What is negative camber of the rear wheels and why do it?

Published:

06.04.2016

During the operation of the vehicle, the advantages of the chassis fade away. But this happens not only over time, but also with improper repair of the chassis. If during such a repair a threaded connection was damaged, the wheel alignment will immediately change. You can feel it as soon as you start moving. The car may begin to pull to the side, cornering will become more difficult and problematic, in other words, the vehicle's controllability will decrease. Negative camber of the rear wheels is necessary precisely in order to increase the car's controllability. The grip on the road surface will be better, and cornering will become easier.

general information

Before looking at the advantages and disadvantages of negative camber, let's figure out what wheel alignment is and what it is like. So to speak, let’s conduct a small educational program for novice drivers.

Camber - this concept refers to the location of the car’s wheels at a certain angle to the plane, i.e. to the road surface. Wheel alignment has a direct impact on vehicle handling, driving safety and tire wear rate. In the vastness of the country you can see cars of different brands and models, which means their designs are different. Therefore, each car model has its own optimal camber angle.

The camber value can be like this:

• Zero.
• Positive.
• Negative.

A wheel has zero camber when it is positioned strictly perpendicular to the road surface. If the top of the wheel is directed towards the body, then this is a negative wheel alignment. Well, if the top of the wheel is directed away from the body, then it is called positive.

Please note that during operation of the car, the wheel alignment is under constant tension, and therefore its readings change over time. Moreover, the camber values ​​on the front and rear wheels will not match, so periodically stop by a service station and do camber on two axles at once.

If the car's wheel alignment is optimal, then the car becomes more maneuverable and more stable on the road. Be careful, a change in camber of 2 degrees can seriously affect the stability of the car and the life of the tire.

Solutions for different types of suspension

Of course, at professional performances no one thinks about tire wear, but for the average car enthusiast this can be a key factor. However, among our compatriots there are many who love extreme driving. For the front double-wishbone suspension, they change the camber angle, and for the rear wheels they create a negative slope by installing special spacers. As an alternative, you can use washers or plates - they are mounted on the outside of the drum.

The McFerson suspension is more prone to roll when cornering. It can be used to make an even more negative angle compared to other solutions. For example, they install upper support elements that provide the possibility of changing the angle of the rod attachment. Thus, the attachment point can be moved. Manufacturers also produce special levers with the ability to adjust the angle up to 4 degrees.

During the operation of any vehicle, the quality of its chassis gradually deteriorates. In many cases, you have to deal with incorrectly set camber and toe angles. This gradually leads to a decrease in the car's controllability on the road, more difficult cornering, etc. In such cases, a negative camber angle can help.

Today it is becoming fashionable to have tires come loose not only at sporting competitions. A whole urban culture has emerged among car enthusiasts, which is called Stance. An example would be any car with a low seating position and wide rims. Such discs may not fit in the arches, and therefore they will require minus camber. This doesn’t add much to the sporting qualities; rather, it will just be a tribute to fashion.

Negative camber

While reading the article, you became interested in why negative camber should be used on car wheels? It is negative camber that improves the quality of car control and, most importantly, allows you to easily take turns even at high speed, and also makes it possible to avoid the car skidding and capsizing. This means that negative camber is most often done on sports model cars.

If we consider this type of motorsport as drifting, then the use of a minus value is most relevant. This allows the car to literally cling to the road surface. For drifting, the value of negative wheel alignment can be in the range from -0.5 to -5.5 degrees. Also considered optimal is a minus indicator for circuit racing. Moreover, on the front axle the value must be greater than on the rear axle. This provides excellent traction and sharp handling.

Let's look at why this is so important. When cornering at high speed, the body begins to roll (while turning). It is at the moment of roll that the wheel experiences a huge impact and can go into positive camber, and with this, traction with the asphalt is lost. If the camber is negative degrees -2.0 or -2.5, then the roll does not affect the wheel as much, in other words, its effect is compensated. This means that the car will easily and confidently even take a sharp turn at high speed.

Conclusion

We looked at what negative wheel camber is, why it is needed and how to make it yourself. There is nothing complicated in the adjustment process, so you can safely proceed even if you do not have the skills of an auto mechanic.

When the upper part of the wheel is inclined towards the center of the car, the camber of the wheels is considered negative, when from the center - positive. With negative or positive camber, the contact area of ​​the tire tread with the surface is reduced, which leads to loss of stability.

Pros of negative camber:

1. More stability in corners. When cornering, the car body rolls, creating positive camber and reducing the area of ​​contact between the wheel and the road. Negative camber compensates for this.
2. The appearance of the car changes (with a large camber angle).

Negative effects of negative camber

So far we have talked about the negative value of wheel alignment as an advantage, but there are also disadvantages here.

• The inner edge of the tire is subject to increased wear.
• Sharp acceleration or braking will not be as effective, because the area of ​​contact between the wheel and the asphalt is reduced.
• If you are driving on a bad road, the car may pull to the side.

Probably the most unpleasant thing here is the rapid wear of the rubber. This happens if the wheel is at an angle of more than -1 degree. And the larger the angle, the faster the tire will deteriorate. In the case of racers, they allow themselves to change tires frequently, because their victory depends on it. But for an ordinary driver, these costs will seriously hit the pocket. Therefore, if you want to install your wheels at an angle of -4 degrees, think about what goals you are pursuing and whether you are ready to change tires quite often.

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Disadvantages of negative camber:

1. The reduced contact area of ​​the wheel leads to deterioration of traction properties on a flat road.
2. Rapid wear of tires, especially with camber of -2 degrees or more.
3. The car becomes more sensitive to the ruts on the road, the car begins to drive to the sides.
4. Directional stability decreases, especially noticeable at speeds above 80 km/h.

The greater the camber angle, the more pronounced the imperfections are. Average camber angle values ​​for sports cars are -0.5. - 5.5 degrees. For fans of tuning civilian cars, these values ​​are narrowed to -1..-2.5 degrees. According to the manufacturers, modifying the VAZ by installing camber plates for negative camber of -1 degree will give a good effect and will not affect tire wear in any way. Let us remind you that Lada Granta and Kalina 2 have minus camber of the rear wheels from the factory (-1 degree). What do you think, is it necessary to have negative camber for everyday driving?

By the way, do you know the pros and cons of low-profile tires?

What is the best negative camber for everyday driving?

How to make negative camber?

Let's now dig a little deeper and find out how to make negative camber yourself. Before making direct adjustments, you need to find out whether your car model will accept such a camber and whether lateral and vertical stability will be within normal limits.

The last two indicators can be artificially increased. To increase lateral stability, it is necessary to install a special stabilizer in the front suspension, but for the vertical one, replace the shock-absorbing springs with new ones that will be more rigid. And in order to eliminate the possibility of skidding when turning at speed, reduce the number of turns in the rear suspension springs. Then the car will press against the outer side of the wheel while turning, which means the rear axle will not drift.

Now let's move on to the adjustment process itself. To do this, you will definitely need special plates, which can be purchased at any auto store. Be sure to consider what angle you want when purchasing a plate because they come in different sizes. The algorithm of actions is identical for almost all brands and models of cars.

The car must be installed on a hard and level surface, then jacked up and the wheel removed. After this, the brake drum is removed along with the pads, and even the hub. Now you can put on the camber plate and assemble the dismantled elements back in the opposite order (hub-drum with pads-wheel). The same manipulations must be done with the second wheel, after which the work will be completed.

The work is actually very easy, but if you do not have the necessary equipment and desire, contact the service center, they provide such a service. With high-quality negative camber of the rear wheels, you will immediately notice that the car has become much more stable when turning.

Stance culture

Speaking about negative wheel camber, it is necessary to talk about this current. This is the fashion for cars with low suspension and very heavily loaded wheels.

As a tribute to style, these cars are equipped with huge wide wheels. At the same time, the vehicle's seating position is very low. The rims must be so large that they may not even fit into the wheel arch. This is why they do negative camber. From the outside it looks impressive, but driving comfort is reduced.

Where to do this tuning?

The best and easiest way is to visit the wheel alignment stand. This is a software and hardware complex that already knows all the necessary angles for most cars. Using sensors that will be installed on the wheels, the system will determine the current angles, and based on this information it will be possible to set the required negative angles. In most services, specialists are ready to do any type of alignment.

A negative parameter does not always mean intense tire wear. For example, AvtoVAZ engineers even recommend making the Lada Granta have a rear camber of -2 degrees. Engineers claim that tire wear will be normal. At the same time, this will give a good effect in terms of controllability. For civilian cars, camber down to -2.5 degrees will only be an advantage - the driver will not go broke on tires.

Car problems associated with incorrect adjustment

Poorly adjusted wheel alignment on the VAZ 2107 makes it difficult to operate the vehicle. Serious problems can arise if adjustments have not been made or have been done incorrectly.

Road instability is one of the common problems. In this case, the car is driven in different directions and in order for the car not to swerve, the driver has to apply force. Such a trip gets tiring very quickly and only causes discomfort.

In addition, tires are subject to excessive wear due to the camber angle being too high, depending on which angle is greater, the inner or outer side of the tire is subject to wear. Also, a tire can quickly fail if it has insufficient or too much air.

Also, if the toe is adjusted incorrectly, damage to the oil seal, suspension, bearings and steering may occur.

Toe angle

The toe angle is the angle between the middle plane of the wheel and the plane that is parallel to the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the vehicle, provided that the wheels are aligned for straight motion.
Average values ​​of toe angles:

• for front-wheel drive: 0±10′.
• for rear-wheel drive: +15'±10'.

The sum of the angles for the left and right wheels forms a complete toe-in.

If the toe of the left and right wheels are equal, it is half toe.

The toe-in deviation tolerance for each wheel at car repair shops is ±5′.