So i have a pretty violent blowout on my new 255/45/R18s a couple weekends ago... an accident right in front of me threw a whole lotta debris back at me and a sharp piece of fender rips my front driverside sidewall as im trying to avoid it.

Thanks to the free replacement feature i decided at the tire place i had a new tire in 2 days, but now... something is wrong....

i have what seems to be serious camber issues with that wheel now. eventhough the car still runs straight it looks like i have an angle that is bringing in the top of my wheel like an inch, maybe more. when i lift the car the wheel hangs at a parallel | | angle but when i put it back down the wheel down it looks like the rotor is at an angle tilted inward at the top.

I was thinking about taking it in to the dealers and seeing if the warranty covers what looks like suspension damage... but could i be introuble cause i put on a different wheels/ tires setup? i mean 255R18 is a hell of a difference to 215R16 am i gonna eff up my chances?

 

I don't think the dealer is'nt going to help you out on that one unless there is no damage ie just an adjustment needed. You are probably going to have to file an insurance claim for that. Something is probably bent that needs to be replaced. Depends on how serious it is. I would take it to the dealer and have it looked at, and if its going to cost you call your insurance agent.

 

Can you put your stock tires/wheels on the car and bring it to the dealership.

 

I downloaded parts of the factory service manual (think link came from themustangsource.com) and lower control arm looks like laminated steel- might be bent, or rubber bushing mount pulled a bit, and if so, would expect simply measuring gap from tire to rear of wheel opening would show difference from one side to the other.

If the tires still centered, my next guess would be the (2) pinch bolts holding spindle to strut might have slipped- but I kinda think if this slipped far enough to 'look' out of whack, I sure would think it should cause some toe out...who knows

hopefully its just a slipped adjustment and wont cost you much- one suggestion, if you have tireamerica store nearby(think Sears bought them and changed name to NTB/national tire and battery?)- they 'check' alignment for free, might be able to tell you the problem at no cost...I had my wifes windstar in for a recall on tierod ends or something and picked up the car, steering wheel was cocked badly and car was pulling- turned right around took back to dealer, he said tech said caster camber split was way off and would require drilling out spotwelds to adjust- I told them 'not unless you wrecked it' as it was perfectly fine on the way there...rather than jet them drill thru galvanized/painted areas on a ohio salt exposed car, figured Id pay the 69 bucks at local shop I trusted, to verify what happened- he put it up on the rack, said the alignment was off about right where he'd want it to be for road crowning anyway, and also the split would make it pull the opposite way anyhow- then he asked what all they did at the dealer- he says 'I bet they swapped the front tires'...asked him what that would do, he explained radials flex during operation, and reversing rotation on used tires can cause 'ply steer', possibly even damage the tires...anyway he swapped the tires, problem went away. I went to the counter to gladly pay for my 'fix' without welding, and he says- oh, theres no charge...we check alignments and rotate tires for free... I about fell over. Yes, I called the dealer and let them know about it too

good luck- hope its minor adjustment only

 

Thanks... ill look and see if theres anything i can tell about the suspension problems but i wont be able to fix this kinda stuff myself... im gonna have to have it done i wasjust hoping warranty might cover it. maybe if i put my stock wheels back on... pain in the next lemme tell ya... but if itll get me fixed for free ill do it