NeedAnE61

So I spent some time searching old threads about rear tire wear, absurd 2” rear camber and now having to replace yet another set of tires in 30,000 on a station wagon, I want a better solution.

I had an alignment done at a reputable BMW shop, of course it was aligned to spec and it still consumes rear tires on the inside.

has anyone successfully addressed this issue?
could you share your alignment specs?

FormerE30Owner

Rotate the tires? Depending on the tires, rotating should get you about 30% more wear, so 40 000 isn't too bad!

NeedAnE61

I only got 18,000 miles or so out of my last set. The fronts were fine. Rear tires were trash and worn at an angle.

has anyone been able to dial in their rear camber to a single degree or less?

neilv

Rear spec is around 2 degrees so ask the shop to reduce the rear camber but even more important is put toe to 0. Toe wears a tire WAY more than camber.

You need a good shop, not just one who sends it out when everything shows green

NeedAnE61

Interesting. Do you by chance have Specs you could share?

i daily drive my wagon. Near 200k on the dash, I’m running a near identical rear camber in my m3 with double adjustable shocks, still seems absurd.

neilv

I was hoping to get front camber to -1 if possible(Ill likely settle for .6 to 0.75 deg) and the rear try to get 1.5 degrees.

My guess the camber was set more negative due to the height adjusting airbags(alignment still changes slightly) but I agree its insane. Id aim for -1.5 to -1.8 and no toe; You should have very minimal wear with that on a suspension linkage like this.

Also depends on your driving habits, ie long highway drives or a mix with spirited driving too

NeedAnE61

my fronts are fine. 480 UTQG tires still look pretty fresh with probably 5-6/32s, whereas my rear tires look chamfered. I also hate the noise created by squishing of the tire caused by negative camber. It’s embarrassing when I have passengers.

So, at zero toe, you’re thinking 1.5 degrees camber is achievable? Can it go lower?

neilv

I drive spiritedly so I found I needed a light bit more neg front camber for even tire wear; also helped with steering response greatly.

I doubt the rear can go much more than 1/2 a deg adjustment without eccentric bushings or adjustable arms. Theres only 1 camber and 1 toe point(eccentric bolts) on the car and they are tied. Id make sure all the bushings/bearings are good and ask the alignment guy to reduce rear camber as much as he can while keeping toe to as close to 0.

Keep in mind you could have a bit of extra toe and that'll wear the tires 3x faster than 3 deg of neg camber would(with 0 toe)

NeedAnE61

Okay, so I’m shooting for 0 toe and lowest corresponding camber?

neilv

Yes correct. I mean a smig of toe in helps with turn in and handling but keep that as low as you can and see how low you can get camber (since toe and camber on these are linked partially).

Id also recommend pulling the front alignment pins and pushing the strut mounts as far inward as you can but thats up to you