There are a ton of aftermarket suspension companies out there, some much better than others. One of the companies that consistently produces exceptionally high-quality products is AST Suspension. Their products range from lower springs to bushings. They cover pretty much everything possible in the suspension world, including camber plates/top mounts, which is exactly what we’re going to talk about today.
First, let’s quickly discuss what the purpose of camber is. Camber angle is the angle made by the wheels of a vehicle; specifically, it is the angle between the vertical axis of the wheels used for steering and the vertical axis of the car when viewed from the front or rear. When you turn your vehicle, especially at higher speeds, the entire vehicle will lean onto one side. If you had zero camber, you would have maximum tire contact patch while going in a straight line, but during a corner the contact patch would be reduced, however, with a bit of camber added you could have a maximum tire contact patch during a turn with only slightly less tire contact while going in a straight line.
With a stock suspension system, there is an insufficient amount of adjustment for camber because it’s not something that is needed for a stock vehicle. After you’ve installed aftermarket suspension or you are even using stock suspension, being able to aggressively adjust the camber will allow you to fine tune of your car handles and maximum grip, resulting in faster lap times. Increased adjustability is the purpose of AST’s camber plates/top mounts, which are compatible with most coil over systems on the market.
Unfortunately, installing camber plates, especially low-quality ones with a thick design will result in less stroke because the camber plate will raise the vehicle, requiring it to be lowered even more to retain the ideal ride height, which results in less suspension stroke. AST camber plates are designed to keep maximum stroke, even with low ride height, by minimizing stack height where possible and can add upwards of 3.5 degrees of camber on some applications. Their Subaru WRX and BRZ camber plates add usable stroke to your shocks by raising into and above the shock tower space.
If you have any questions or would like to purchase a AST Suspension Camber Plates for your car, please do not hesitate to contact us. We can be reached by phone at 1.480.966.3040 or via email at sales@vividracing.com.