Camber Arm Question

spearfish25

So I'm getting tired of killing the outside shoulder of my tires and I've started thinking about adding front camber arms. Can someone chime in on a few questions/issues?

1). How difficult is the install? From the way things look, it seems like an easy DIY job. Perhaps there are hidden challenges though.

2) If I'm only adding arms that adjust caster and camber, do I need a full alignment? Is there a way of setting camber/caster during the install that doesn't require post-install checking and adjustment. IE, do the camber arms have markings that you can just set them to ahead of time?

3) If post-install alignment is necessary, does anyone have experience with the camber/castor adjustment tools you can find in online stores? I see they're about $200-300 for the digital gauges. Good investment or garbage?

Just trying to plan ahead.

__________________
2013 Cadillac V-Wagon, RIP Z

fuct

outside shoulder means you have mad positive camber.... dont you mean inside shoulder?

ALMOST anytime you fug with the suspension you need an alignment. especially when adding new front camber/caster items.

spearfish25

When cornering hard during AutoX and track days, the geometry changes such that the outer shoulder bears the cornering and traction loads. With the minimal front camber in the stock setup, the outer shoulder ends up wearing much more quickly during aggressive driving.

Once I get some camber arms and dial in more negative camber, I expect the tires to wear more evenly on the track and the inside shoulder to wear more quickly during daily driving. With my combo of track and daily driving, more negative camber should get me more even tire wear rather than wearing out the outside tread blocks.

__________________
2013 Cadillac V-Wagon, RIP Z

fuct

ahhh, i didnt know this was during track time.

best of luck!

spearfish25

No problem...didn't realize I never discussed my driving situation until you said something.

To clarify, I daily drive my car but also go to autos and HPDE events. The autoX and HPDE driving is having the much more significant impact on my tire wear, particularly on the outside shoulders of the front tires. I'm hoping the front camber arms will let me even out the tire wear during the track time and have relatively little impact during daily driving. Spending $350 on camber arms is better than $650 on new RE-11s for the front.

__________________
2013 Cadillac V-Wagon, RIP Z

cossie1600

some people will try to adjust camber on their own by marking them, but the problem is that toe and caster will also change when you move it like that.

spearfish25

Anyone have first hand experience with these camber/caster/toe gauges that one can purchase? For $300, they'd pay for themselves in under 3 professional alignments.

__________________
2013 Cadillac V-Wagon, RIP Z