Because your car’s wheels and tires aren’t always oriented entirely perpendicular to the road, you may be startled to find. Depending on its Function, the vehicle’s tires may be slanted toward or away from the automobile. It’s crucial to keep in mind camber angles when driving.
Those with straight legs have positive camber, whereas those with bent knees have negative camber. Those with positive camber have knees that are wider apart than their ankles, whereas those with a negative angle have knees that are closer together.
Look at the bottoms of a bow-legged person’s shoes while they stand on a level surface wearing sneakers, and you’ll see what I mean. While the outer soles of the shoes will be more in touch with the ground, the inner soles will be more affected by the impact.
Camber and Handling of a Car
Because the tire and pavement meet equally, it is optimal to have a neutral camber angle while driving on a level road. The tire will automatically roll onto its sidewall as you go into a turn, reducing the amount of contact with the road. Because the vehicle’s grip and control are severely restricted, this is the situation.
Camber, toe, and caster are all included in the manufacturing specs for each vehicle’s suspension geometry. These requirements may be thrown out of whack by potholes and mismatched tires. Your driving experience will be compromised, and your tires will experience uneven wear.
Myths About Camber
Camber Kills Tires
Many folks believe that camber is the worst thing you can do to your automobile since it rapidly wears out your tires. It’s unlikely that you’ll notice much of a difference in tire wear with a little bit of camber. Typically in racing applications, camber is employed to counteract the turning force.
Camber has Function
Excessive camber on your everyday car probably won’t benefit the vehicle. A racetrack or autocross event is the only place where you can demonstrate the camber’s effectiveness. Cars with air suspension and extreme camber are a common combination.
Camber Plates is All You Need
You can’t expect to obtain slanted tires by putting inexpensive eBay camber plates on your automobile. Research and uncover as many supporting components as you can. You’ll have a better ride if you can get your suspension components to work together to help the camber.
Camber vs. Caster vs. Toe
It is possible to measure a vehicle’s suspension in three distinct methods. Re-measuring all of them after modifying one is the best way to ensure that they all work together.
Positive Camber Effects
In a straight line, positive camber minimizes steering effort and improves stability. Because of this, it is ideal for use in off-roading or agricultural machinery.
Negative Camber Effects
All wheels on most streetcars have a modest negative camber to avoid oversteer. However, not all negative camber is beneficial; some is detrimental to streetcars.
Decreased Straight-Line Stability
Driven in a straight path with negative camber, going in a straight line may be less stable due to camber push. When the vehicle has opposing camber wheels, it naturally moves toward its center of gravity.
Stability While Turning
The faster the speed of a turn, the more stability is required for high-performance automobiles. A negative camber boosts a turn’s grip and turning speed by increasing the contact patch on the outer front tire. Positive camber is present in the right wheels of NASCAR automobiles because the drivers repeatedly turn left while traveling in a counter-clockwise loop.
Changes in Tire Wear
To put it simply: Negative camber increases tire wear while traveling straight. Performance drivers don’t have to change their tires as often when cornering a lot.
Increased Suspension Wear
Negative camber may lead to more excellent wear on suspension components, such as bushings, due to the way forces interact with these parts.
Adjusting the Camber
An incorrect camber may cause excessive tire wear, poor stability, and other handling concerns when driving a high-performance car. When measuring camber, it’s essential to use an alignment rack that has specific tools. It’s a good idea to check the suspension joints to ensure they’re working correctly.
An infrared thermometer monitors tire temperature when a vehicle makes a sharp turn. It is necessary to use a thermometer to determine the temperature of the contact patch as a consequence of friction. When it comes to high-performance driving, drivers typically want to know how their vehicle’s contact patch changes when they round a corner.
It is common practice to utilize camber nuts to re-align damaged vehicles. For a wide range of applications, you may change camber plates. You may alter the length of the control arms to modify the camber depending on the suspension type.
