Positive camber after installing Quick Struts

[mclasser]

I helped my buddy install Quick Struts on his Toyota a couple of weeks ago. He got an alignment done the other day after waiting for the new parts to settle in. The shop said his camber up front was slightly off @ +0.7° R and +0.6° L, with +0.5° being the limit. Since camber is non-adjustable on his car, they did a toe-and-go and sent him on his way. When he came by afterward I looked at his wheels and they tops were indeed pointing a little out.

Outside of putting in special cam bolts, I've heard grounding out the strut holes will adjust the camber. Not sure how many shops are willing to do this, though.

How big of a deal is having a little positive camber? Is it possible the Quick Struts haven't fully settled yet and the camber will come back into spec after some driving?

 

[dlundblad]

If they were settling, that should have been done with in the ~2 weeks or so after the job.

 

[Trav]

Its easy to elongate the strut to knuckle hole on the strut (upper strut hole only) just file it or use a die grinder with a burr or stone for such a small change.

 

[EdwardC]

Just curious, were the strut assemblies OEM? If not, which manufacturer?

 

[camrydriver111]

I'm not surprised you got positive camber with quick struts.

I had similar experience with quick struts. My ride height was jacked by about 1 to 1.5 inch from factory spec. I never asked for the alignment sheet but the camber was probably off as well since it's non-adjustable. Oh, and they never "settled down" after more than a year of driving.

The springs inside the quick struts don't undergo the same kind of testing as OE, yet people pump quick struts as if it's the greatest thing ever and have no downsides.

If stuff like having a jacked ride height or camber bothers you don't get quick struts.

Sorry I don't have much advice, just wanted to rant about quick struts.

Drive it for a month and if it's still [censored] I guess you have to elongate the strut hole.

 

[mclasser]

Originally Posted By: EdwardC
Just curious, were the strut assemblies OEM? If not, which manufacturer?

Monroe QuickStruts

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Toyota does say that if the camber is out of spec, then it means something needs to be replaced.

That said, I wouldn't worry about it

 

[edwardh1]

friend has this problem with these struts on a lexus, has not settled in 6 months

 

[CR94]

That defect will never "settle," because the problem is in steel parts, not rubber. It will cause the outside edges of the tires to wear even faster than the +.5 Toyota specifies.

 

[eljefino]

You should really pursue a bit of negative camber, maybe 1/2 a degree. Hog that top hole out! You'll mess your toe up when you do this, so either go back, or fiddle with it yourself. Put a laser level on your tire sidewall and aim for your rear tire.

The older VW beetles with crude axles used to get positive camber on the outside wheel at exactly the wrong time cornering. You don't want this.

 

[IndyIan]

No issue with elongating the upper pinch bolt hole on the struts on my Neon. Just used a good size round file and it took no time at all.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Toyota does say that if the camber is out of spec, then it means something needs to be replaced.

That said, I wouldn't worry about it

And on the other side of that Toyota sells crash bolts just for this job.

https://primedriven.com/products/toyota-oem-crash-bolts

 

[CR94]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
You should really pursue a bit of negative camber, maybe 1/2 a degree. ...
The older VW beetles with crude axles used to get positive camber on the outside wheel at exactly the wrong time cornering. You don't want this.
Toyota specifies the half degree positive camber to be sure the car never oversteers, to keep us idiots out of ditches.
Along with the Beetles, you could've mentioned early Corvairs. Sudden positive camber on an outside REAR wheel isn't good.

 

[Papa Bear]

Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Toyota does say that if the camber is out of spec, then it means something needs to be replaced.


The Toyota needs to be replaced ...

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

SETTLED? Seriously?
You're not building a house, or blocking up a foundation.