Needs alignment or brakes?

Question

I've noticed my Toyota Camry shimming a bit when coming to stop when braking hard.My husband seems to think it's an alignment issue .Could it be the brakes?

Answer 1

I also have a Camry, mine is a 2000 LE, 4 cylinder. It has the shimmy issue when stopping. There are several possible causes for this:

• The front brake rotors have more run-out than they should. I don't remember what the spec is, but if this is the problem, they should be replaced rather than machined. If I had to guess it's 3 or 4 thousandths of an inch is the run-out spec. Run-out is just warping of the rotor btw. A situation like braking hard for a very long time, like descending a mountain road for 45 minutes or more, could heat the brakes to the point that they deform some.
• The front lug nuts are over tight. Sometimes the tire guy at the local shop will push the wheel on and tighten down the lugs with a monster air impact wrench. They will tend to be way over the specified 79 ft-lb torque spec. If they are too tight, they can warp the rotor, and again you have a shimmy.
• The alignment could be off. If you look at the tires and they are not wearing evenly, then this is likely your candidate.

So yes, it is actually better than 50/50 odds that it is your brakes, and not the alignment. Or, it could be both.

Hope that helps!