Diyvehiclerepair
- What is the purpose of a camber?
- What should camber be set at?
- How do you check camber alignment?
- Can you have too much caster?
- Do you set caster or camber first?
- Does camber help drifting?
- How much camber is too much?
- How does rear camber affect handling?
- Does camber affect ride quality?
- Do you want positive or negative camber?
- Does camber affect caster?
- What causes camber misalignment?
- Does an alignment fix camber?
What is the purpose of a camber?
Camber is used to distribute load across the entire tread. Improper camber can make the tire wear on one edge and may cause the vehicle to pull to the side that has the most positive camber. Zero camber will result in the most uniform tire wear over time, but may reduce performance during cornering.
What should camber be set at?
For a normal car you typically want to maintain a slight amount of negative camber (0.5 - 1°) to have a good balance of cornering grip, braking grip, and tire wear. On most vehicles it's common to have slightly more negative camber (0.8 - 1.3°) in the rear to reduce the chances of oversteer (loss of grip in rear).
How do you check camber alignment?
To check camber, make sure the vehicle is parked on level ground. If not, factor the ground slope into the camber reading. Then place a straight edge across the wheel (use the inner lip if the outer is nicked or uneven) and use an angle finder to reveal camber.
Can you have too much caster?
Caster settings are not a primary, direct factor in tire wear. However, excessive positive caster in association with other alignment maladjustments can exacerbate a tire wear issue. For example, a tire wear pattern called feathering can result from a combination of too much caster with incorrect toe settings.
Do you set caster or camber first?
With front-end alignments, correct caster and camber adjustments first. Certain FWD vehicles do not offer caster adjustments, but correcting the camber may bring the caster within specs.
Does camber help drifting?
On a drift car, you want to run the rear camber as close to zero as possible. This will usually give you the best tire wear and best forward bite. If you want a little more side grip, you can run some negative camber, but usually no more than 1 degree negative should be run.
How much camber is too much?
Usually somewhere between 1-2 degrees is a good place to start. When I owned an 8th generation Civic, 2 degrees in the front, with 2.5 degrees in the rear was common. The setting you choose will serve as a baseline.
How does rear camber affect handling?
Effect on handling
Camber angle alters the handling qualities of a particular suspension design; in particular, negative camber improves grip when cornering especially with a short long arm suspension. ... As a result, the handling of even low-priced automobiles has improved dramatically.
Does camber affect ride quality?
While positive camber is used to improve ride quality and vehicle stability, high performance vehicles may require better cornering performance.
Do you want positive or negative camber?
The general consensus is that a positive camber is good for keeping a recreational vehicle stable, while a negative camber is better for allowing high-performance vehicles to turn corners faster and more accurately.
Does camber affect caster?
Caster angle affects the camber of the wheel during steering. However, unlike KPI, the effects are beneficial. If a car is set up with positive caster, the outside wheel will gain negative camber during cornering.
What causes camber misalignment?
Reasons for camber misalignment:
Vehicle involved in accident. Springs sag causing change in ride height. Ball joints or other attached parts are worn or defective.
Does an alignment fix camber?
Have an auto repair shop perform an alignment on your car, which will reset the camber of the wheels in both the front and rear of the suspension. Allow the technicians to readjust your suspension to its factory settings using their alignment tools.
