Setting Camber at the Track
06-17-2024 | 09:21 AM
#17
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IF you know what the adjustment does... go for it.
Camber changes are very likely to effect the toe as well. Sometimes that is not a disadvantage. BMWs typically move toward toe out with an increase in negative camber. Those are also strut-type front ends.
Professional recommendation, after doing 1000+ alignments:
Find a good alignment shop (one that speaks 'performance'), and is willing to indulge you a little bit. There may be some extra charge...
Establish a good street baseline. I normally use -1.5* F camber for a reasonable performance/street compromise, along with a smidge of toe in. Avoid toe out on the street, and your tires will thank you.
You can let your alignment tech decide what a smidge is...
Once you have that, carefully mark where the holes are, then max the negative camber and see where it winds up. Depending on the tires, etc, somewhere around -3* might be a good starting point for the track. Odds are, you won't get that much...
With the camber maxed negative, look to see what the toe does. A smidge of toe out can help with the turn in. If it's too much, mark the tie rod carefully and adjust until you're where you want to be. Mark that too...
Easy breezy to go back and forth, although no matter how precise you try to be, it'll never go back exactly to where you started. Don't sweat that, it'll be close enough.
If you want to have it set once, as a compromise:
Tires are alot more forgiving of too much negative camber on the street than they are of toe out. Combine the two, and you'll watch the inner edges of your tires turn to dust.
Tires are much more forgiving of toe out than they are of not enough negative camber on the track.
I try for around -2.5 F camber, with a smidge of toe in for a dual purpose car. It's a little too negative for the street, but tire wear usually isn't horrible. If you track regularly, the outer edges will probably suffer more.
Camber changes are very likely to effect the toe as well. Sometimes that is not a disadvantage. BMWs typically move toward toe out with an increase in negative camber. Those are also strut-type front ends.
Professional recommendation, after doing 1000+ alignments:
Find a good alignment shop (one that speaks 'performance'), and is willing to indulge you a little bit. There may be some extra charge...
Establish a good street baseline. I normally use -1.5* F camber for a reasonable performance/street compromise, along with a smidge of toe in. Avoid toe out on the street, and your tires will thank you.
You can let your alignment tech decide what a smidge is...
Once you have that, carefully mark where the holes are, then max the negative camber and see where it winds up. Depending on the tires, etc, somewhere around -3* might be a good starting point for the track. Odds are, you won't get that much...
With the camber maxed negative, look to see what the toe does. A smidge of toe out can help with the turn in. If it's too much, mark the tie rod carefully and adjust until you're where you want to be. Mark that too...
Easy breezy to go back and forth, although no matter how precise you try to be, it'll never go back exactly to where you started. Don't sweat that, it'll be close enough.
If you want to have it set once, as a compromise:
Tires are alot more forgiving of too much negative camber on the street than they are of toe out. Combine the two, and you'll watch the inner edges of your tires turn to dust.
Tires are much more forgiving of toe out than they are of not enough negative camber on the track.
I try for around -2.5 F camber, with a smidge of toe in for a dual purpose car. It's a little too negative for the street, but tire wear usually isn't horrible. If you track regularly, the outer edges will probably suffer more.
I ended up moving the LF camber in about 4mm at the top hat to match the RF, didn't have any issues on track or the ride home that would have pointed to a noticeable toe issue. This said however, I know the stunt I pulled isn't common practice and I'm almost always very by the book. The main reason for creating this thread was because I did notice there was a difference from L to R by about the mentioned 4mm and running PS4S I was worried about chewing up the outer tread.. The car was "aligned" under CPO at the dealer before I bought it, but I'm pretty sure that the tech saw all green and just sent it. Willing to bet once I get the car racked at my buddy's shop it'll clear up a lot of the confusion for me.
Thanks for all the tips guys!
Last edited by Steph718; 06-17-2024 at 09:22 AM.
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06-17-2024 | 11:49 AM
#19
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