The ever popular "rear alignment" issue

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palmerwmd
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Re: The ever popular "rear alignment" issue

Postby palmerwmd » Mon Feb 14, 2022 5:57 pm

Thanks for posting his!
Unbelievable whats all going on in this thread! :D


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Neeginan
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Re: The ever popular "rear alignment" issue

Postby Neeginan » Fri Feb 18, 2022 8:00 pm

Looks fricken awesome, Code!

smoothies-for-me
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Re: The ever popular "rear alignment" issue

Postby smoothies-for-me » Wed Jun 22, 2022 7:59 am

So add me to this list.

I have an Ironman4x4 2" lift. Originally it aligned just fine in the rear, then I had to replace all rear control arms due to bad ball joints.

I got the only aftermarket option which is the NAPA/Mevotech control arms. Camber was off big time. I just installed the eccentric bushings in uppers but camber is still out by around .75 degree.

I wonder if others having this issue have these mevotech control arms, maybe they are problematic. I would not like to gamble on buying OEM control arms so it sounds like my only option is to weld these gussets on :(

WHY WHY WHY didn't Nissan just allow you do adjust camber on both sides of the control arm like you can in the front?

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palmerwmd
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Re: The ever popular "rear alignment" issue

Postby palmerwmd » Wed Jun 22, 2022 12:53 pm

smoothies-for-me wrote:
Wed Jun 22, 2022 7:59 am
So add me to this list.

I have an Ironman4x4 2" lift. Originally it aligned just fine in the rear, then I had to replace all rear control arms due to bad ball joints.

I got the only aftermarket option which is the NAPA/Mevotech control arms. Camber was off big time. I just installed the eccentric bushings in uppers but camber is still out by around .75 degree.

I wonder if others having this issue have these mevotech control arms, maybe they are problematic. I would not like to gamble on buying OEM control arms so it sounds like my only option is to weld these gussets on :(

WHY WHY WHY didn't Nissan just allow you do adjust camber on both sides of the control arm like you can in the front?
I have Mevotech control arms but no lift beyond what the Moog springs give ( maybe an inch).
Car aligns ok... could 1 inch difference in lift make that much of a difference in alignment?

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Thupertrooper
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Re: The ever popular "rear alignment" issue

Postby Thupertrooper » Wed Jun 29, 2022 7:54 am

Update on the rear control arm info.
I measured the OEM Pathfinder and OEM Armada coil arms and they seem to be only 1" difference in length.
Also before Aligning the rear I recommend double checking coil spring direction since in my case would cause the truck to wonder and feel unaligned. I rotated the springs now I feel it tracks straight.


Also if your stuck with OEM springs any airbag upgrade like the Airlift 1000s will help the horrible sagging but only buying you time till you get some upgraded springs.

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Code Pathfinder
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Re: The ever popular "rear alignment" issue

Postby Code Pathfinder » Fri Jul 22, 2022 8:46 am

I'll be getting my rear Toe Arms installed next Wednesday after 5 months of waiting.

They were supposed to go in back in May but my Pathfinder's ECU, ABS, and IPDM shorted and all of them needed to be replaced.

Will let everyone know how this upgrade goes!

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Neeginan
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Re: The ever popular "rear alignment" issue

Postby Neeginan » Sun Jul 24, 2022 10:44 am

I don't think I ever shared a picture of how my rear suspension with the gusset work turned out.
Rear Independent Suspension with Gusset work on Arms.jpg
This was completed around December 2021. I recently had a squirrely rear end, the rear shocks were replaced last week. Issue addressed. Alignment redone, everything in spec except front right wheel caster is at 1.8 deg vs recommended min of 2.3 deg. No front end wander, so no issue. Anyway, I digress. Back to the rear.

You can see from the pic the gusset work where both rear control arms (the 'front' one and the coil bucket) connect to the subframe. Additionally, gussets were added to the coil bucket control arm at the mounting points near the wheels. I do believe that this last step - adding gussets to the coil bucket at the mounting points near the wheels - was not necessary for my mild lift (PRG 1 1/2in spacer lift + Moog 81119 in the rear). I have additional adjustability if I wanted to go higher. I don't, because I believe it would trigger significant work in the front to be able to get into alignment spec. And I just don't need more lift than what I have. The rear aligns perfectly in spec in all measurements. Camber, Toe, cross camber, total toe, thrust angle.

Anyway, I was under the truck with the new shocks added so I thought I should add this info to the record for future reference.

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Code Pathfinder
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Re: The ever popular "rear alignment" issue

Postby Code Pathfinder » Tue Jul 26, 2022 7:46 am

Thank you for the photo!

Unfortunately, the shop called today and had to reschedule my appointment to next week. Whole shop pretty much got Covid over the past weekend :(

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Code Pathfinder
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Re: The ever popular "rear alignment" issue

Postby Code Pathfinder » Fri Sep 23, 2022 12:29 pm

Installed the coil buckets this past Monday at a shop in St Paul. Shout Out to JWP Automotive for the installation and alignment.

Image

After the installation

Image

We installed brand new Camber and Toe Bolts from Nissan as well as the old bolts were rusty and starting to wear out from the rust and usage.

Here are my alignment specs as of today. The Camber is in spec in the front its just that the shops alignment machine numbers were outputted incorrectly when they were printed out. The front Caster is adjustable for me by using the SPC Titan Upper Control Arms on my Titan Swap setup but we didn't really touch the front suspension other than toe.

Image

We fought with the alignment for a very long time but ultimately got the rear end in spec again which is awesome!

The only issue we ran into during the project was my front drivers side inner tie rod is seized inside my Billet outer tie rod from CJD Racing. Although the alignment is in the green for the front, the Pathfinder tends to pull towards the right when the wheel is straight. We tried to clock the steering wheel to counter this problem but no dice. I will order brand new inner and outer tie rods to deal with this issue. PB and Heat could work as well but since its steel inner tie rods and billet aluminum outer tie rods, you must be careful not to deform or weaken the billet outer tie rods when using heat and wrenches.


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