Car unstable at high speeds

[Leafsrule531]

Need some advice from the experts here….long story short, i took my car to rogue engineering in NJ (which im not really too happy with) because my car wasn’t driving straight. I have kw coilovers on it and did have a previous accident so my alignment was off and i was told that because the kw coilovers are shorter than stock, they weren’t able to get the alignment properly in spec without camber plates. That being said, they did get it as close as possible (but did shit on the kw coilovers saying they are the worst coilovers out there and i should go back to stock or switch to ohlins) which def helped with the car driving straighter, but now it’s very unstable at high way speeds at above 65 mph. What i mean by unstable is that the steering wheel is extremely sensitive to any type of movement and becomes worse on highway speeds.

Even if i move the steering a tiny bit, the car goes in a different lane and this feeling happened right after they had done the alignment. I called them back and he told me im driving an “m3” so it will be sensitive but thats not how it was before i had given the car to them…i know the feeling of how a normal m3 drives.

I did take their advice and put ground control race camber plates on since then and i know i need an alignment after i put them on (which rogue engineering refused to do now because apparently its “lost money for them”) but car is still very unstable. I’m not saying it should’ve gotten more stable after the camber plates but just noting down the symptoms.

What should i do next? Plan is still get a proper alignment done since i did put those camber plates on but im not sure why the steering is so sensitive now. I’m really hoping the alignment will help but wanted to get everyone’s thoughts here on what could be the case.

[repoman89]

Sounds like toe out in front. Post the alignment specs. Front should be toed slightly in for stability or neutral for a little livelier turn in.

[fattycharged]

Rogue didn't sugar coat it for you, but they were honest about all of it. You changed the alignment when you installed the plates, there’s no mystery here, you just need an alignment.


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[JokerElite]

Always wished alignment adjustments after a short period of time would be discounted at the least. Especially after they recommended changing your setup.

[bmw m3 s50]

You probably have your toe set at 0 or even a bit of toe out. This is what's giving the sensitive steering response in my experience.

I had the same happen to me, after an alignment. Shops will set different alignment specs.

For more stability at higher speeds, you will want a bit of toe in. This will slow down steering response to where, I am thinking that, you want it. Additionally, it will give you greater high speed stability.

[sbay]

You can also try out MaxPSI (Bimmer Clinic) in South Amboy, NJ for an alignment. I’ve had nothing but good experiences with both shops btw…

[Leafsrule531]

So I ended up going to an alignment shop and did the proper alignment. Attached are the specs. The tech told me that he can’t get the camber to be any more positive because the car is too low. Now I have negative 3 camber and my car drives perfectly straight but I’m concerned I have too much camber for a car that I daily and don’t track. Plus the stability of the car did get better with more toe in but still not what it used to be.

I don’t want to raise the car now and then pay for another alignment since I’m down already down $360 (200 from rogue engineering alignment and 160 for the recent alignment).

what do you guys recommend? Is -3 okay for street use ? Should I raise the car a bit to get a bit more positive camber ? Will it throw the alignment off a lot of I raise the car ?

[EthanolTurbo]

So I ended up going to an alignment shop and did the proper alignment. Attached are the specs. The tech told me that he can’t get the camber to be any more positive because the car is too low. Now I have negative 3 camber and my car drives perfectly straight but I’m concerned I have too much camber for a car that I daily and don’t track. Plus the stability of the car did get better with more toe in but still not what it used to be.

I don’t want to raise the car now and then pay for another alignment since I’m down already down $360 (200 from rogue engineering alignment and 160 for the recent alignment).

what do you guys recommend? Is -3 okay for street use ? Should I raise the car a bit to get a bit more positive camber ? Will it throw the alignment off a lot of I raise the car ?

It will throw the alignment off. -3 is a lot for a street car, ideally you'd want to be at -1.8 to -2. That being said, if you're having fun with the car and going on backroads it's worth it. Just skip the next alignment, leave it as is and save that money for tires.

[01SG]

-3 is way, way too much. There is nothing you can do on the road to necessitate that kind of camber. Anything over the stock capability of about -1.5 will start to seriously shorten tire life for little to no benefit on the road. It's not like it's difficult to make the car turn. It's still pretty damn neutral stock.

I'm turning my camber back down from 1.8 because that ate my tires too fast. And it's not a DD, in fact I only take it to the back roads except for a few long highway trips every year.

[Nate047]

Tbh you might just be experiencing tramlining from the front camber. Have you had other very low cars like this before or is this kind of new territory for you? What are your front wheel specs? Pictures of how low it is?

[Leafsrule531]

Ugh … so it sounds like my only options are:

1. Live with it and deal with tire wear
2. Raise the car up and get a 3rd alignment for $160 ?

😭😭

[maupineda]

I will never understand the trade off of functionality and drivability over looks. What does it get you to look cool if the at drives like crap. You need to first have the suspension properly setup.

[Leafsrule531]

Tbh you might just be experiencing tramlining from the front camber. Have you had other very low cars like this before or is this kind of new territory for you? What are your front wheel specs? Pictures of how low it is?

Well I have an e39 m5 which is definitely not low as this and driven a 997 with 4.0 L engine which is low but still doesn’t feel unstable at high speeds.

Im running a stock setup. 19 inch rims in the front on 225/40/19

[Leafsrule531]

For comparison, my sister a e90 with sports package and it has 3 fingers of space between tire and fender on stock suspension. My m3 has 1 finger and it’s tight.

[Leafsrule531]

I will never understand the trade off of functionality and drivability over looks. What does it get you to look cool if the at drives like crap. You need to first have the suspension properly setup.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. When I had first bought the kw suspension, the mechanic that installed it for me asked me how low I wanted it and I told him very slightly lower than stock. Just a bit more sporty look.

now I find myself with a really dropped suspension which I wasn’t smart enough to notice / figure out when I had the coilovers installed 😭