Do I need an Alignment or something else?

paco29toy · 10-16-2018, 07:13 PM

Hello,

I got my F30's tires rotated this weekend and the guy at the tire shop showed me 3 out of the 4 tires wearing on the onside. I've had the car for almost 18 months and this was the second rotation I've done on it. The first rotation I did it myself but did not checked for this type of wear since it was dark.
The guy at the tires shop say he sees that often on BMWs.

Have you guys seen this on your cars and would an alignment do the trick?

Thanks

adapada · 10-16-2018, 07:45 PM

If the wear is even all the way around, it looks to me like a negative camber issue. I'd get that aligned

FaRKle! · 10-16-2018, 08:19 PM

BMWs tend to have excessive negative camber in the rear. An alignment can help that, however since the excessive negative camber is in spec, you'll have to specify (and get them to agree to) a more reasonable number (like -1deg). If you just have them align it to spec, then you might end up with the same as before...

Billfitz · 10-16-2018, 09:07 PM

It looks like a camber issue, but if there's any cupping the toe is bad too. You can reduce the wear on the inside of the tire by adding a couple more pounds of air pressure, shifting the load bearing more towards the middle of the tires.

adapada · 10-16-2018, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FaRKle!

BMWs tend to have excessive negative camber in the rear. An alignment can help that, however since the excessive negative camber is in spec, you'll have to specify (and get them to agree to) a more reasonable number (like -1deg). If you just have them align it to spec, then you might end up with the same as before...

While camber/toe spec differs depending on xDrive or non xDrive, you're right that camber remains pretty close to 1 degree. I wonder if OP's is a bit more than that.

328i spec:https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...ement/Ht47pkMD

HTML Code:

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f30-328i-lim/repair-manuals/32-steering-wheel-alignment/32-00-steering-measurement/Ht47pkMD

328i xDrive spec:https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...ement/Ht3ZC466

HTML Code:

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f30-328i-xdrive-lim/repair-manuals/32-steering-wheel-alignment/32-00-steering-measurement/Ht3ZC466

FaRKle! · 10-16-2018, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adapada

While camber/toe spec differs depending on xDrive or non xDrive, you're right that camber remains pretty close to 1 degree. I wonder if OP's is a bit more than that.

328i spec:https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...ement/Ht47pkMD

HTML Code:

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f30-328i-lim/repair-manuals/32-steering-wheel-alignment/32-00-steering-measurement/Ht47pkMD

328i xDrive spec:https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...ement/Ht3ZC466

HTML Code:

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f30-328i-xdrive-lim/repair-manuals/32-steering-wheel-alignment/32-00-steering-measurement/Ht3ZC466

If you look at the rear camber from the 328i spec you linked it's -1.5deg +/-0.42deg (I converted from minutes). That means you should always be over -1deg of camber in the rear and can be at -1.92deg in the rear while being in spec. That's a lot for a street car.

paco29toy · 11-09-2018, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FaRKle!

Quote:

Originally Posted by adapada

While camber/toe spec differs depending on xDrive or non xDrive, you're right that camber remains pretty close to 1 degree. I wonder if OP's is a bit more than that.

328i spec:https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f30-328i-lim/repair-manuals/32-steering-wheel-alignment/32-00-steering-measurement/Ht47pkMD

HTML Code:

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f30-328i-lim/repair-manuals/32-steering-wheel-alignment/32-00-steering-measurement/Ht47pkMD

328i xDrive spec:https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f30-328i-xdrive-lim/repair-manuals/32-steering-wheel-alignment/32-00-steering-measurement/Ht3ZC466

HTML Code:

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f30-328i-xdrive-lim/repair-manuals/32-steering-wheel-alignment/32-00-steering-measurement/Ht3ZC466

If you look at the rear camber from the 328i spec you linked it's -1.5deg +/-0.42deg (I converted from minutes). That means you should always be over -1deg of camber in the rear and can be at -1.92deg in the rear while being in spec. That's a lot for a street car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FaRKle!

Quote:

Originally Posted by adapada

While camber/toe spec differs depending on xDrive or non xDrive, you're right that camber remains pretty close to 1 degree. I wonder if OP's is a bit more than that.

328i spec:https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...ement/Ht47pkMD

HTML Code:

[url]https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f30-328i-lim/repair-manuals/32-steering-wheel-alignment/32-00-steering-measurement/Ht47pkMD[/url]

328i xDrive spec:https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...ement/Ht3ZC466

HTML Code:

[url]https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f30-328i-xdrive-lim/repair-manuals/32-steering-wheel-alignment/32-00-steering-measurement/Ht3ZC466[/url]

If you look at the rear camber from the 328i spec you linked it's -1.5deg +/-0.42deg (I converted from minutes). That means you should always be over -1deg of camber in the rear and can be at -1.92deg in the rear while being in spec. That's a lot for a street car.

Thanks a lot for the info.
I'll look around for a local shop in San Diego that will be able to adjust the camber a little bit more than the bmw says.

Any of you know a good shop in the San Diego area?

kern417 · 11-09-2018, 06:56 AM

Just keep in mind the camber is for your safety. The more you reduce the rear camber, the easier the car is to rotate and makes the rear more lively. Measure the grooves left to right to see how much camber wear you're actually getting. If the outside is similar, then i personally would leave the camber as is. From the picture, it doesn't seem like you have that much life on the outside either.

10-16-2018, 07:13 PM	#1
paco29toy Private 9 Rep 51 Posts Drives: 2013 BMW 328i Join Date: May 2017 Location: SoCal iTrader: (0)	Do I need an Alignment or something else? Hello, I got my F30's tires rotated this weekend and the guy at the tire shop showed me 3 out of the 4 tires wearing on the onside. I've had the car for almost 18 months and this was the second rotation I've done on it. The first rotation I did it myself but did not checked for this type of wear since it was dark. The guy at the tires shop say he sees that often on BMWs. Have you guys seen this on your cars and would an alignment do the trick? Thanks Attached Images
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10-16-2018, 07:45 PM	#2
adapada New Member 5 Rep 26 Posts Drives: F30 335i xDrive Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: MD iTrader: (0)	If the wear is even all the way around, it looks to me like a negative camber issue. I'd get that aligned
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10-16-2018, 08:19 PM	#3
FaRKle! Brigadier General 4007 Rep 3,535 Posts Drives: 328d Wagon, M2 Comp, i4 eD35 Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Bay Area, CA iTrader: (4) Garage List 2023 BMW i4 eDrive 35 [0.00] 2017 BMW 328dx Wagon [0.00] 2021 BMW M2 Competi ... [0.00]	BMWs tend to have excessive negative camber in the rear. An alignment can help that, however since the excessive negative camber is in spec, you'll have to specify (and get them to agree to) a more reasonable number (like -1deg). If you just have them align it to spec, then you might end up with the same as before...
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10-16-2018, 09:07 PM	#4
Billfitz Lieutenant General 8221 Rep 16,054 Posts Drives: '15 328iX GT Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: New Hampshire iTrader: (0)	It looks like a camber issue, but if there's any cupping the toe is bad too. You can reduce the wear on the inside of the tire by adding a couple more pounds of air pressure, shifting the load bearing more towards the middle of the tires.
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