Is negative camber good?

[Kneiselc]

Over the summer I installed lowering springs and sport shocks on my car creating negative camber. After 5 months, and not that many miles, the inside tread on my tires is extremely worn down. I had no idea this would cause me to chew through tires so quickly. I was looking at getting adjustable camber correction kits until I came across what Dinan had to say about it. Their kit actually increases negative camber and they claim this increases traction in cornering. Is this true? Because if so I might not mind replacing my tires yearly since I'm working at making my car handle incredibly well.

 

[Kirby]

Yes, everything you have said is correct. Racing setup on a BMW is to add negative camber, and it really improves the turn-in, but at the expense of the inside edges of the tires. BMWs benefit from negative camber more than most other cars, now you know a BMW racing secret!!!! Shhhhhhh........don't tell anyone

 

[bahnstormer]

neg only in the rear though
u want pos up front

 

[Kirby]

You actually need negative camber up front.

Why? Ideal traction occurs when the tire is perfectly flat on the road surface, so in theory, 0 camber is perfect. But as you go into a corner, the weight on the tire increases, and deforms the tire and the suspension as well. Now the tire/wheel/suspension is twisting towards positive camber, and is no longer flat on the road.

By setting up negative camber, when you go into a corner, the extra weight and energy starts to reduce the negative camber back to 0 camber, the "perfect" tire position with the full tread on the surface. Of course, you can never get it perfect every time due to variations in speed, road condition, etc. But a good professional driver can feel exactly how much camber he needs to control his car for a given general speed and condition.

 

[jrt67ss350]

That's a great post, Kirby. I couldn't have said it better myself. You've got it right on!

 

[Kirby]

Thanks.....There is a book that I read several years ago, and re-read every couple months, called "Speed Secrets". This $18 book is full of so much great racing, car setup, etc. information it's unbelievable. It should sell for $100! He spends a whole chapter just discussing basic suspension dynamics during racing.

 

[HornyHornet]

I have heard that 3% negative camber is the ideal set-up. I would think it depends on the vehicle specs like weight and such.

 

[Kneiselc]

Do I also want negative camber in the rear or should I get those wheels squared up?

 

[VANCE]

depends.
to a degree more negative camber will help handling but wear the inside of you rear tires faster.
you want better handling or buy more tires.
i would think unless you are tracking your car you would want to prolong the life of the tires.

 

[Kirby]

Do I also want negative camber in the rear or should I get those wheels squared up?

Just a clarification - factory spec for all cars will have some amount of negative camber, typically .5 to 1.5 degrees. If everything (caster, camber, toe in) was at 0 the car would handle like crap, and could potentially be dangerous.

You just have to decide about the handling vs. tire wear costs - which is more important to you?

The bigger question is whether or not the extra camber introduced by the mod'ed suspension can be corrected. It may require caster/camber plates to be installed to get it back to factory spec. That is a pretty common requirement on a lot of cars. My Bentley manual says caster and camber is not adjustable on the E36, I'm 99% sure that is correct. If it is adjustable it won't be very much.

 

[BMW-FW26]

On my E30 325is, the front spoiler is about 4 inches off the ground which gives S-03's a 8,000 mile lifespan. Is it worth it? Every inch.

 

[frolf]

mmmmm S-03's are taaassstey

 

[mjbst111]

all you have to do is buy a tire machine and a tire balancer. wear out the inside and switch it to the rim across from it and wear out the other side of your tire. Twice the life.

though i don't think you'd save any money buying those expencive machines. haha. I wonder how much those things cost....

 

[Kneiselc]

Yeah, I was planning on rotating the tires on the wheels if I don't get the camber adjusted but it still doesn't provide the tire longevity that I would get with less negative camber.

 

[mjbst111]

yeah i hear you. I'm in the same situation. Love the handling but i'm going through tires like its the only thing i work for.

 

[bahnstormer]

kumho 712's are what i run in the summer and they're dirt cheap,
very good compound, nice and progressive