Hey guys,

My girlfriend hit a curb going pretty fast. She actually gashed both passenger side tires. now the camber on the front passenger is severe to the point that the new tire is shaving away against the tube of the strut.

Haven't gotten under it yet so I want some possible ideas of what to look for.

Give me any and every possible theory you can think of.

Thanks. Hope its nothing major.

 

The strut is the suspension part that affects the camber position. Check that first. Hitting a curb could also affect the tie rod. Take the wheel off and look at the very lower part of the strut tube at the base. Look for cracked paint or any type of deformation at the base of the tube. You my need to look at the opposite side for comparision. Good luck and hope you get it sorted out.

 

New rim(s) definantly since they'll be bent, possible control arm damage and bracket location deformation, tie rod(s) bent, strut and strut mounting damaged, hub bearing assembly may be damaged, actual structeral damage to the subframe and strut mounting point, and other stuff. Stuff gets real when you hit curbs since they don't give at all. Did she slide on ice, or got careless?

 

The weakest point of the front suspension on the 1st generation is the strut tower mushrooming. I would first check that location. It could be fixed by the 2x4 and BFH. I would also check to see if the rubber around the top camber plate bearing got torn. The addition of Ireland Eng. fixed camber plates will give you added protection in this area along with the benefit of better handling.
Steve

 

I hit a curb at about 40 mph one night in my mini avoiding a dog. I hit a sloped curb instead of a 90 deg one. But I split my top strut mount bushing, mushroomed the tower top, destroyed both ball joints, bent the rim to replacing point, destroyed control arm bushing, bent the tie rod, and damaged my cv joint.

 

similar situation for me ended up with the wheel sitting visibly several inches farther back in the wheel well. Strut, mounts, entire hub assembly and more was all toast. Basically that entire corner had to be replaced.

You might want to call insurance on this. It may get very $$. And unless you KNOW suspensions, you want to have a pro look at this.

mine was a couple of thousand and this was a number of years ago (on an Audi) and was snow related. Price of marrying a southern girl and then taking her to the frozen north!