Camber Kit or Bending?

We took the Civic to the Alignment shop to diagnose the tire wear
problem. First step was two new tires on the front. Now, they offer two
ways to fix the problem--
install a camber kit for $240. or physically bend the knuckle dealy for
$55. each side.
Downside to the bending is if the suspension gets changed, ie: raised,
you have to rebend it. A camber kit would allow adjustment.

Bearing in mind this is the Frankenstein Civic (it looks great, but is
put together with multiple year parts), I'm leaning toward bending the
metal. Has anyone heard any horror stories from this method? Does this
increase the odds of something breaking?

 

maybe replacing the already bent parts would be a better idea.

 

I have had suspension parts on several cars (three Hondas, an Acura & a Ford
truck) bent by the frame shop when the unadjustable parameters were no
longer in spec. Never had a problem afterwards. What they are doing is
basically returning it to its original position/shape.

A reputable shop will recommend the kit (if there is a kit) before they bend
anything. I would let them bend it. If it doesn't work out, you can
always install the kit or replace the out-of-spec parts.

 

personally, i'd go with the kit. if they're going to bend anything it
should be the frame not the control arms because the upper arm needs to
either get longer or be set out further. and the trouble with bending
the frame is that if you sell it at any time, the buyer may have a hell
of a job adjusting the ride height again if they chose to. so
personally, i think it would pay more on resale for the car that's been
done right rather than the one that's been fudged - frankenstein or not.

 

no offense, but by the time most teenage boys get done with civics, they
arent worth reselling. theyre beat, pimped out, and full of
dubious-quality aftermarket crap.

generally, every dollar spent on "enhancements" takes a dollar from the
true value of the car.

eg: a stock civic with a blue book value of $7000.

add $2000 in wheels, drop kit, stickers, wings, and the car is now worth
$5000

 

agreed. i guess i was saying that /my/ opinion of value is even lower
of the car that's been bent vs. the one that's been reversibly modded.
/neither/ enhance value.

 

You are implying by the comment, ("ie: raised"), that the car is
lowered. If this is the case, I see no reason not to bend the knuckles.
Sounds like your alignment shop does this on a regular basis, so hopefully
knows what they are doing.

That's matter of taste... ;-o


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Ha! You know the SoCal market well! There are the other teens though,
who drool at the car and 'say' they'll give you $9k. Show me the money!!

 

In answer to TomP- (can't seem to capture your words)

Yes, the car is lowered. It's also had accidents and frame bending
already done. Surprisingly though, it drives nice and straight. It just
chews tires like there's no tomorrow.

Regarding the looks of the car-- Even the stuffy ol' bitty across the
street came out of her dungeon to tell me how nice the car was. It's a
tastefully modded black Coupe.

 

I would just tell them to bend away.

 

That's exactly what I did. I can 'see' the difference in the wheel
alignment. The wheel now sits straight, rather than tilted in.

Got it all done in the nick o' time--my 17 year old son just got hired
at Bank of America and will be driving an hour to Ventura for teller
school next week. Can we hear a big ol' shout out WOO HOO for the job?!
(If anyone's been hearing WOO HOO, that's me shouting from the
rooftop!!)

 

What did that cost?


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