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Thread: Front shock tower mounts installed incorrectly?

  1. #1
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    Front shock tower mounts installed incorrectly?

    Hi all
    I'm still trying to find out why and how after years of my front wheels sitting symmetrically in the front wheel well arch has it changed to the wheels sitting farther back towards firewall side of arch and therefore affecting turning radius now.
    I've done a full front suspension and bushings replacement yearrrrs Ago (20k kms ago) and for years after that the wheels sat perfectly in their well...
    BUT I just thought of something...
    I had to replace both shock mounts after one sheared from hitting a huge pot hole. Is it even possible to put a shock mount into the car wrong? I mean I know the parts spin...but I am sure there is no right or wrong way to poke the three students up through the tower...right?


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    I swear, my cars are like a girlfriend.
    Sometimes its a rough ride, sometimes its smooth motorin'.
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  2. #2
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    I had to replace both shock mounts after one sheared from hitting a huge pot hole. Is it even possible to put a shock mount into the car wrong? I mean I know the parts spin...but I am sure there is no right or wrong way to poke the three students up through the tower...right?

    From memory the studs are all equidistantly spaced, thus no wrong way to fit...unless...camber plates installed?

  3. #3
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    Traction Arms?

    Quote Originally Posted by clockwork View Post
    Hi all
    I'm still trying to find out why and how after years of my front wheels sitting symmetrically in the front wheel well arch has it changed to the wheels sitting farther back towards firewall side of arch and therefore affecting turning radius now.
    I've done a full front suspension and bushings replacement yearrrrs Ago (20k kms ago) and for years after that the wheels sat perfectly in their well...
    BUT I just thought of something...
    I had to replace both shock mounts after one sheared from hitting a huge pot hole. Is it even possible to put a shock mount into the car wrong? I mean I know the parts spin...but I am sure there is no right or wrong way to poke the three students up through the tower...right?


    Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
    Have you recently replaced the traction arms? Incorrect units would definitly affect the position of the wheels within the wheel wells.

  4. #4
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    I do not run camber plates.
    I had the static designed MWrench on but the interior tire wear was attririous on a slightly lowered car (without bump steer plates at the time they were installed).

    I made sure before I installed Wokkes spherical bearing UCAs that the arm was an e31 part number and not e32 and I even bought new BMW UCAs with e34 M5 bushing and pressed them in and measured against Wokkes UCAs for sizing and yep all are proper dimensions.

    I can only think of the strut Mount being a non e31 part now but I bought from Wuffer and I know he'd have sent e31 parts. So I wondered if SOMEHOW I installed them wrong or if it was more or less even possible to. I checked each shock mount before install and looked perfect.. no indication of having to install one way or another but...

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
    I swear, my cars are like a girlfriend.
    Sometimes its a rough ride, sometimes its smooth motorin'.
    Sometimes she doesnt like how i treat her and sometimes i dont like how she behaves.
    BUT at the end of the day, she loves it when I am inside her.

  5. #5
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    Sure you can't get it wrong.
    Pop the plastic cap off the top of the suspension turret under the hood and the damper rod/nut should be sitting centrally in the hole.

    Are both sides affected to the same degree?
    How bad are the wheel positions, do they scrub?

  6. #6
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    Yes both front wheels sit rearward in wheel arch and they do not scrub now that I took my 15mm wheel spacers off.

    I'd really like to figured this out so it looks normal again and I can reuse my wheel spacers like I did years ago before this occured.


    Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
    I swear, my cars are like a girlfriend.
    Sometimes its a rough ride, sometimes its smooth motorin'.
    Sometimes she doesnt like how i treat her and sometimes i dont like how she behaves.
    BUT at the end of the day, she loves it when I am inside her.

  7. #7
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    This is a subject that was discussed a couple of years ago - AFAIR we decided that it was quite normal! A quick look through my photographs show that mine are also further towards the rear than the front:



    Last edited by Timm; 06-08-2018 at 04:24 PM.
    Timm..2007 E64 650i Individual Sport..1999 E31 840ci Individual Sport..ex owner of 2000 E38 740..1999 E38 740i V8 M62..1998 E38 735i V8..1993 E32 730i V8..1988 E28 518i


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  8. #8
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    ^
    That gap also looks similar to mine.
    clockwork stated that his wheel setup didn't catch on his original suspension, but now it does. I wonder if the original suspension had wear in the upper arms etc. that was allowing enough wheel clearance due to excessive play, but the new components without play are now giving the scrub?

  9. #9
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    Timm, yeah I made a thread a few years ago about this and yeah I remember a few of us owners are dealing with this... But why just some of us and can we fix it for looks and function?

    I am trying to think of anything that could be changed to bring wheel back to center
    As I have pics of years ago where my wheels were centered before...

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
    I swear, my cars are like a girlfriend.
    Sometimes its a rough ride, sometimes its smooth motorin'.
    Sometimes she doesnt like how i treat her and sometimes i dont like how she behaves.
    BUT at the end of the day, she loves it when I am inside her.

  10. #10
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    After reviewing the original thread I started 2 years ago, I will let sleeping dogs lie with my current front wheels/tires set...

    https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...ible-solutions

    May be a good read/refresher for others looking at a thread like this for first time


    Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
    I swear, my cars are like a girlfriend.
    Sometimes its a rough ride, sometimes its smooth motorin'.
    Sometimes she doesnt like how i treat her and sometimes i dont like how she behaves.
    BUT at the end of the day, she loves it when I am inside her.

  11. #11
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    Something causes this. It would be good to figure out what it is because it seems that this happens many of us.

  12. #12
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    Agreed... But as many of us have attempted to correct this to no good end result, what can it be? I want to believe it is fatigued parts but I, like many, have put new parts on and no resolution... But yes I'd like to keep an eye on this still and these threads to see if a victory can happen.

    Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
    I swear, my cars are like a girlfriend.
    Sometimes its a rough ride, sometimes its smooth motorin'.
    Sometimes she doesnt like how i treat her and sometimes i dont like how she behaves.
    BUT at the end of the day, she loves it when I am inside her.

  13. #13
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    I have this problem and also have not found a solution

  14. #14
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    No need to try and correct - the wheel is in the position it was designed to be in - just for confirmation I had a look at the 1993 NA Brochure - it has a rare side-on view of the car which you don't see often - and I measured the centre of the wheel to be offset to the rear just as we see in our own cars:

    Timm..2007 E64 650i Individual Sport..1999 E31 840ci Individual Sport..ex owner of 2000 E38 740..1999 E38 740i V8 M62..1998 E38 735i V8..1993 E32 730i V8..1988 E28 518i


    My BMW Repair YouTube Channel
    My Current 840ci Sport Individual
    My Current 650ci Sport Individual
    My E31 Repair and Information Website
    My E38 Repair and Information Website
    My E63/E64 Repair and Information Website

    Chase - Heroes to a generation

  15. #15
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    Wow! those big brakes fill the wheel, oh no its small wheels

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Timm View Post
    No need to try and correct - the wheel is in the position it was designed to be in - just for confirmation I had a look at the 1993 NA Brochure - it has a rare side-on view of the car which you don't see often - and I measured the centre of the wheel to be offset to the rear just as we see in our own cars:

    That wheel is in center of the wheel well arch. Folks who has the problem, wheels are not like that. I have seen pictures of wheels sitting way closer to back than front.

  17. #17
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    This is how my wheel used to look sitting centered in arch, then a few years later this is now how it sits close to the rear of arch...
    Anyhow I'm not trying to cause an argument and I originally wanted to know if a strut Mount could be installed wrong. I installed mine right so my question is answered.
    Thanks all.


    Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
    I swear, my cars are like a girlfriend.
    Sometimes its a rough ride, sometimes its smooth motorin'.
    Sometimes she doesnt like how i treat her and sometimes i dont like how she behaves.
    BUT at the end of the day, she loves it when I am inside her.

  18. #18
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    Take note that it is also LOWER. Put some weight on the front of the car eg friend sit on the bumper or drive one corner onto a 2x6. It's possible just as simple as the tire goes through an arc that is aft when lower

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