8th Generation Honda Civic Forum - View Single Post - When To Use Camber Kits?/do I Need A Camber Kit?

Design · 02-11-2008, 10:28 PM

Great thread Highrev1. Thought I would add my 2 cents... take it for what it's worth.

Camber angle indirectly contributes to total agregate tire wear in that fact that a small amount of TOE is used for stability at high speed. If you agree that slight TOE misalignments will occur over time, a camber kit can reduce the negative affects of TOE wear to the tire's respective side, provided it's matched appropriately to your driving habits.

For example - if you run an agressive camber setting and are prone to excessive amounts of straightline driving, you may start to notice a saw-toothed wear pattern forming on the inner 20% of the tire surface. Instead of having negligible TOE wear across 80% of the tire's surface, you have severe TOE wear concentrated at the respective angle of camber. Visually, you might not notice anything until it's severe. This is because a very minor difference in wear is magnified over time by heat and the tire's inability to dissipate heat on one side. Essentially, one side of the tire's surface is running hotter than the other, causing that side to wear progressively faster in a VERY short time. Early signs are often noted by running your fingers at an angle across the tire's surface, checking for a pattern of unusally sharp edges in one direction.

I only add this because MANY people complain of uneven tire wear even after routine alignment/ideal TOE settings (LOL, I was a victim many, many years ago). Furthermore, many people are unaware of how to check for uneven wear beyond a visual inspection. Hope this helps, or at least adds perspective on deciding whether a camber kit is for you.

02-11-2008, 10:28 PM	#89 (permalink)
Design Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 610	Great thread Highrev1. Thought I would add my 2 cents... take it for what it's worth. Camber angle indirectly contributes to total agregate tire wear in that fact that a small amount of TOE is used for stability at high speed. If you agree that slight TOE misalignments will occur over time, a camber kit can reduce the negative affects of TOE wear to the tire's respective side, provided it's matched appropriately to your driving habits. For example - if you run an agressive camber setting and are prone to excessive amounts of *straightline* driving, you may start to notice a saw-toothed wear pattern forming on the inner 20% of the tire surface. Instead of having negligible TOE wear across 80% of the tire's surface, you have severe TOE wear concentrated at the respective angle of camber. Visually, you might not notice anything until it's severe. This is because a very minor difference in wear is magnified over time by heat and the tire's inability to dissipate heat on one side. Essentially, one side of the tire's surface is running hotter than the other, causing that side to wear progressively faster in a VERY short time. Early signs are often noted by running your fingers at an angle across the tire's surface, checking for a pattern of unusally sharp edges in one direction. I only add this because MANY people complain of uneven tire wear even after routine alignment/ideal TOE settings (LOL, I was a victim many, many years ago). Furthermore, many people are unaware of how to check for uneven wear beyond a visual inspection. Hope this helps, or at least adds perspective on deciding whether a camber kit is for you. Last edited by Design; 02-11-2008 at 10:41 PM.