I've been searching but I'm not finding the exact answer I want so..

What EXACTLY is the point of a camber kit? If you lower your car, everyone on here is saying you just need an alignment, and toe correction, alright. But then what is the kit for? Also, is it meant to give positive or negative camber, or both? I'm just trying to make sure I understand, thanks.

 

when you lower your car you will have more negative camber. That sounds kinda confusing though "more negative" it's like saying "less positive".

So anyway say you start out at stock height and the camber is sitting somewhere in the stock ranger (+1 -to -1 degrees front, 0 to -2 rear is what the manual says). When you lower it you will sometimes go out of spec (-1.5 to -2 for example). If you want to get back to "factory spec" you could get a camber kit to take some of the negative camber away. Now here's why people say they aren't needed/wanted. From a performance standpoint (that's why you lower the ride height right?) a car with more negative camber will handle better in the turns, up to a certain point obviously. With tighter tolerances on the toe settings you can get away with more camber without suffering from tire wear. What some people think of as "camber wear" when they lower their cars is actually due to the changes in toe that happen when you lower the car, not just from camber. It's usually fixed when they buy this camber kit because they install it and have the toe and camber set anyway, so it appears that the camber kit fixed the problem alone.

Some people also use camber kits to dial in more negative camber and/or to make both side even.

 

So basically they are used to make LESS negative camber OR to add it?

that was kind of what I didnt get. which it was meant for.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hondaPINK &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">So basically they are used to make LESS negative camber OR to add it?

that was kind of what I didnt get. which it was meant for.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Camber kits are used to adjust static camber. More negative, less negative, either way - although some kits will only reduce camber or only add camber.

Stock double-wishbone Hondas do not have independent camber adjustability (the camber curve is determined by the factory suspension geometry), so a "camber kit" is required if the static camber setting needs to be adjusted independently (i.e. without changing the ride height).

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nonsense &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> What some people think of as "camber wear" when they lower their cars is actually due to the changes in toe that happen when you lower the car, not just from camber. </TD></TR></TABLE>

let me restate what was already clearly explained. but i think its important enough to repeat.


there is a misconception that a lowered car "needs" a camber kit to readjust the static (at rest) camber in order to prevent uneven tire wear. a camber kit is needed because you cannot normally adjust camber on civics and integras and accords.

camber will go more negative when lowered. however, toe will change as well and goes less noticed.

the truth is that toe is the major contributor to uneven tire wear due to lowering, not camber which seems more obvious because the tire will wear unevenly and seemingly correspond to the angle of the tire/wheel. when in fact, even with some negative camber and straight toe, tire wear will not occur, or be nearly as pronounced.

so it is important to adjust toe, through a 4 wheels alignment, after lowering, or any change in ride height.

getting a camber kit is negligible for most. and needed for ppl to tune their suspension, because it is otherwise unadjustable. and furthermore, negative camber is good for handling. dialing it out will give you less grip in the turns.

however, for maximum STRAIGHT LINE grip, either accelerating and braking, specifically for drag racing, youd want to straighten the front camber out. and for whatever reason, if youre doing burnouts, to get even tire wear, you should straighten your camber at the drive wheels.


the second thing that needs to be mentioned is that hondas have double wishbone suspension. this type of suspension exhibits very good camber control, as part of its good handling. this is different than macpherson strut suspension, which has relatively horrible camber control. in typical macpherson suspension, readjusting camber is more important. but it doesnt apply to hondas with double wishbone suspension.


Modified by Tyson at 4:44 PM 10/24/2006

 

basically what a camber kit does is...

it straighten out your tires so it wont look tilted inward.

when you drop your car your will will tend to go inward so it wont hit your fenders. so you get a camber kit to make it straight again.

when you dont have a camber kit it will wear out ur tires on the inside alot faster

but

it does handle better without one.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jlh22179tx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
when you dont have a camber kit it will wear out ur tires on the inside alot faster
</TD></TR></TABLE>

did you even read the post above yours?

 

just did a quick alignment today at school.

perfect caster rear toe and front toe.

-2 degrees camber rear
-3 front.


whoopsies.

 

this was very helpful. I'm going to get an alignment tomorow (hopefully). My friends still insist that I need a camber kit though, is it at all worth it if I don't want my tires to wear out more quickly?