[phatkat90]

Hey Guys! need a little bit of your BMW expertise....I have a 2014 X3 x28i which I just recently did an alignment on.

After the alignment was done, the mechanic showed me a paper showing negative ratios on both my front and back cambers (possibly from when I crashed the car previously).

Are the cambers something that can be repaired or adjusted or are they something that must be completely replaced?? Is the solution to the wearing of the inside of my tires even a camber issue or can it be something else??

Thanks in advance yall!!

[Opie55]

The question is what your negative camber is, and what the factory spec is. Most cars have some negative camber. What is yours, and what does your alignment printout say it's supposed to be?

[HPR]

Camber is a term used to describe a particular position of the wheel relative to it's axis...just as toe-in, toe-out, and caster are used to describe wheel alignment values. As a previous respondent said, the important thing to understand is what your alignment values are in comparison to the values BMW recommends for the vehicle. Talk with the shop that did the alignment and ask if you're within or close to spec, or whether additional action is necessary to bring the car into proper alignment. Bear in mind it doesn't have to be perfectly within spec to be safe, driveable and reliable.

[Opie55]

And yes, too much negative camber is one of the first suspects for inner tire wear, but toe can affect it as well.

[PX3]

If you have runflats, then I would say it's normal.

[Opie55]

Originally Posted by PX3

If you have runflats, then I would say it's normal.

No way to say it's normal unless you know how much the tires are wearing. But why do you say it's normal? I have the identical car to the OP, and my runflats wear dead flat.

[phatkat90]

Originally Posted by Opie55

The question is what your negative camber is, and what the factory spec is. Most cars have some negative camber. What is yours, and what does your alignment printout say it's supposed to be?

That's a great question! Sadly, I got rid of that paper months ago. This is an issue I'm just becoming aware of since it takes a little bit for you to actually see the wear on the inside of the tires.

Once I noticed and started doing some research, the camber issue came up a few times online and that's when I remember the negative results on my camber when I did the alignment...

Am I going to have to do another alignment in order to find out my current camber specs??

[pungo]

Originally Posted by phatkat90

After the alignment was done, the mechanic showed me a paper showing negative ratios on both my front and back cambers (possibly from when I crashed the car previously).

This post is a little confusing. Did the alignment tech say they could not get the camber to meet spec? You only mention negative camber. Was the printout all green? There is usually enough adjustment to get the camber to meet spec (which is a little negative) unless something is bent. The shop may have records of your alignment specs since you got rid of the original.

[PX3]

Originally Posted by Opie55

No way to say it's normal unless you know how much the tires are wearing. But why do you say it's normal? I have the identical car to the OP, and my runflats wear dead flat.

Just do a Google search for BMW runflats wearing unevenly and you will see why I have said this. It's very common, but maybe its related to a specific tyre brand?
I changed from runflats to non-flats and never had an issue with uneven wear since.

[Opie55]

When you get an alignment the printout should be in color. Only those things in red are not in spec. Like I said, some negative camber is normal. How much inside wear are you getting? After how many miles? But, yes, the only way to measure camber is to put it back on the alignment rack and measure it. You really ought to have a folder for each car you keep maintenance paperwork in. I'd never throw something like that away. You first need to know if it's out of spec before you can address it. If you don't know what negative camber is, it's the amount your wheels tip in at the top when viewed from the front or rear. On an X3 it's small enough that you can't really see it - they look like they are 90 degrees to the ground. If you've ever sat behind a small sports car or a like a Mini Cooper at a stoplight it can be very pronounced. I'm not sure how much adjustment there is to camber on an X3. On many cars there is very little to none. It can be caused by suspension bushings wearing out - which can be replaced - or by an accident. For many cars there are aftermarket solutions in the form of bolts that hold the arms differently (crash bolts they are often called) or oblong bushings that can be rotated. I don't know about an X3. But you first need to diagnose your issue. I had an MB that wore the inner front tread at twice the rate of the outer tread because of negative camber. I had crash bolts installed and it was totally cured.

[Wgosma]

Get alignment check - you need the numbers to begin to sort out this issue.
Shop will have specs, if you want to see them input last 7 of your car's VIN at Newtis.info website and look under suspension/alignment for detailed info.

fyi: rear camber is wrench adjustable. Front camber is non-adjustable....if it is out of spec due to accident, etc. more work potentially involved in front to get the camber within spec.