Is this an alignment issue

[scoti]

Again..... Wheels & tires are easy to mark off the list. The first step should be to verify the issue is not from them.

 

[78Delta88]

Again..... Wheels & tires are easy to mark off the list. The first step should be to verify the issue is not from them.

Yes... Simple stuff first.

 

[Irishspring46]

I mean absolutely no disrespect by this, and I hope I'm not coming off as a condescending know-it-all. If anyone sees something I get incorrect, please correct me. It's been a long 48 hours.

This might be true if both control arms swung on identical arcs, but ours do not. If the lower control arm begins nearly level with the ground (let's call this "stock" just for the sake of this conversation), then when it swings up the outer end will only move closer to the vehicle, pulling the lower ball joint inward.

The upper control arm is aiming down (the imaginary line from the pivot point to the ball joint is), so when it swings up the outer end has to get farther away from the vehicle before it gets closer. Imagine the minute hand of a clock pointing at 5 when the car is at rest. Hit a bump or lower the car and it points at 3, pushing the top of the wheel out (+ camber). Remember the lower control arm that started out aiming at around 3? It's now pointing at 1, pulling the bottom in and making things worse.

The installed height of the coil springs dictate the angle of the factory lower control arm at rest.

Installing taller ball joints will change the angle of the upper control arm at rest. Even a tall lower ball joint. The goal is to not have the outer end of the upper arm push out and gain any + camber as it moves through its arc.

A shorter upper control arm (or shimming the hell out of it) will change the vertical lean of the wheel/tire, bringing it in and minimizing the + camber at rest.

Try to get your tie rods and lower control arms at the same angle as each other to minimize bumpsteer. Another story of conflicting arcs.

I hate lowering springs with a passion, and will happily spend hours combing the Moog database for the perfect combo of spring height and rate to suit my needs.

Out of curiosity for the future I was wondering. Is the taller the upper ball joint in my situation the better? If I was to end up changing my tall upper ball joints would you go 1/2”? Or 1”?

 

[Sweet_Johnny]

Taller is absolutely better in your case. When cars have a full travel suspension we may not want to use the tallest joint available due to the steering and ride characteristics it affects. It depends on the situation. With a 2" drop via shorter/stiffer springs in addition to taller and wider wheels you've cut your suspension travel by 4" from stock. This eliminates any concerns I have about using the 1" taller joint. It'll pair nicely with stiff springs to give you less body roll and more control, after replacing those missing body mounts of course.

I will be using the 1" upper and the 0.5" lower units from Pro Forged with SSM upper arms and hopefully the Speedway lower arms.

The tall upper ball joint is more important to you than the lower. However, setting up camber and toe is easier with a tall LBJ as they'll remain more stable through suspension travel. Cutting the dust shield to clear the LBJ may be necessary.

Tall UBJ can cause interference issues with wide or small diameter wheels. Typically 17" or larger is fine, as is 7" wide or narrower. That would be your only concern about using them, and since you're not doing uppers and lowers together you should be fine considering your 18" diameter.

Another good, cheap upgrade is to ditch the rock hard factory bump stops on the lower control arm and get "ZQ8" versions. They're designed to help the vehicle rebound instead of just taking a hit and stopping abruptly. Dorman 31064, $10.62 each. They're white/creme but can be dyed any color using Rit Synthetic Fiber and Shoe dye. I colored mine red. You'll need to modify the arm, as these bolt in.