Camber issue, crazy wheel wobble! Help! :(

[MDP91]

Right, bit of a long story so bare with me!

Back in February this year I purchased the Rokkor (Raceland) coilovers for my 1.2 16v Clio. All fitted, jobs a gooden. Anyway, at the time I went to a couple of garages to sort my camber/alignment out and they couldn't set it up because the front left camber wouldn't go as negative as the drivers side. I ideally wanted no camber, but when this was tried my alignment was way out. After ages of faffing and not sorting much out and the car was still be off and they ended up putting negative camber on the drivers side and none, if not a tiny bit positive on the left, just to make the car drive straight because it pulled to one side whilst driving in a straight line on the motorway.

Everything has been fine since, but I noticed this week that the wear on the front left tyre on the outside is really quite bad, especially in comparison with the drivers side which is relatively even wear. So, I'm due new tyres, but I'm dying to get this issue sorted before shelling money out for new rubber.

Anyway, a friend from on here, littlegh, popped down to see me on Wednesday and I showed him, we put the front left camber as negative as it will allow (less the what the right side currently is) and it drove straight, however the steering wheel was hanging slightly to the left. I though arh well.....until I hit the motorway. f**k me!! I hit 70+ and the wheels feel like they are going to wobble off!! Never had this issue before we changed the camber on wednesday?!?!?! Its quite scary. The steering goes all light and it shakes like crazy.
I spent a good couple of hours this afternoon taking the wheels off, checking everything, and it all seems fine. I even put the camber back to as near as it was before wednesday and still, when I hit those magic numbers and above my car feels like its having a fit!

Please, its really driving me insane now and I hate driving the Clio because of it. Any ideas or help really would be appreciated. I must get this sorted.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[Toms_clio]

front left always wears out faster...
Round about tyre ... so they get worn out pretty fast lol

or maybe a knackered wheel bearing?

 

[MDP91]

front left always wears out faster...
Round about tyre ... so they get worn out pretty fast lol

or maybe a knackered wheel bearing?

Hmmm, i was thinking that but it was near bold on the outer edge?? Id hear it if it were a bearing surely, and it would of got worse. My main issue to be honest is the insane wheel wobble I get when I hit 70. It was fine before wednesday when we fiddled with the camber.

 

[Tom84]

right you left wheel will wear the tyre faster due to you putting positive camber on it. also whenever you move the camber the toe will go out no matter what hence why it wouldnt drive straight and also why the steering wheel is off center
as for the wheel wobble, are you sure a spigot ring on you alloys has not fallen off causing the wobble

 

[MDP91]

right you left wheel will wear the tyre faster due to you putting positive camber on it. also whenever you move the camber the toe will go out no matter what hence why it wouldnt drive straight and also why the steering wheel is off center
as for the wheel wobble, are you sure a spigot ring on you alloys has not fallen off causing the wobble

Okay, I take this means another trip to a garage to get my toe sorted then. Nope, the spigot rings are still on. I also have 15mm deltamics hubcentric spacers, but ive never had any issues before Wednesday with this amount of wheel wobble.

 

[James28]

Its very hard to measure camber accurately by eye. I reckon with you adjusting it you've put it all out of alignment again, hence the wobbling.

Have you thought about getting some spacers, so your wheels sit further out and you can adjust the camber properly.
Edit: just seen your post. How comes you can't adjust the camber on left side properly?

I had to do this on my old non sport.

 

[MDP91]

Its very hard to measure camber accurately by eye. I reckon with you adjusting it you've put it all out of alignment again, hence the wobbling.

Have you thought about getting some spacers, so your wheels sit further out and you can adjust the camber properly.
Edit: just seen your post. How comes you can't adjust the camber on left side properly?

I had to do this on my old non sport.

To be honest, it was never correct in the first place, as seen by the wear on my tyre.

I dont know, from some reason I can have more negative camber on the right than on the left, it just pushes in more on the right. I may pop to somewhere like K-tec and get myself booked in and get it all sorted properly.

 

[latza]

For those coilovers you need camber bolts. You might need to make the slot on the strut a little bigger with a file to get them the same at both sides.

 

[MDP91]

For those coilovers you need camber bolts. You might need to make the slot on the strut a little bigger with a file to get them the same at both sides.

Yeah I bought camber bolts when I first got the coilovers but was told I wouldn't need them, so I swapped them at K-tec for some new brakes! Thinking I should of kept them now. I might just pop down to them and get them to have a look for me. The wobble is really pissing me off now.

 

[Tony Hunter]

If you have got a wobble,then there is something drastically wrong under there,nothing to do with camber.
I wouldn't even drive it.
Don't mess with things you know nothing about.

 

[Gt rob]

get your tracking and wheel balancing looked at. you had a look to see if your tyres are going out of shape?

 

[Martin_172]

wobble is something physically shaking/unbalanced, shouldnt be caused by geometry.

 

[MDP91]

Okay, had the front two wheels off after work today and put my old 15" dyanmique alloys on which have a fair amount of tread. Booted it to 70/80 and there was hardly any wobble at all, I mean a tiny amount, but nothing in comparison to before. That was my standard alloys with my 15mm deltamic spacers. I then got home and put my Kei force 10's on, which require a spigot ring, and the wobble and lightness has now returned?? I span my front left wheel when it was raised off the ground it is seems to be rotating slightly off, but that's only by eye. Its hard to tell if its the wheel or tyre? I need new tyres anyway. Could a spigot ring cause wobble??

 

[Jon.G]

Might have a flat spot/buckle in your wheel mate. Seen as the problem goes away when changing wheels.

Ask a garage to balance them and they should tell you if its out of shape or not.

 

[MDP91]

Might have a flat spot/buckle in your wheel mate. Seen as the problem goes away when changing wheels.

Ask a garage to balance them and they should tell you if its out of shape or not.

Okay mate, I'll probably pop down to a local place tomorrow and find out. Is that something I could get sorted though??

 

[Jon.G]

If it is a flat spot then depending how bad it is, wheel weights can counter it. If its bad then it might not be able to be saved.

That is if thats the problem.

 

[Tony Hunter]

Put the back wheels on the front,see if it vibrates then.

 

[MDP91]

Put the back wheels on the front,see if it vibrates then.

Yeah, I'm going to do that tomorrow I think.

 

[Tony Hunter]

Try all the simple things first.

 

[James28]

I'd get it down to Ktec anyway and get the camber bolts so you can get it all adjusted and set up properly

 

[sbridgey]

I had rokkor coilovers on my old 1.2, fred set them up had -1 degree of camber both sides no problem at all and it was done by eye

 

[MDP91]

I had rokkor coilovers on my old 1.2, fred set them up had -1 degree of camber both sides no problem at all and it was done by eye

I'm starting to think my issue is with my wheels/tires rather than my camber/allignment maybe.

 

[MDP91]

Right, put the backs on the front today and the wobble is still there when I hit 80ish. Ive managed to sort my camber, so both sides are pretty much the same and the car drive straight and doesn't pull.

I'm still getting in a fuss about this wobble, its doing my nut in. I'm getting new tyres when I get paid this week, so I'll be able to see if its my wheel or tyre causing the issue. fml

 

[sbridgey]

All bolts torqued up correctly?

 

[MDP91]

All bolts torqued up correctly?

Not torqued, but done up tight enough.

 

[Jon.G]

Have you tired removing the spacer and seeing if your get the wobble then?

 

[MDP91]

I can't mate, the tyres rub on the coilovers.

 

[Jon.G]

Jeeez.

Have you checked all the bolts are present and tight? There have been many issues with delta mic bolts snapping. However it would usually cause a knocking if the spacer was loosening.

 

[MDP91]

Yep, bolts are all fine and in place. I think its the wheel or tyre mate, when I put my standard alloys on with the spacers and bolts it was almost fine.

 

[Jon.G]

Yeah, I remember you saying. Pretty strange...

 

[MDP91]

Yeah, I remember you saying. Pretty strange...

Only thing that changed really was I didn't need to use spigot rings when I put my old alloys on? Ive got new ones on the way anyway, cost me jeff all.

 

[Martin_172]

possibly a miss shapped spigot ring? however im not sure with the ins and outs of them, ive never used them.

 

[MDP91]

Fitted the new spigot rings today......gave it some beans and absolutely no wobble!! Looks like I must of had a miss shaped spigot. Steering is still a little light at full speed ahead but maybe its due to the neg camber?