[Guest]

Since I lowered my car, I have had bigger problems to deal, and finally this is my last major problem. On my right front wheel well, the (I think upper control arm is scraping on the inside of the wheel well is scraping. I already tried shaving it a little, but it's not just hitting the plastic thing on the inside of the wheel well. It actually comes all the way up and scrapes the inside. Does anybody know what I can do to stop this or if something may be wrong. Since it doesn't do it at all on the other side. Below is a picture of what I'm talking about.

 

[SaGe69]

I'm not an expert on suspension but...

First of all, I have to know if you changed both your springs and shocks when you decided to lower your car. It is NOT normal for your control arm to rub after lowering a car because the engineers involved in designing the shocks and/or springs take all the suspension components into consideration prior to designing the spring or shock (I should know, I'm a engineering student ) From the sounds of it, if you had installed new shocks and left your stock springs, then you can assume that your springs were really bad from the start and the excessive force on your new springs is too much to handle so it is giving way by rubbing. On the other hand, if you changed your springs and not the shocks, then your shocks are shot which is causing the rubbing because of the force exerted on the strings during turns and bumps in the road.

If you lowered your car properly and changed both your shocks and springs at the same time and your car is still rubbing, I can only make the assumption that one of the components you installed in faulty or the installation was done incorrect (ie: Left spring/shock was installed on the right side of car or vice versa).

I'm not an expert in any way when it comes to vehicle suspension, so don't take my word for it. Usually you should be able to lower your car as low as the spring/shock settings will allow and not have any major complications other than tire rubbing (if your offset to too low) but I've never heard of a upper control arm rubbing after a car being lowered so I would strongly suggest you get it checked by a certified mechanic since it's very unsafe to be driving right now. Good luck...

SaGe69

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the input Sage. I did change my springs and shocks at the same time. Eibachs and Konis.

Anyways, I don't think though that there is a left and a right strut/spring, is there?!?!?!

 

[SaGe69]

Good question.... I have brand new Eibachs in the box waiting to be installed... I'll take a look and see if there are any L / R markings on them and let you know for sure when I get the chance.....

 

[Guest]

I went and took another look at it just a little bit ago, and it looks like the left one is bent further in than the right one like the whole arm coming up from the rotor is at a different angle.

If I can't get a definite answer today, I'm gonna head over to the alignment shop that did my car when I lowered it. Last time I was there he told me just to shave off a little bit of it, but I don't think that he realized that it wasn't just hitting that part of the well that sticks out, but that its actually scraping way up inside of the wheel well.

Thanks for any help and input that can be given.

 

[Guest]

bump, please help, this is kinda starting to scare me

 

[ScotcH]

This is very common ... especially with H&R's. Didn't know it also happen with eibachs to the same degree. Basically, you have to grind the arm down about 1/4" or more ... as much as possible, without losing structurakl integrity. Also, I don't think it's possible to get the camber to 0 ... It just moves the arm out too much.

 

[acurablist4]

do u have a camber kit install??

well when i had mine done it my fender was just sitting on the control arm, the guy installed it pissed me off(monroe muffler shop). i had ground control and konis. he said that there was a problem with the suspension, i thought it was bull cause it was working before. so i brought it to glenns auto plus in nh, and glenn whos worked on a thousand of these lowered cars he got it fixed in like 20 mins. he adjusted my camber moved it in a little and shaved the control arm a little, a little here and a little there. and works great since then, i am happy. if u adjust the camber you do need to do an alignment. otherwise your steering would be screwed.

 

[Guest]

This is very common ... especially with H&R's. Didn't know it also happen with eibachs to the same degree. Basically, you have to grind the arm down about 1/4" or more ... as much as possible, without losing structurakl integrity. Also, I don't think it's possible to get the camber to 0 ... It just moves the arm out too much.

The guy that did my camber set it to positive camber I think . I was questioning it when he did it, but he said that this was good because that way when I'm flying around, the camber would be negative due to downforce.

Is it common though for this problem to only happen on the right front, and not anywhere else on the car?

 

[NickD]

I have Koni's and Eibachs and I needed to install a camber kit. The camber kit pushes the upper A arm out some and it rubs. I had to grind it down some. Finally what ended up happening is it still rubbed, but very slightly. After lots of really hard driving it finally bent the body so now it doesn't rub. This caused a new problem, the hood struts rattle against the newly bent out body so I have to put felt on them now. The rattle is so loud... Guess I drive my car pretty hard

 

[Guest]

Did it only happen to you on one side? If I get my camber set from +.25 to like -.5 do you think that that would help? Also, how much do you have to grind away, could someone take a picture, cause I don't want to grind it to the point where it isn't as strong as it needs to be.

 

[Guest]

Grrrrrrr, I took it to the alignment shop today and the guy told me to come back on Monday . I shaved it down some more and now it's not so apparent, but still I know it's there so it irritates me.

 

[ChrisK]

You can get the camber set back to 0 degrees. That is what I have on my car, and what my friend has on his car. Both of us had to shave down the upper A arm, his more than mine, but niether of us hit the A arm anymore. For me, I got my dremel tool and keep shaving a little at a time until it stopped touching. This took me a while. My friend had his camber kit installed at a shop, so they grounded it down for him in one shot.

 

[tnelson]

bump, chris K, question for you. where on the a- arm do you shave it down. on the top, so that the a arm doesnt hit the inside of the strut tower, or on the inside?

 

[ScotcH]

bump, chris K, question for you. where on the a- arm do you shave it down. on the top, so that the a arm doesnt hit the inside of the strut tower, or on the inside?

It's the part that the ball join mounts to. You trim off about 1/8"-1/4". It's that part that will hit the inside fender

 

[tnelson]

from the top or the sides?

 

[Merlin the Wrench]

is it really worth it? Even with stock ride height mine bottoms out on many tall speed bumps. My guess is that your problems are only beginning as more cities move to tall speed bumps as a way to slow traffic. Worse, if the car is wrecked yor insurance carrier may refuse to pay because the suspension was altered. (Fine print in most policies).

 

[ScotcH]

is it really worth it? Even with stock ride height mine bottoms out on many tall speed bumps. My guess is that your problems are only beginning as more cities move to tall speed bumps as a way to slow traffic. Worse, if the car is wrecked yor insurance carrier may refuse to pay because the suspension was altered. (Fine print in most policies).

It's not like you're hacking off half the A-arm ... just grind it enough to not hit the fender. It works. Without grinding, it was hitting all the time. After grinding, it never hits. It demends on how low you go, and how much camber correction you apply.

As to top or side, it's from the side. Basically the A-arm ends in a semi-circle. Just grind the end of the circle a bit flatter.