What is Camber Kit? And how to install camber kit?

Posted by dashzracing On December - 23 - 2009

A lot of people has wondering what is camber kit and what does camber kit can do for their car, so let’s talk about camber kit this time and after you read this article, you will know the all the information about the camber kit and how to install the camber kit.

The camber kit is a type of shock absorber used on cars that have been modified. The function of the camber kit is to straighten out the wheels that become arched inward or outward when the body of the car is altered or when larger wheels are used. The camber kit also aligns the tires when rims are replaced or damaged. A camber kit allows the tires to meet the road evenly, let the tires wear properly and provide a smoother drive for your ride. When you lowering your car, the more negative camber you will get. A negative camber measurement means the tires are slanted inwards on top and outwards on the bottom of the tires. A positive camber indicates the wheels are bowed in the opposite position. If you want to check the angels of the tires properly, you will need to check with an alignment. You can also feel pulling to one side when driving or notice uneven tire wear. The camber kit can fix the problems.

Camber Kit Correction What is Camber Kit? And how to install camber kit?

Usually after you raised your car or installed the lowering springs, it will create another problem which is your wheels are slanted and the tires start to get wearing faster. The camber kit can help you in this situation. The Camber kit is measured in positive and negative. Camber kit takes valuable rubber off the road by ridding on the edges of the tires instead of the traction patch. After you adjust the proper camber degree, the car will be more responsive, better handling and last the manufacturer lifetime rating.

For the positive camber, it means the bottom of the tire is more inwards and the top is out. Positive camber wears the outside of the tires at a rapid rate. This usually happens because of the bad alignment or wearing out ball joint. This can be fixed by either install the camber kit or replace the faulty part and adjust the alignment. But when you raise the vehicle, then you will need to get the camber kit to fix the positive camber. When it is raised, it puts stress on the top ball joint because the wheels lifting motion conflicts with the ball joint position therefore pushing it to the side. With an adjustable camber kit, this is corrected by sliding the ball joint back inwards, towards the motor, to bring the wheel back into spec.

For the negative camber, it means the top of the tire is more towards the center of the vehicle and the bottom is outwards. Negative camber wears inside of your tires at a rapid rate. When you lowering your ride, it brings the entire chassis closer to the tires. Everything moves downward except the tires. Since they are stick on the ground, they can’t go down. Since suspension is put together with the factory ride height in mind, parts are made to be installed and have near 0 degree camber. By lowering the suspension components but not the wheel, the wheel in essence lowers itself by tilting inwards. A camber kit corrects this problem by extending the length of the upper control arm, allowing the ball joint which holds the control arm in place to be adjusted. It can be moved out for negative camber correction or in for positive correction. This along with an alignment correction is the ultimate defense against camber wear.

Let’s look at the following case together:

Let say you want to purchase some eye catching 16″or 17″ wheels with the low profile, pavement grabbing hi-pro tires and set of lowering springs from a popular aftermarket supplier. This will give you a good start on the look that you want to achieve. Performance spring companies abound with choices of height changes for the motorcars that have been produced for at least the past ten years. There are choices from a minor 1″ lowering spring set for a modest look all the way to a radical 3″ drop that slams a car scant inches above the road surface. One thing to consider when installing these new products on your customer’s car is what effect it will have on the vehicle after these new components are installed.

front camber 1 What is Camber Kit? And how to install camber kit?

Front Camber Changes Examples (definitely vary from vehicle to vehicle)

If you lower your vehicle one inch front camber can change by approximately -.75 degree.
By lowering a vehicle two inches your front camber change will be approximately -1.50 degrees.
When you lower a vehicle three inches you will change front camber approximately -2.50 degrees.

The biggest impact of lowering a vehicle is the Camber change that occurs when a set of springs is installed. If you has just invested in a new set of 17″ wheels and the low profile tires to match the last thing you want is a month later screaming about the inside of your high dollar tires being worn to the belts! I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked (by an irate lowered car owner) “Why are my tires worn out already? I just bought them!” The problem is the average guy on the street that is striving to achieve that performance look isn’t educated on the changes he induces into the suspension when lowering his car.

rear camber 1 What is Camber Kit? And how to install camber kit?

Rear Camber Changes Examples (definitely vary from vehicle to vehicle)

If you lower your vehicle one inch rear camber can change by approximately -.50 degree.
By lowering a vehicle two inches your rear camber change will be approximately -1.00 degrees.
When you lower a vehicle three inches you will change rear camber approximately -2.00 degrees.

The high performance lowering springs effectively only differ in the height at which they allow the car to ride after being installed. When the springs are installed both the lower and upper control arms are moved “up” in their travel arc to a new position that is now higher in the normal travel than that which was design by the manufacturer. This places the suspension in the same condition as while cornering, it lowers the geometry of the suspension and also lowers the camber. The only difference is that now this is the normal ride height, the camber has changed and unless this is corrected there is going to be massive inside tire wear in a short period of time. For example, when a Honda is lowered 1 inch you can expect approximately a negative .80 degree camber change. At a two inch drop the Camber lowers about 1.50 degrees and three inches induces a whopping 2.60 degree negative camber change! Unless this is corrected you will be returning to your shop in a very unsavory mood in the very near future.

The answer to these problems is again found in the aftermarket. Most manufacturers do not provide any means of camber adjustment from the factory so installing camber kits is the only option.