Hey all, i just got my car back in the garage to start getting it ready for the summer. I couldn't help but notice this thing is dog tracking like crazy! I was wondering if anyone had a problem with this previously, and how they fixed it. All of my suspension components are stock.

Has the car ever been wrecked?

Nope. The whole car is straight as an arrow. Except the differential that is. It is driven hard, but taken care of.

I can get some pictures up.

Something has to be out of wack, most likelt the rear.

Bent control arm or track bar? Lack of bushings?

I'll get it jacked up. I'll get back to you in about an hour.

my friends 92 camaro is doing this bad after lowering and wheel change.

Thats because he needs an adjustable panhard bar. it is pulling the rear to one side now that its lowered.

I've crawled under it, nothing is bent. The bushings are still in tact, old but still there. I've also shaken anything suspension related and nothing moves.

Get it to a frame shop and put it on a rack.

Something is not square.

26 year old springs that are "stock" are sagging badly at this point that your car is lower than what stock was in 1986 and therefore your rear end is off to one side possibly causing the thrust angle to be off. Either buy stock springs to raise the height or if you like the way your stance and spring stiffness is right now, then get an adjustable panhard bar as Johnny said and re-center the rear.

I used adjustable pieces--panhard and LCA's--to center and align the rear end under the car.

JamesC

Okay, so I'm thinking adjustable panhard to fix it. I do plan on dropping it about an inch or so anyway. Who's good and reasonable for a panhard bar?

If its not lowered, I would still want to have it checked out if its dog tracking that bad, got too be more to it then worn springs, IMO.

Yeah, I might take it to a local shop just to see what's going on. I'd say it's between 1/2" and 1" too far to the left. it's just irritating to walk out to. lol.

Are you saying the rear just looks like it is off to one side, or is it noticably dog tracking when driving down the road?

It's dog tracking going down the road, and visible just sitting on a flat surface. when I hit the brakes, it pulls right. If the tires spin, it pulls right. Something's not right.

Waiting....

Ok when installing an adjustable panhard bar how do you know when it is adjusted right?

The best way is with a 4 wheel alignment rack.

i know my factory bar was bent at the end. maybe from hard take offs but none the less it wasnt straight.

Any update?

Still dog tracking???

Hate it when someone asks for help, people tell them things to look at and offer advice, then you never here anything.


Just wondering if this guy got his dog tracking fixed?

I never saw this post

if the arms are all straight then it has to be the stock rubber bushings are shot. With an open rearend, the car will "one tire fire" and create a change in thrust angle by putting foreward pressure (compression thrust) on one LCA and not the other. The busings are collapsing. measure the distance from front to rear mount boths on both LCA's and see itf the distance is the same- if not then there is your culprit.

That would be my guess.

I was trying to firgure out what he meant.

Too me a car that dog tracks is a car that goes down the road with the back wheels in a different line then the front wheels, like the 70's novas so often did.

After some of his other posts, I think he meant when he took off with wheel spin, the rear of the car kicked to the rght, so common with stock worn parts as you stated.

But, I guess we will never know.

Holy crap guys. I'm sorry about that. I ended up talking to a friend of mine that is big into all generations of camaros. He had told me about the way the rear suspension operates on the third and fourth generation camaros, and it makes sense. I've noticed that all third gen camaros (except for people with adjustable panhard bars) experience the same amount of dog tracking. They all are more to the left. It's just the way they are designed. I'm really sorry for leaving you guys hanging. I appreciate the help.

What design makes them track?

Fill us in on what your friend said.

The way that the rear suspension is put together and designed, The rear axle is allowed to "swing" froM the panhard bar. So, depending on where the suspension is in the travel, it will move the axle left to right. I decided to test it out, and sure enough he was right. I jacked the car up and supported it on the subframe where the rear control arms mount, so I could get full suspension travel. I fully compressed the rear suspension (just with the weight of the car) using a jack on the differential. I then let it down slowly and watched the alignment of my left tire with the sideskirt. From just eyeballing it, It moves maybe 1/2" to 1".

But what does that have to do with "dog tracking"?

What is happening that you call "dog tracking"?

We call that the "jacking effect" which can be greatly reduced by making the PHB as level as possible (about 0.5" to 1" higher on the body side is preferred) and also stiffer springs to reduce body roll and suspension travel which will reduce the "flaw" in the design.

What I'm calling dog tracking is, when I look at my car, the left wheel sticks out further than the passenger side. If you look down the car from behind the wheels don't line up exactly.

oh.. get adjustable PHB and adjust it more to the right. That should fix your problem.

Who makes a good quality adjustable PHB?

Hmm.. Most of them make good ones... Although I would recommend not going all poly because poly binds. I personally have SPOHN poly/del sphere combo PHB and LCA and handling in the rear was greatly improved (no more binding from my previous J&M all poly PHB and LCA).. UMI makes good ones too, and I've heard good things about Founders as well..