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Will aftermarket parts help alignment issue?

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Old Mar 18, 2016 | 01:17 PM
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Brian Lutz
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Default Will aftermarket parts help alignment issue?

I got my alignment done 3 weeks ago, and there is a NOTICEABLE negative camber in my rear wheels already. I dumped 500 bucks into new tires because of the inside treads on the old ones were gone. I'm thinking it is the camber/toe arms, and I do not want to get OEM. Why replace junk with the same junk? Are there any aftermarket parts that could help with this problem?

I bought the car used. From what I see, the car has not been and is not lowered. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Old Mar 18, 2016 | 01:22 PM
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seeing the inner edges worn , you new you had issues before you bought the new tires?

if it has oem parts , how would buying more new oem parts help ?

if nothing is bent on the car , quality aftermarket camber arms and toe bolts will solve the problem
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Old Mar 18, 2016 | 01:27 PM
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Brian Lutz
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The tires looked good when I bought it. Almost new. The inside edge of the rears were bald in 6k miles.

No accidents that I am aware of.

Does Megan Racing make good suspension parts? I know you usually get what you pay for.
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Old Mar 18, 2016 | 03:03 PM
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Originally Posted by Brian Lutz
I got my alignment done 3 weeks ago, and there is a NOTICEABLE negative camber in my rear wheels already. I dumped 500 bucks into new tires because of the inside treads on the old ones were gone. I'm thinking it is the camber/toe arms, and I do not want to get OEM. Why replace junk with the same junk? Are there any aftermarket parts that could help with this problem?

I bought the car used. From what I see, the car has not been and is not lowered. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
That's a slippery slope to walk on.

BEFORE you start throwing parts at it to correct what MIGHT be the issue, go through (or have a reliable suspension shop - "someone who knows what they're doing") go through and check all of your suspension componentry for wear and/or broken bits. Bushings, ball joints, securing bolts... all suspect.

If you got your alignment done just weeks ago and you can VISUALLY SEE negative camber, likely something is broken. Do you have the alignment printout?

FWIW, alignment on a Z is pretty much just toe and caster. Camber is non-adjustable and you should be able to see from the printout that the problem was probably there before you had it aligned; so something's definitely off there.

Always do the best troubleshooting/diagnosis before spending good money when it's likely to go down the drain until you can pinpoint the problem.

If it's determined that you DO have faulty toe arms in the back, that's a relatively easy thing to fix.

Toe arms (and adjustable front UCAs) most mentioned:

- SPL - highest cost off-the-shelf, arguably best components

- SPC- medium dollar, some love 'em, some hate 'em, but probably the most used adjustable alignment components

- Kinetix - the lowest cost of the three and seem to get decent reviews.

Again these are the three most mentioned set-ups available. There's others out there such as the Megan stuff you mentioned but I see more "Ehhh" comments about those than the other three mentioned. Not judging, just re-gurgitating what's here on this site.

FWIW, I personally use SPC and am totally satisfied. Meaning: Nothing broken or worn in 3 years, no noises, clunks or anything unusual.

Good luck!
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Old Mar 18, 2016 | 03:03 PM
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Brian, If the car’s suspension is stock, you don’t need aftermarket parts to set alignment. The OEM parts are not ”junk,” they just lack the range to make adjustments past a drop of an inch or more.

You had your car aligned recently (“I got my alignment done 3 weeks ago”). Please post the alignment spec sheet you received with the alignment. That way we can see the numbers and tell you if your car was within specifications.

Originally Posted by Brian Lutz
I got my alignment done 3 weeks ago, and there is a NOTICEABLE negative camber in my rear wheels already. I dumped 500 bucks into new tires because of the inside treads on the old ones were gone. I'm thinking it is the camber/toe arms, and I do not want to get OEM. Why replace junk with the same junk? Are there any aftermarket parts that could help with this problem?

I bought the car used. From what I see, the car has not been and is not lowered. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Originally Posted by Brian Lutz
The tires looked good when I bought it. Almost new. The inside edge of the rears were bald in 6k miles.

No accidents that I am aware of.

Does Megan Racing make good suspension parts? I know you usually get what you pay for.
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Old Mar 18, 2016 | 07:37 PM
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We are all blind on this, was your alignment off, and is the new alignment within specs.

Btw, the car has a noticeable amount of rear camber with OEM alignment specs
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