2005 on Chrysler LX Chassis: Chrysler 300C, Dodge Charger, Challenger and Magnum The LX series chassis is a product of Daimler Chrysler shared engineering. The chassis delivers excellent ride comfort and control and has been a tremendous success with approximately 900,000 units in the field. As good as these vehicles are owners and fleet mangers report relatively short tire life in what they consider to be conservative use. Tire wear is directly related to two characteristics in the LX chassis. One is a high rate of bump steer. A contributing factor to premature tire wear from bump steer are worn, torn or failed radius rod bushes. Two is high negative rear camber when the vehicle is carrying a load. What is bump steer? Bump steer is the toe-in or toe-out of the front wheels as the suspension goes from normal ride height through full bump (suspension system moves up) to full droop (suspension system moves down). Measurement is usually limited to 3" up and 3" down from ride height. It is specified either by a graph or measurements. Why does bump steer cause tire wear? The toe in and toe out motion created as the suspension articulates over the road surface literally scrubs the tread off your tires. You can create the same grinding motion with your feet. With your feet flat on the ground, grind them until your toes point out and point in. The resistance is what causes tire wear as bump steer occurs. How is bump steer corrected on a Chrysler LX chassis? Bump steer is corrected by raising or lowering the steering rack in relation to the wheel knuckle at rest. At Pedders we use an EP2113 Bump Steer Correction Kit to raise the steering rack. Installation of the kit take approximately one hour and should be performed with your next wheel alignment or when you purchase tires. The graph demonstrates the improvement. How do I know if my radius rod bushes are worn, torn or failed? A Radius rod bush can be inspected with the vehicle on a lift and a flash or shop light. As rubber ages, ozone causes the surface of the rubber to oxidize. A reddish brown ring where the radius rod bush moves is completely normal and requires no maintenance. A radius rod bush with cracks, tears or worse should be immediately replaced. Not only does the excess motion of the radius rod arm caused by a bad bush contribute to tire wear, it creates steering that is sloppy and contributes to wandering and pulling under way or when stopping. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nJx_4Gqt6Y Chrysler offers replacement only of the entire arm and bush assembly. Pedders EP6567 is a severe duty cycle bit that replaces only the bush making it very cost effective. The manager or technician will walk you into the shop so you can see the condition of the bush. What is Camber? Camber is measured in degrees, both positive and negative. Camber can be the result of a bad alignment, wearing parts and changing the ride height on your vehicle; rather raising or lowering it. Camber takes valuable rubber off the road by ridding on the edges of the tires instead of the traction patch. Positive camber points the top of the wheel away from the vehicle. Negative camber points the top of the wheel in towards the vehicle. Why does the LX chassis have high negative camber under load? If your LX is equipped with Nivomat load carrying rear shock absorbers from the factory, your LX will not have high negative camber when loaded with passengers or cargo. The Nivomat is a self-contained hydraulic load leveling system. As long as the Nivomats are working they will level the vehicle and keep the negative camber in check. The technician can determine if your LX has Nivomat rear dampers by measuring the OD of the lower shock tube. If it is over 59mm in diameter your LX is Nivomat equipped. Most of the LXs were delivered from the factory with standard style rear dampers. The coil rate, the ability to carry load is conservative. Typically the negative rear camber will increase 1.5 to 2.5 degrees with five passengers in the vehicle. How do I correct the negative camber with passengers or cargo on my LX? Coils are like people, they age with time and use. You could replace your worn OE coils with new OE coils. They will be better, but still light in rate by enthusiast and Pedders standards. Even brand new OE coils will measure 1 to 2 degrees of negative camber with the same load. Replacing the rear coils with Pedders 7841 HD coils. With Pedders 7841 coils installed the change in negative camber with identical load is .5 degrees. Your vehicle will ride a bit firmer, but most LX owners actually find the ride to be very close to factory. What is the warranty for Pedders parts used on my LX? The warranty is straight forward and covers both parts and labor. If the Pedders parts are installed by a Pedders Dealer and bit fails in 2 years or 36,000 miles they parts will be replaced at no charge. If they are installed by a DIY or other shop the parts are covered but labor is not covered. If you drive an AWD LX you should be aware that lower front control arm bush failure is more common than radius rod bush failure. The AWD lower front control arm combines the function of the radius rod arm and the control arm into a single unit. The arm is robust. The inner bush is prone to wear. This arm is from a 300C with a 3.5 and has been driven conservatively by a mature owner for 53,000 miles. The only available solution is replacement with a Chrysler OEM control arm assembly. Pedders has a replacement bush in development.
What is the usual price for install of this? Hi Sretch, Which bushing kit are you thinking about? Multiple ones are mentioned Our bump steer kit should be 1 hour or less, Our front adjustable control arm bushings should be 2 hours our less Our upper rear control arm bushings should be between 1 and 1.5 hours for both Front radius rod bushes should be no less than 2 hours for both Did I miss anything for you? thanks mike dms
