Tire damage due to excessive negative rear camber that can't be adjusted

RAV4_SKV said:

Hello,

I'm from Slovakia and I have the same problem with rear wheels. I bought my car in June 2021. It has 23000km on the clock now and is still under 2 years factory warranty. I also bought extended waranty for additionlal 3 years. I had issue with straight driving. My car was pulling to the left slightly. At my verry first car maintenance (13700km) I mentioned that and they checked wheel allignments. With the result that they have to made some adjustment and everything is fine. But I haven't noticed that one walue on rear left was out of the allowed range (different protocol without any highlighting). As my car was still pulling to the left, not as much as before, but still, I decided to made another wheel alignments check and I decided to go to another dealer.
Today I visited 2nd Toytoa dealer to check wheel allignments and results are terrible. Even worse then the first time. I'm looking for solution how to fix this as Toyota refuse to fix it under warranty. It looks like there are 2 options, change upper arm for adjustable one (I found that Hardrace also have one for RAV4 2021) or another option is to use adjustable toe arm also from Hardrace. Does anybody has an experience with any of this? Is it a really solution for this issue? Or what should I do to get the rear wheels properly alligned? I will be glad for any tip, thanks.

Here are my results, but measurement is made in degress and minutes, not in decimal degrees!
View attachment 192098

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Jlhrstv said:

On a recent road trip our 2019 RAV4 Hybrid began vibrating on the highway. We pulled over and discovered that the left rear tire was damaged as it was cupped and missing much of the inside shoulder. The rest of the tire had approx. 5/32 tread wear. (3/32 is the minimum according to the tire manufacturer) We have been getting rotations every 5K miles at the dealer. All 4 tires had similar uneven wear, the current left rear being much worse.
View attachment 167806

We replaced it with our full size spare and took it to a dealer in the area, they attempted an alignment; however, we were told that the left rear had excessive negative camber, this was not adjustable, and something was defective. They advised that we take it to the dealer where we purchased the car to see if they could do something. (Car is still in warranty)
View attachment 167807

The dealer where we bought it new changed the struts and springs in an attempt to increase the ride height and decrease the camber with little effect. They said that it is now just within the "Acceptable" limit from Toyota so all is OK; however, at this camber the tire wears unevenly as evidenced by the tire in the photo above. We would expect it to be in Toyota's "Recommended" or "Preferred" alignment as represented by the smaller center green range. I understand that angles out of the recommended range can cause uneven tire wear. The replacement is also starting to show similar uneven wear after less than 1,000 miles.

What does a normal alignment report on a RAV4 Hybrid look like? Has anyone else had issues with uneven tire wear?
Would be very helpful if some of you could also post pics or results of your last alignment reports if you have them.

Thanks in advance.

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bauerhaus said:

I contacted Godspeed Project by telephone and discussed the compatibility of their AK-066-B arms ($180 pair, plus tax and shipping) with a stock 5th Gen (2019-2022) RAV4, and I was told it would only fit a suspension that was lowered. It would be too short for a stock, unaltered suspension and would not fit. Also, it is not intended for a daily driver vehicle. Here are quotes from the manufacturer's website.
"SPECIAL NOTES - ...For competition and off-road use only.."
"LEGAL DISCLAIMER - WARNING: THIS PRODUCT IS STRICTLY OFF-ROAD AND SHOW USE ONLY…"

In regard to the SPC 68710/68711 adjustable camber arms ($300 pair, plus tax and shipping), they fit the 2006-2018 RAV4 (Gen 3 & 4), so they are not listed as fitting Gen 5 RAV4.

So my answer to the question is neither Godspeed or SPC makes arms that fit/work on a stock 2019-2022 (5th Gen) RAV4.

For those people who look at parts pictures and say there is clearly an eccentric camber adjustment bolt, they are mistaken. The Toyota part description for the bolt includes the word "camber" but in fact the mechanic's manual more accurately explains the bolt adjusts TOE only, not CAMBER.

However, after much searching and conferring with my mechanic and a Japanese manufacturer, today I had new rear adjustable camber upper control arms installed on my 2020 RAV4. The manufacturer assured me they would fit, and the mechanic who installed them confirmed they installed very easily, and he easily adjusted them to well within alignment specs, in my case -0.5 degrees. There is plenty of adjustment. The arms are very substantial in weight (sturdy), and after hours of online research, several emails, and several phone calls, this is the only rear adjustable camber upper control arm solution I could find for stock 5th Gen RAV4s as of today's date.

The manufacturer is Cusco Enhancement and Progressive Racing Equipment, and the Japanese company has a presence in California - Progressive Racing Equipment — CUSCO USA Inc.. Here is the link to the product page, which includes several excellent pictures - Product not found | CUSCO USA Inc.

It is Cusco Part number 1A1 474 L. If you Google the part number, you will find a number of vendors selling the pair of arms. Because these rear adjustable camber upper control arms fit literally 22 different Toyota vehicles going back more than a decade, it can be confusing when they are listed fitting a 2018 CH-R or a Prius or some other Toyota model, I was assured by the manufacturer by email and telephone that Cusco 1A1 474 L fits the 5th Gen (2019-2022) RAV4.

The main problem is the price. If you purchase through an official USA distributor, the list price is $600+, but they discount it to about $550 for the pair of arms (plus tax and shipping - total $600+). I learned about 2 heavily/positively reviewed Japanese companies that sell the pair for around $300, and they ship by highly reliable DHL, which has very good delivery progress tracking. I got my pair of arms for about $375 total, and it arrived in one week from RHD Japan.

Here are the 2 Japanese vendors I found, and many reviewers say they are highly reliable.

CUSCO Adjustable Rear Upper Arms 15mm~8mm - ZYX10 NGX50 ZVW50 ZVW51 ZVW55 - RHDJapan

CUSCO Adjustable Rear Upper Arms 15mm~8mm - ZYX10 NGX50 ZVW50 ZVW51 ZVW55. Buy direct with global shipping to your door from Osaka, Japan. We speak English and all email queries are responded to promptly!

www.rhdjapan.com

CUSCO Adjustable rear upper arm For TOYOTA C-HR ZYX10 NGX50 1A1 474 L

Brand CUSCO Product Number 1A1 474 L Compatible Car TOYOTA C-HR ZYX10 NGX50 Compatible Engine - Product Description Year: 2016.12 - type: adjustable adjustment range: +15 ~ -8 mm Material: Steel Remarks -- Notes Images are for illustration purpose only. Actual product may vary.

www.blackhawkjapan.com

Of course you have to pay to have them installed, plus the alignment. A fair amount of money to solve a problem that should not exist, but I just spent $1,000 on a new set of tires and plan to have the vehicle for multiple sets of additional tires, so I rationalize it is worthwhile investment. Remember, Toyota's solution is to replace suspension components at a cost equal or more than buying and installing these arms, and Toyota's solution does not fix the problem.

Here's 2 photos of the Cusco 1A1-474-L rear adjustable camber upper control arm 1) next to stock Toyota arm and 2) installed.
View attachment 186553
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I hope this is helpful to 5th Gen RAV4 people.

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