L322 Suspension Lower Arm wear causing judder?

Hello fellow L322-ers,

My RR has developed a judder through the steering that is certainly amplified under braking from the Nearside Front. A quick review of the MOT history tells me that 2 MOT's ago (although not one last year??!) that:

Nearside Front Lower Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement back and front arms (5.3.4(a)(i))

Two things:

1. Would this be the likely cause of the judder whilst under way & amplified through braking?
2. Euro Car Parts tells me it's this bit: https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/starline-suspension-arm-615670049 is this correct?
3. Is it bastard to do 'DIY' or should I employ a chap to do it?

Cheers

JohnM70 said:

Hello fellow L322-ers,

My RR has developed a judder through the steering that is certainly amplified under braking from the Nearside Front. A quick review of the MOT history tells me that 2 MOT's ago (although not one last year??!) that:

Nearside Front Lower Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement back and front arms (5.3.4(a)(i))

Two things:

1. Would this be the likely cause of the judder whilst under way & amplified through braking?
2. Euro Car Parts tells me it's this bit: https://www.eurocarparts.com/p/starline-suspension-arm-615670049 is this correct?
3. Is it bastard to do 'DIY' or should I employ a chap to do it?

Cheers

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I thought you always employed a chap to do anything on your motors.

aj1954 said:

I thought you always employed a chap to do anything on your motors.

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Yes, generally I prefer to - spread the wealth and all that - but if it's a quick job, and I don't need to buy any more tools, I'll do it.

no expert but wear in bushes/pins etc in my mind would cause clunks/knocks as you go over pumps and accelerate/decelerate?
judder is usually wheel/tyre related?
judder under braking can be bad discs/pads, either glazed or build-up

kermit_rr said:

no expert but wear in bushes/pins etc in my mind would cause clunks/knocks as you go over pumps and accelerate/decelerate?
judder is usually wheel/tyre related?
judder under braking can be bad discs/pads, either glazed or build-up

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I wondered about this as there is tyre wear to the outside edge of the tyre - yea, the TP's have been checked and running at 33PSI
I wondered about tacking if I've hit a pothole?

JohnM70 said:

I wondered about this as there is tyre wear to the outside edge of the tyre - yea, the TP's have been checked and running at 33PSI
I wondered about tacking if I've hit a pothole?

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theres going to be some wear to the outside edges on the front. what profile are you running?
when you brake, you're shifting weight and distorting the front tyres. if you have a physically damaged tyre then this could present as increased noise/judder
check tread depth all round and across the tyre, to see if there are any high/low spots - physical damage wont often show until you've done a few miles

kermit_rr said:

theres going to be some wear to the outside edges on the front. what profile are you running?
when you brake, you're shifting weight and distorting the front tyres. if you have a physically damaged tyre then this could present as increased noise/judder
check tread depth all round and across the tyre, to see if there are any high/low spots - physical damage wont often show until you've done a few miles

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I'm running 255/55/R19 Scorpions - I've got a brand new spare so will swap it out to see.

JohnM70 said:

excessive movement back and front arms

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There are 2 arms per side, the mention of "back and front arms" may mean both arms.
Always best to do both sides as the other side is probably not far behind.
Assuming the bolts come out easy, then not a difficult job with not much in the way of tools needed. Not sure about the Lower arm last page mentioning "calibrating suspension" Don't see why the need for that, but that could be your only stumbling block if you haven't got good diagnostic kit.

But as above could be a few other reasons or many little reasons, a quick check on a lift would/could quickly show if those arms are worn in which case they need doing anyway.

J

A picture of the tyre wear

I’ll be replacing that then!

JohnM70 said:

A picture of the tyre wear
View attachment 311405
I’ll be replacing that then!

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that looks sad, but its a heavy truck bus car
if its the same both sides then check the toe-in?

I believe it will need 4 wheel alignment done if you change an arm as the bolts are eccentric so would be wise to do both sides as Marjon said then you will be good for a few years on that front.

kermit_rr said:

that looks sad, but its a heavy truck bus car
if its the same both sides then check the toe-in?

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Here we go
Offside

Near side (the offending item)

just my take.. the n/s tyre on a tall and heavy car is always going to take more stick and gain more wear, though toe-in can cause funky wear on a 4x4, it wouldnt need to be very far out at all

Those tyres are getting close to needing replacement......IMO.

aj1954 said:

Those tyres are getting close to needing replacement......IMO.

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Not on mine, they'd have been replaced already. I change mine when they drop below below 4mm. I like to maintain wet weather braking, so make sure there's enough tread to clear the water, especially on these wetter roads we get now.

Nodge68 said:

Not on mine, they'd have been replaced already. I change mine when they drop below below 4mm. I like to maintain wet weather braking, so make sure there's enough tread to clear the water, especially on these wetter roads we get now.

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Sorry, didn’t realise we should all bow down and follow your teachings…

JohnM70 said:

Sorry, didn’t realise we should all bow down and follow your teachings…

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Not teaching. Just what I do.
Oh and yes, worn bushes can cause steering juddering, especially if tyres are nearing the end of their life.

The camber angle also changes with the suspension height.

Any more swearing in tech sections will be awarded with holidays