the car aligned. I did get a new one which I have to find, but it looked pretty comparable to others I've seen on here. As far as something being bent, I thought that too prior to my last alignment, To give you a bit of background info prior to having the car repaired, I took it to have the alignment checked, and was able to determine that that the caster and toe were off on the impact side, but fine otherwise. I had my buddy who's a reputable mechanic look it over prior to bringing it in for repair, and the only thing we could see that looked questionable was the LCA on the driver side, which was summarily replaced. Front subframe, the other control arms, tie rods and everything else looked normal. I asked the body shop to have one of their mechanics double check, and they told that the same thing (Driver front LCA looks bent, but everything else looks good to go). I checked it myself after the repair, as well as checked the ball joints, outer tie rods and all the fasteners/bolts/bushings and all looked fine. I figure with all the sets of eyes that have been on the car, I'm sure something bent would've been spotted :\

I don't know what I did with the printout (currently in the middle of moving so who knows where the printout is lol) but I do remember the front caster number being 5.9 on each side. Don't remember the camber for the front/rear or the toe, but I do remember everything with the exception of the camber (since I'm lowered) being "in the green", which I now know is useless. I should note that the car did drive normal after the "in the green" alignment I had done, so I'm thinking a combo of the alignment being out of wack and the worn tires, but with the accident my paranoia kicks into full gear

Billman, would it be possible for something to be bent even if the car aligns into the accepted range?

Lol, I'm going to look for the printout I got from the last alignment. Just purchased some new rubber that should be in in a day or two, then it's off to mount/align.

Thanks man, I appreciate the help. Just trying to resolve it without blindly throwing money at it.

 

Finally got a chance to drive it down to have the alignment checked out (picture below). Car was put on the rack and immediately one of the techs noticed that the ride height was off drastically off. The driver front side, which was the side that was hit, sits a good inch and change or so lower. Never noticed it beforehand as I only drive the car s few times a week, but after looking at it on the rack, you can clearly tell the ride height difference. I'm on megan track adjustable coilovers and had the driver side front LCA replaced, so I'm thinking either the shop messed with the coilover before reinstalling it onto the new LCA, or it's blown or otherwise damaged from the accident.



I had had the car aligned a few months back, unaware of the ride height issue. At this point, I'm definitely thinking this is the root cause of the issues I've been having. Going to take a look at the offending coilover and see if it's blown or if it just needs to be readjusted and realigned accordingly.

Any thoughts?