I have noticed that many of you frequently ask "Will I need to get a camber kit when I lower my integra? I don't want to wear my tires out."

The simple answer to that question is 'no.'

What causes that rapid tire wear often experienced after lower one's Integra is your Toe settings. When you lower your car, your toe changes as a function of the suspension geometry of the car. I won't get into the nitty gritty, but just realize that lowering your car changes your toe.

So, instead of spending even more or your hard earned money on a camber kit, invest it in a good alignment after you lower your Integra. Specifically ask them to make sure that your Toe is zero'd out. That will end you excessive tire wear woes.

DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert, and the purpose of this post is not for me to try and sound all smart and make the rest of you look stupid. I know that the above is true through experience and research. Because I'm an autocrosser I frequently change my alignment, so I have noticed certain trends. I simply want to help my fellow Integra owners out. "Why fix it if it ain't broke?"

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by carl_aka_carlos &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have noticed that many of you frequently ask "Will I need to get a camber kit when I lower my integra? I don't want to wear my tires out."

The simple answer to that question is 'no.'

What causes that rapid tire wear often experienced after lower one's Integra is your Toe settings. When you lower your car, your toe changes as a function of the suspension geometry of the car. I won't get into the nitty gritty, but just realize that lowering your car changes your toe.

So, instead of spending even more or your hard earned money on a camber kit, invest it in a good alignment after you lower your Integra. Specifically ask them to make sure that your Toe is zero'd out. That will end you excessive tire wear woes.

DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert, and the purpose of this post is not for me to try and sound all smart and make the rest of you look stupid. I know that the above is true through experience and research. Because I'm an autocrosser I frequently change my alignment, so I have noticed certain trends. I simply want to help my fellow Integra owners out. "Why fix it if it ain't broke?"

</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

tis very true...toe will wear tires far faster than negative camber

 

thanks.. your post is very appreciated..

 

Add to the archives, omg.

 

Very nice now, thats what I like to see

thanks for posting this!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fivespeedintegra &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">tis very true...toe will wear tires far faster than negative camber </TD></TR></TABLE>

I have -2f/-1.2r camber for 10k and I get even wear across the thread

 

we need a FAQ for this type of thing. i hate coming to this forum, all i see are newbie questions.

 

here's a question then. i plan on lowering my teg in the spring with ground control coilovers and either koni yellows or kyb agx's. once the car is lowered, how am i suppose to get it up on any kind of lift for the alignment without tearing off the front bumper and/or side skirts? for instance, right now my teg isn't lowered at all, and i can only find one place in town with low enough lift at lowest height, to get under my teg. i did it once and it was bending the side skirts (with no lowering at all)
what would you recommend? what does everyone in entire world do when they need work done to their lowered teg's?
thanks in advance
tim

 

you just need to find a shop that has the right kind of equipment. its a pain in the ***, but they are out there.

 

one possible good thing. i just found out that Swift Motorsports, a retail shop a few towns away, just opened up an 8-bay install facility in my town. i'm gonna head over there tomorrow and check it out.

 

Yes, thank you.

God no one believes me when I tell them this.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CrazyModGSR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">here's a question then. i plan on lowering my teg in the spring with ground control coilovers and either koni yellows or kyb agx's. once the car is lowered, how am i suppose to get it up on any kind of lift for the alignment without tearing off the front bumper and/or side skirts? for instance, right now my teg isn't lowered at all, and i can only find one place in town with low enough lift at lowest height, to get under my teg. i did it once and it was bending the side skirts (with no lowering at all)
what would you recommend? what does everyone in entire world do when they need work done to their lowered teg's?
thanks in advance
tim</TD></TR></TABLE>

I can get on this machine and mine is lowered 3":



Yes my sideskirts scrape a bit when getting on or off, but they're black plastic so I don't really care. I also have to remove the splash guard below the front bumper so that the laser has a clear path across the car. Again, no big deal.

Also to get a little more specific, toe changes after ANY ride height change. So those of you with coilovers, I highly suggest setting it how you like it, getting it alligned, and don't dick around with it. If you HAVE to raise the car in winter, you have to get an alignment again, otherwise your snow tires or whatever tires you use in winter will wear out. It's a good idea to have the alignment checked twice a year anyway because things like bushing wear can cause slight alignment changes. That's what I do anyway. Since I'm lowered 3" w/ -2.5 deg. camber and no correction kit, I like to make sure as often as possible that the toe is in check.

*edit* oh and that shop above, it has about 30-35 service bays, plus another 10-15 bays in their bodyshop

 

ok, so lemme get this straight. right now i have a teg (looks just like the one above) and it's lowered on coilovers to approx. a 3'' drop. i don't have a camber kit either. so if i take it to a alignment shop and tell them to zero out my toe, then i won't be cambering? also, can a local honda dealership do this?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Flexin5 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">ok, so lemme get this straight. right now i have a teg (looks just like the one above) and it's lowered on coilovers to approx. a 3'' drop. i don't have a camber kit either. so if i take it to a alignment shop and tell them to zero out my toe, then i won't be cambering? also, can a local honda dealership do this?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Not really the correct term usage there. You will still have negative camber, but there is no such thing as "cambering". If you have the toe set to factory specs (and 0 thrust angle, this is also important), and rotate your tires every 3K-5K miles (which is what Honda recommends anyway) then you will probably be fine.

 

^ok i agree on that. so if i correct the toe, then i will still have negitave camber, but my tires won't wear?

 

yes, it's about time people knew...

 

if you lower your car...don't get a camber kit...and adjust the toe settings perfectly, you will still get camber wear.

how can tires like / \ not get wear on the inside? more pressure is going to be put on the inside edges than on the outside edges...therefore making the insides wear quicker.

yes toe will make it so you don't wear your tires as fast. but if you want to do it right, and make it so your tires last as long as they lasted when you were riding stock, then get a camber kit.

 

I went to a tire place that lowers hondas and what not and asked them if they would do an alighnment because my car was lowered 3 inches, and they told me they could only do it if I bought a camber kit? and they were not even asking me to buy it from them they said get it some where else
?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by corona &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">if you lower your car...don't get a camber kit...and adjust the toe settings perfectly, you will still get camber wear.

how can tires like / \ not get wear on the inside? more pressure is going to be put on the inside edges than on the outside edges...therefore making the insides wear quicker.

yes toe will make it so you don't wear your tires as fast. but if you want to do it right, and make it so your tires last as long as they lasted when you were riding stock, then get a camber kit. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I agree. I'll admit than I'm not expert, but an alignment can only do so much. I agree that we slam our cars and go through tires fast, but why were camber kits invented then? For nubs like me to buy them? I agree to get a good alignment with close to factory specs, but I think a camber kit will only HELP and not hurt. My 2 cents

 

thx for the advice

 

nice car man! what springs do you have?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by DC4 teg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I agree. I'll admit than I'm not expert, but an alignment can only do so much. I agree that we slam our cars and go through tires fast, but why were camber kits invented then? For nubs like me to buy them? I agree to get a good alignment with close to factory specs, but I think a camber kit will only HELP and not hurt. My 2 cents</TD></TR></TABLE>

the real purpose of a camber kit is to gain negative camber without sacrificing suspension travel. i hate to say this, but all of you who have your cars lowered 2 or more inches are bottoming out the front suspension. don't try to tell me otherwise either, that's just the way it is on our cars. (ignore this if you run more than 400 lbs/in springs up front)

there is a camber curve, and a toe curve. basically, your toe settings are dynamic, they change as the suspension moves through it's range of motion.

what manufacturers of camber kits have noticed is that there is a huge market for them by selling them on the false pretense that you will destroy your tires if you lower your car and don't get a camber kit. it's all about teh almighty dollar.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by corona &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">how can tires like / \ not get wear on the inside? more pressure is going to be put on the inside edges than on the outside edges...therefore making the insides wear quicker.</TD></TR></TABLE>

your argument might hold water if we were talking about having -3* of camber or more. but that is not possible on integras. if you have your car slammed enough to have more than -3* of camber the front of your car is resting on the bumpstops and you have zero suspension travel.

 

another vote on the FAQ.. good stuff