just had one of my tyres repaired and the bloke said that i need 4 new tyre soon cuz they have all worn on inside. when i told me mate he said its cuz the camber have been changed to stop any rubbing when the car was lowerd. would this be correct??
General Wheel camber
- Thread starter Top Shotta
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General Wheel camber
it is because the camber will change when you lower the car. it becomes more negative, meaning the inside edge of all tyres will wear more quickly. if you also have wider tyres this effect will be greater. you can not manually adjust the camber on a road car so there is little you can do about this other than replacing your tyres.
ok thanks for the help agian jug (the source or all bravo knowledge). well i was quoted £220 for 4 new tyres includes fitting and traking, that about right?
i would shop around seems a bit expensive..but it does depend on what tyre you want and want size you want
205/40-17
and have got these tyre on as mo
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-NEW-TYRES-2...60QQihZ020QQcategoryZ9891QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
when i was quoted he said £220 for simlar tyres
now would you get the better tyres or get cheapo ones
and have got these tyre on as mo
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2-NEW-TYRES-2...60QQihZ020QQcategoryZ9891QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
when i was quoted he said £220 for simlar tyres
now would you get the better tyres or get cheapo ones
This post contains affiliate links which may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
just last month a mate got a set of 205/40/17's for £180 fitted at a local tyre place (shotton tyres if anyone's interested)
they were Federal SS595
they're only budget tyres but i've used them in the past and i was very impressed, plus they look nice.
they were Federal SS595
they're only budget tyres but i've used them in the past and i was very impressed, plus they look nice.
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what work would be needed to overcome the issue? my front 2 have nearly gone on the inside in about 2months, not nice at £90 a corner 
(usually i would not suggest this) camber adjustment can be done by using thinner shank bolts on the top of the strut, or by enlarging the holes in the turret that these bolts go into.
there are 3 bolts, the ones you need to remove when you are removing the strut. if you use thinner bolts, or enlarge the holes, you can move the top of the strut to adjust the camber. you need to move the strut towards the wheel.
you can use a magnetic camber gauge to find the current camber, and also use it to ensure you set the new camber at the correct degrees. this tool does not cost much, mine cost £30.
i would be lying if i said i have never done this to cars in the past, but i cant honestly say that it is a perfectly safe thing to do. the turret is specially designed to take the force of the strut and spread it in a way that will not compromise the turret's welds. if you move the strut off centre it will mean the forces acting on the turret are no longer occuring in the correct place. worst case scenario you will snap the weld at one side of the turret (not good)
however there is a safe amount you can move the strut, and thankfully this is about the same amount you usually need to move it to correct your camber (depending on how much it is lowered obviously).
its hard to say which method is best, but personally i would recommend you enlarge the holes by 4-5mm, add larger washers to the bolts, and then bolt the strut in place as close to the wheel as you can.
EDIT: i'd just like to add that any death, injury or damage is not my responsibility. always seek the advice of a professional
there are 3 bolts, the ones you need to remove when you are removing the strut. if you use thinner bolts, or enlarge the holes, you can move the top of the strut to adjust the camber. you need to move the strut towards the wheel.
you can use a magnetic camber gauge to find the current camber, and also use it to ensure you set the new camber at the correct degrees. this tool does not cost much, mine cost £30.
i would be lying if i said i have never done this to cars in the past, but i cant honestly say that it is a perfectly safe thing to do. the turret is specially designed to take the force of the strut and spread it in a way that will not compromise the turret's welds. if you move the strut off centre it will mean the forces acting on the turret are no longer occuring in the correct place. worst case scenario you will snap the weld at one side of the turret (not good)
however there is a safe amount you can move the strut, and thankfully this is about the same amount you usually need to move it to correct your camber (depending on how much it is lowered obviously).
its hard to say which method is best, but personally i would recommend you enlarge the holes by 4-5mm, add larger washers to the bolts, and then bolt the strut in place as close to the wheel as you can.
EDIT: i'd just like to add that any death, injury or damage is not my responsibility. always seek the advice of a professional
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so basicaly i will just put up with in and start saving more money for tyres as well as new car and problems with this car and also try not to spin my wheels as much (like thats is going to happen)
Get the tracking checked on the fronts. this will scrub the inside edge
FKs come wth the top hole at bottom of front shocks oval, so it can be adjusted. this needs to be done by people who know what they are doing and with propper machine
if wheels are bigger than standard inflate to 2 psi per inch bigger
if wheels are bigger than standard inflate to 2 psi per inch bigger
snakeeater
New member
i've seen mechanics force push the hubs against the dampers using this hydraulic pump thing.
basically they screw on a bracket on the hubs, and there's this jack pushing the brackets against the damper where the spring shields are.
question is, how safe and effective is this? what are they doing anyways?
basically they screw on a bracket on the hubs, and there's this jack pushing the brackets against the damper where the spring shields are.
question is, how safe and effective is this? what are they doing anyways?
thats not something i've seen done before. at the point where the damper bolts to the hub there is no play (to maintain geometry) so camber can not be adjusted there, so i dont know why they would push the hub against the damper, it will not change the position of the hub or damper unless it bends the damper's rod, which is silly.
snakeeater
New member
it did look silly. no camber alignment then.
so what is it in a suspension that would cause negative camber? thought it was the dampers, but i've got new ones to no avail.
so what is it in a suspension that would cause negative camber? thought it was the dampers, but i've got new ones to no avail.
the problem is that the car's suspension geometry is designed to have the correct camber at a certain ride height.
the wheel doesnt move up and down in a perfectly straight line, it pivots around the fulcrum created by the wishbone and shock, so when you lower the car this will affect camber.
if you cant compensate for that change in camber your tyres will get worn on the inside.
the wheel doesnt move up and down in a perfectly straight line, it pivots around the fulcrum created by the wishbone and shock, so when you lower the car this will affect camber.
if you cant compensate for that change in camber your tyres will get worn on the inside.
snakeeater
New member
but that doesn't explain camber differences. i've got the same height for the front wheels, but there is camber diff by quite a large degree ( the tyreman said something like 45 minutes and 75 minutes can't remember ). or is it differing wheel tracks widths?
what do you mean that doesnt explain camber differences? it explains why camber changes as the wheel travels along the lenght of movement possible in the suspension.
are you are saying you have the standard front ride height (no lowering springs) but your front camber is significantly different to the original spec of -7 degrees (-9 degrees for TD)?
or are you saying you have a difference on each side at the front and both sides have the same spring/damper setup? i think that is what you mean, that is often due to changing a spring and/or damper one on side and not the other, resulting in a ride height difference on one side. compare both sides carefully, and take measurements if possible to assess ride height differences on both sides.
in either case the issue needs to be investigated.
out of interest, in the manual it says the camber can be within a range of +/-30 degrees depending on the ride height. that shows what a big difference ride height makes, a total of 60 degrees change over the entire travel of the shock absorber. a quick bit of metal maths suggests lowering your car can double the front negative camber!
are you are saying you have the standard front ride height (no lowering springs) but your front camber is significantly different to the original spec of -7 degrees (-9 degrees for TD)?
or are you saying you have a difference on each side at the front and both sides have the same spring/damper setup? i think that is what you mean, that is often due to changing a spring and/or damper one on side and not the other, resulting in a ride height difference on one side. compare both sides carefully, and take measurements if possible to assess ride height differences on both sides.
in either case the issue needs to be investigated.
out of interest, in the manual it says the camber can be within a range of +/-30 degrees depending on the ride height. that shows what a big difference ride height makes, a total of 60 degrees change over the entire travel of the shock absorber. a quick bit of metal maths suggests lowering your car can double the front negative camber!
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snakeeater
New member
good info jug. i got what you meant. let me rephrase.it doesn't explain the camber difference between the front wheels, which has the same setup and the same ride height.
i just wish it was a quick fix somewhere. or wished it had the same trailing arm as the rears. :yum:
time to fork out more moolah then.
I love linking this post. It's got real suspension porn in it :yum:
https://www.fiatforum.com/showpost.php?p=1113763&postcount=62
https://www.fiatforum.com/showpost.php?p=1113763&postcount=62
it often happens when you hit a curb (like most women do every winter).snakeeater said:
if you get a magnetic camber gauge you can loosen all bolts and play with the position of the strut to even it up more, but the difference you described is what i would consider significant and therefore probably not something you can compensate for with a bit of bolt wiggling, but you could probably make it a much smaller difference. the 3 bolts on the suspension turret and the 2 bolts holding strut to hub are the ones to loosen. there will be a cause for the difference somewhere, such as a bent wishbone or badly worn bushes.
a very tasty setup :yum:
