Quick camber adjustment question

[rob192]

Hi all,

On the rear, is the camber adjustable via an eccentric bolt somewhere? I've got more on one side than the other so unless something is actually broken presumably it's just out of whack.

Would I be right in thinking the bolt I'm looking for is the one on the inner end of the camber arm? And to adjust the top in I'd be turning it toward the middle of the car?

And yes, I know, camber kills tyres, babies, unicorns and everything else and stance is aids but I need to get the top in quick time so the car can actually move.

Cheers,

Rob.

[NickS13]

ye thats the bolt your looking for.

if i remember right you have about 1deg of adjustment with the standard arm.

as for adjustment. you can tun the bolts either way. if you are after more camber the skinnier part of the washer will be in facing inwards. less camber and it will be facing the outside of the car.

[rob192]

I think it must be 'maxed out' one side and 'maxed in' the other side then, there's a visible difference when looking from the rear of the car.

Thanks for confirming Nick.

[croustibat]

Then it means something is broken, somewhere. Toe kills tyres way faster than camber BTW.

Anyway,eyeballing camber or toe is not the way to go if you want to drive straight. Cant you get an alignment somewhere ? If you have the oem arms it should be fast to do (unless you are too low to adjust, then you are screwed whatever you do)

[skyshack]

One in out out - yes I've seen that idiocy before. Both bolts "done up"!

You need a flat screeded surface. A spirit level that is long enough to touch on the rims but not the tyres. If needed tape it to a piece of wood, make sure it doesn't touch the hub but just the rim. A rule that has scale to the end (engineers steel) or vernier/digital callipers.

Place level vertical up against wheel rim (2nd level taped to 1st at right angles helps). Move one end away from rim to get bubble in between lines. Measure gap. Measure distance between point of contact on rim and location that gap was measured at.
Camber angle = atan(gap/dist) - gap and dist in mm.
If gap is at top it is -ve camber, at bottom +ve. You really don't want +ve.

Spec is -40' to -1° 40'

A steel rule only has 0.5mm div which limits the accuracy to +/- one div (about +/-5'). Gap to aim for on lip of 15" rim is 4.5mm to 11mm, on 17" rim 5mm to 12.5mm. You want it the same both sides to 0.5mm - car is more sensitive to cross camber than actual camber (unless extreme), it will make the car pull to one side. This will actually get it good enough for anyone other than a pro development or race driver.

Converse, if you want to find the gap to set to for a target camber.
gap = dist x tan(camber angle) - gap and dist in mm.

[rob192]

What? Lol. I can't remember the last time I measured something, I couldn't give a shit, I've never had a car aligned and I'm still alive and I don't buy tyres any more than the next man.

Can someone tell me how this actually adjusts in practical terms, that's great info Skyshack and I'm sure someone will find that extremely helpful if they find it via the search but I'm more on about actually physically moving the bolt than I am the adjustment that gives me if you catch my drift.

I've had a look over the weekend, I can get a breaker bar with a socket onto the end of the bolt but I can't turn it, there isn't enough room to move the breaker in the gap through the various other arms and struts. Presumably this means then that the whole process needs to take place on a ramp which I don't have. Joy.

Also, does it matter which end you do it from? I may have more room on one end than the other. Do you undo the bolt then turn it or attempt to move it done up lol? See what I mean, I'm useless!

[skyshack]

First locate and note the marks on the rear washer or paint a match mark on washer and subframe. You have to undo the nut on the front (camber arm bolt goes in from rear, toe arm goes in from front with nut at rear). Access is not easy. Use combo spanner, ring end on the bolt head, jammed against chassis to stop it rotating. Need various extensions to get a breaker bar on the nut. One at least one occasion I had to put a boot on the bar to move the nut.

Then turn the bolt - at the rear. The washers are both cams, one washer is part of the bolt. The bolt has a groove in it that a peg on the washer under the nut locates in to turn it.

The nut has to be torqued up to 69-88Nm with the suspension loaded. That means a car hoist / 4 post lift not a 2 post lift that allows the wheels to drop. Or take the strut off the the knuckle, put a jack under the hub and jack it so hub to arch distance is same as when loaded. The strut is then refitted with the nut finger tight, wheels re-fitted and the car put on the ground. Strut nut can be torqued up to 88-108Nm by grovelling under the rear of the car - if its stock height. If its lowered you will have to drop it down on some bricks to get clearance.

[Stevecarter200]

You must undo the nut first, not undo the bolt otherwise you'll rip the lug off the nut side eccentric washer that Skyshack mentioned making it useless.

[rob192]

Boom, that's the info I was looking for!

Thanks guys!