[jd2021]

Hello everyone, hope you're having a better day then I am.
I have a 2021 Camaro SS 1LE and have been having alignment issues with it ever since I hit a massive pothole on the freeway.(front drivers side). I've had my car aligned about 3-4 times since then form a dealership and a shop and my car is still pulling right. The dealer and the alignment shop I go to were able to bring my alignment back into spec and the car stays seemingly straight for maybe a day or two and then starts pulling to the right. During the alignments the steering angle sensor has also been reset. I suspect that I might have bent some suspension component on my drivers side due to the fact that my driver side caster is about 8.0* and my passenger side caster is about 7.2*; toe and camber are both in spec. Would this cause pulling to the right? Also, would the caster offset be indicative of a specific component being bent or could it be anything from the suspension? I plan to go with BMR suspension components soon anyway but I want to make sure that while my stock suspension components are getting replaced I don't need to also get a shock/strut replaced. Any advice or ideas would be great
Thanks

[kropscamaro16]

where are you located ?

[jd2021]

About an hour east of Los Angeles

[kropscamaro16]

i would go talk to rob at chewerks he can probably help you out but its probably a control arm or something that is messed up

[jd2021]

Ive heard really good things about Chewerks; I'll check them out. The alignment shop I took my car to first said nothing seemed like it was bent; he had it on a rack and was under the car. Im hoping that the suspension components I replace will fix the issue. Thanks for the suggestion .

[Scargoes]

Check for oil in the pocket on the subframe the front lower control arm mounts in. The inner bushing on the FE4 suspension is hydraulic. Mine has failed at 18k miles and a FEA
(ZL1 1LE) link will replace it.

[WhiteMale]

Bent wheel? Easy to do with a pothole and a 30 series tire. Easy to check with the car in the air, too, just spin the wheel and look inside and outside, if there's a dent it'll be apparent as the wheel rotates.

Caster is not adjustable and the performance supplement lists a 1LE *track alignment at 6.9 L and R so if you're pushing 8 I'd say that there's a problem to look for.

[Msquared]

A pothole would decrease caster by moving the control arm and knuckle backward, not increase it. It could be adding to a pull toward the right, but your car's higher caster on the driver's side was there prior to the hit unless it broke the upper strut mount or tower. If something is bent and the car can be put into alignment spec, then it won't cause a pull. The tire only knows its alignment, not the shape of the links connecting the knuckle to the frame of the car. But I seriously doubt you have a bent suspension link. Most cars don't have caster exactly even between the two front corners, and aren't all that close to any printed spec either. My own 2020 1LE has 7.6/7.3 (driver/passenger) since new. No big deal, and no pull.

Originally Posted by WhiteMale

Bent wheel? Easy to do with a pothole and a 30 series tire. Easy to check with the car in the air, too, just spin the wheel and look inside and outside, if there's a dent it'll be apparent as the wheel rotates.

Caster is not adjustable and the performance supplement lists a 1LE *track alignment at 6.9 L and R so if you're pushing 8 I'd say that there's a problem to look for.

Bent wheels also can't cause a pull, but if the tire got a belt separation inside its carcass then that could definitely cause a pull. I'd swap front wheels from side to side and see if the pull reverses or at least disappears. If it does, then your tire is the culprit.

[jd2021]

Thanks for the suggestion guys, trying a couple of things and I will post an update when I figure out the issue; appreciate all the suggestions!

[clyde]

The interesting thing is that you said the car tracks straight after being aligned for a period of time before it starts pulling again. That sounds like something may be slipping.

Some of the bolts used for alignment are meant to only be used once and replaced with each alignment. They often aren't and there's usually no problem, but sometimes there is. The easy way to check for slippage is to mark all the bolts once aligned and then check them all if/when it starts pulling again.