In aftermarket tuning circles it’s long been the accepted opinion that being able to adjust your camber is a good thing. It helps you to fine tune your fitment and gain the perfect blend of stance and drivability on your desired wheel set. But from a technical standpoint, what does more camber mean? Why do some standard cars have camber adjustment and why would we want to fine tune it?
Ever since the motor car was first conceived people have been finding ways to make them faster, more fun and handle better. An often overlooked aspect of tuning a car is obtaining the correct suspension geometry for the intended use. An important component of the overall geometry is the camber. Camber is the ‘lean’ of the i, towards or away from the body. Positive camber is a lean away from the centreline of the chassis; negative camber is inboard lean – towards the centreline of the chassis.
The name of the game with camber is to maintain the best tire contact patch on the road as possible, under all conditions. Like anything in life this is a compromise. As you load your suspension, camber will naturally change. You may see this as an increase in camber when you air your car out. As you turn the steering wheel you may notice camber on the outside wheel increases too. These two things do not happen by accident and are mechanisms inbuilt in your suspension geometry from the manufacturer to help the tire keep in contact with the road when you are cornering.
As you up the performance of your car, add stickier tires and add in a high performance suspension package with adjustable dampers it pays to also adjust your suspension geometry to suit. This is why we equip our Air Lift Performance threaded body kits not only with adjustable damping, but also with adjustable camber top mounts where applicable. As chassis capability increases, the cornering forces and tire loadings also multiply causing the tire to flex substantially. A matched increase in static camber from an adjustable top mount can help the tire retain an optimum contact patch with the road when cornering at the limit.
Air Lift’s adjustable top mounts not only help you achieve a show winning stance, but also help you dial in the optimum geometry for maximum chassis performance.
