Hey everyone,

just curious if anyone has bought any camber tops for the front of their 3rd gen?
if so, how did you find they worked (ie was there just enough adjustment for slight camber adjustment for correcting alinement after lowering, or could you adjust it enough to achieve better performance?)
, and where did you get them from.

thanks.

Hey everyone,

just curious if anyone has bought any camber tops for the front of their 3rd gen?
if so, how did you find they worked (ie was there just enough adjustment for slight camber adjustment for correcting alinement after lowering, or could you adjust it enough to achieve better performance?)
, and where did you get them from.

thanks.

also interested in this, have a look into late model evo ones maybe (7-9)

i wouldnt think these would fit, due to the size of the magnas front coil? just guessing though.

If i'm not mistaken Camber tops have nothing to do with the coil there is another plate between the top and the spring to retain the spring.Someone will correct me if i'm wrong.

i think that they replace the top plate on the coil. This remove the original 3 bolts and has a sliding plate that replaces the original plate. this alllows the strut to move.

this replaces the original top plate of our coil springs and shocks.

http://img187.imageshack.us/i/camberplatesak5.jpg/http://img187.imageshack.us/i/camberplatesak5.jpg/

Wilkinson Suspension in WA now make the Noltec ones, give them a call, remember that they will raise the front by about 10-15mm.

www.k-mac.com.au have a front Camber & Caster strut top, not sure if they do fit a Magna, but they can probably make them to fit.

They have 3 different models for Evo 46, 7-9 & 10 for $370 or maybe $465 for the race versions.
"No height difference".

I wonder if a strut brace will still fit on top of these.

thanks. bit of craftyness, they would fit. i might make my own. bit too pricey for me.

The EVO bolt holes will not line up to give the correct adjustment angles. If you are only after a little more camber (or less camber) then just get some camber adjust bolts for the lower strut mounts, cheap as chips and work very well.

where would i get them from? thanks

where would i get them from? thanks

Any suspension joint, they replace one lower strut bolt, whack it on the aligner, adjust and you're sweet.

Wilkinson Suspension in WA now make the Noltec ones, give them a call, remember that they will raise the front by about 10-15mm.

Don't the Noltec ones simply replace the existing strut top, therefore no extra height increase? Unless mine are installed incorrectly?

Don't the Noltec ones simply replace the existing strut top, therefore no extra height increase? Unless mine are installed incorrectly?

They do, but they are about 10mm thicker and sit a little lower because of the adjustment plate, it just moves the top of the shock down slightly which lifts the front of the car ~10-15mm. Is the top of your adjustment plate flat with the top of the bearing or is it raised up considerably?

ok everyone, this is the finnished product with $40 worth of adjustable camber bolts.

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm292/bellto/18112009646.jpg

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm292/bellto/18112009647.jpg

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm292/bellto/18112009648.jpg

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm292/bellto/18112009649.jpg

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm292/bellto/18112009650.jpg

(notice the grill, it glows in the dark hehe)

thanks for your help cummins. this made a noticeable difference in cornering, i now hit this one corner at 85, and dont understeer, where as before i was pushing it at 75. 85 is reasonably easy in comparison now. thanks again.

they dont look that agressivly cambered in the pics, but they are alot more in the flesh. The bolts i got were whiteline, and i got them off a mate for $40 (brand new, he works at a suspension place. (i am thinking about approaching a engineering copmany to see if they will make a big group of them for they magna site, for the right price. there is really not verymuch engineering in them at all.). it ended up being a 2.5 - 3.0 degree increase as i put them in the bottom (for reacing only) hole.

they should be a happy medium for good handleing, and tyre longevity. especially because i used to use the outside of the tyre alot quicker than the inside.

Okay question how do you install rear camber kits? and are they hard? mine needs one done as its really bad and just chewing thru my tires!!!

cheers :)

Okay question how do you install rear camber kits? and are they hard? mine needs one done as its really bad and just chewing thru my tires!!!

cheers :)
Front uses camber bolts.
Rear uses a spacer plate between the upper control arm and chassis, along with longer bolts, Whiteline P/N: KCA357. Although there's no reason you couldn't make your own.
Note the ^^^ kit is to reduce rear camber.

Front uses camber bolts.
Rear uses a spacer plate between the upper control arm and chassis, along with longer bolts, Whiteline P/N: KCA357. Although there's no reason you couldn't make your own.
Note the ^^^ kit is to reduce rear camber.

thats wat i need one to reduce it back to normal as its been lowered by the previous owner apprently, its out by about 3 degrees i think

I got my front pair from Noltec a while ago and am very happy with em.

You can get em either solid-mounted or with rubber (I elected to go solid cos my front springrate is too high and would demolish the rubber)

Adjustability is VERY good, I run -3 negative camber and +5 deg castor for the track, and there's more room for adjustment left - probably up to about - 3.5 - 3.75, not sure about castor.

I would definantely go the Noltec ones (assuming you can still get em) over the KMAC ones, which I've heard numerous times don't have a good range adjustability and aren't the best quality.

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/903/13112008113qk8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/8553/dscf4684qv9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/3053/dscf4687dq1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


If you are only after a little more camber (or less camber) then just get some camber adjust bolts for the lower strut mounts, cheap as chips and work very well.

I agree, my old setup used Whiteline camber bolts which allowed me up to about -1.5 camber at the front, which is all you'd want just for the street IMO.

ok everyone, this is the finnished product with $40 worth of adjustable camber bolts.

thanks for your help cummins. this made a noticeable difference in cornering, i now hit this one corner at 85, and dont understeer, where as before i was pushing it at 75. 85 is reasonably easy in comparison now. thanks again.

they dont look that agressivly cambered in the pics, but they are alot more in the flesh. The bolts i got were whiteline, and i got them off a mate for $40 (brand new, he works at a suspension place. (i am thinking about approaching a engineering copmany to see if they will make a big group of them for they magna site, for the right price. there is really not verymuch engineering in them at all.). it ended up being a 2.5 - 3.0 degree increase as i put them in the bottom (for reacing only) hole.

they should be a happy medium for good handleing, and tyre longevity. especially because i used to use the outside of the tyre alot quicker than the inside.

Are you sure that neg camber increased 2.5-3.0 deg? It doesn't look anything like that amount in the front-on picture, and I doubt if camber bolts would allow that amount of movement. Limit is generally more like +/- 1.0-1.5 deg. Car looks very much lower on the right side. Is that the driveway lean or uneven spring length?

For street radials you don't want more than about 2.0 neg maximum, and many tyres don't grip up sufficiently to warrant going more than 1.5 deg. Even semi-slicks and rally tarmac slicks generally are best at about 2.0 deg on most road tarmac surfaces and would seldom go past 2.5 neg. A race circuit is more grippy so a semi-slick or rally tarmac slick would then use 2.5-3.0 deg.

If I'm understanding correctly you have put the camber bolts in the botton holes. THAT IS DANGEROUS. Camber bolts are smaller diameter and should only be fitted in the minimum load position, thats the top hole.

How much toe do you have? If the outside is wearing excessively you need to look at tyre pressure, rim width and also you need to get rid of toe in. Zero toe, ie. wheels straight ahead, or up to 2-3mm toe out will help sharpen turn in and reduce outside shoulder wear. But this is a waste of time if the rims are narrow or tyre pressures too low. If you have a 205/65 or 215/60 tyre you need a 7" wheel and probably around 40psi cold in the front.

Cheers,
Alan

ok, here is the pics with a spirit level, and some calculations:

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm292/bellto/19112009651.jpg

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm292/bellto/19112009652.jpg

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm292/bellto/19112009653.jpg

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm292/bellto/19112009654.jpg

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm292/bellto/19112009657.jpg

as in calculations it works out to be 2.722 degrees going by REAL LIFE accurate messurments.

i normally run 38 psi cold, and the toe is straight ahead.

Sorry to tell you.
There is a mistake in your measurement method.

When a car sits on the road, the lower part of the tyre distorts outwards because of the pressure.
Because we are not in Ireland/ Tasmania, you cannot rotate the tyre to get the bulge at the top.

Only accurate way is to measure from the bead of the wheel rim or bolt onto the end of the stub axle.
Close would be to go off the face of the disc with the wheels off.
However it looks as if you have a very large negative camber.
For the road this will be too much.
Within 5,000 odd kms the inside edge of the tyres will be wearing quite rapidly.
Gerry

ok, thanks mate, subtract .2 of a degree, very negligable difference.,

so now say 2.522 degrees negative

also, the outside of my tyres is wearing too fast due to the way i drive and the roads i drive on. as in my other post i stated this, and dont say its your wheel allinement or tyre pressure, because my mate manages bearepaires here and my car practically lives there, due to constant tyre replacement and allinment adjustments.

also allan, the guy i spoke at the supplier said that it is fine to put them in the bottom whole with these bolts, not with cheaper ones.

Bellto,
The main reason for the extreme wear on the outside of you front tyres is because I suspect that your car does not have a rear anti-roll bar.


As you corner there is a massive rear to front weight transfer, this all ends up on the tyre that is on the outside of the bend.

Your biggest bang for the buck investment that you can make is to fit a rear bar.

If you are planning to lower, fit bigger rims etc, then go for the adjustable version.
Look on the Whiteline site and then get a price from our sponsors.

Gerry

i have no problem with rear tyre wear as i had the camber adjusted to negative about 10000 ks ago, no incorect wear, its just the front that wears, due to only having 15 inch wheels, and having 8 roundabouts on the way to and from work / uni 20 times per week. i have already lowered the car with front strutbrace.

As i said, the reason the tyres are wearing on the outer edge is from fast cornering, and having the tyre roll under the rim, even though i run them at 38 psi. everyone gets this problem in cairns because of all the high speed roundabouts. this camber will fix that so i get even wear.

ok, thanks mate, subtract .2 of a degree, very negligable difference.,

so now say 2.522 degrees negative

also, the outside of my tyres is wearing too fast due to the way i drive and the roads i drive on. as in my other post i stated this, and dont say its your wheel allinement or tyre pressure, because my mate manages bearepaires here and my car practically lives there, due to constant tyre replacement and allinment adjustments.

also allan, the guy i spoke at the supplier said that it is fine to put them in the bottom whole with these bolts, not with cheaper ones.

If you want to calculate camber using a spirit level you first have to get the car level and wheels straight ahead. Then measure from the rim lip to the level at the top and bottom. Subtract the bottom measurement from the top measurement for one side of your triangle and measure from rim lip to rim lip for the vertical side.

Your mate's managing Beaurepairs doesn't really count for much, and in general tyre service alignments leave much to be desired.

What brand and size of tyre are you using? What is the rim width? What is the condition of the dampers, bushes, rod ends, ball joints, wheel bearings, etc? All this influences tyre wear and is often ignored by tyre service guys unless there is some product or service they can sell you. Even then, the number of cars I see freshly aligned with shot suspension is staggering. And the alignment guys were agents for dampers, bushes etc and could have made more money and sent the customer off with a proper job done.

The supplier hasn't given the correct info regarding camber bolts. The camber bolt must be used in the top hole for road use. Suspension suppliers only have engineering approval for top bolt use. Who supplied the bolts and how do you know they are not poor grade steel, or have been weakened when the threads were rolled? This is dangerous if there is a failure.

Cheers,
Alan

If you read my post correctly I recommended that you need to fit a REAR sway bar to fix the FRONT tyre wear.
I was very specific in my recommendation.
Been there done that!
Go on the Whiteline site and read about the effect of rear sway bars and FWD cars.

I'm pretty sure that AlanTJ will back this up.

Rush out and order a REAR BAR, get it, fit it, and smile after the 2 high speed roundabouts.
In Sydney we have small ones, how about 60 going through and toeing it on the way out with a stiffer REAR bar.

Gerry

If you read my post correctly I recommended that you need to fit a REAR sway bar to fix the FRONT tyre wear.
I was very specific in my recommendation.
Been there done that!
Go on the Whiteline site and read about the effect of rear sway bars and FWD cars.

I'm pretty sure that AlanTJ will back this up.

Rush out and order a REAR BAR, get it, fit it, and smile after the 2 high speed roundabouts.
In Sydney we have small ones, how about 60 going through and toeing it on the way out with a stiffer REAR bar.

Gerry

If a Magna doesn't have a rear bar then its needs one. My VR AWD started out with a rear bar but it wasn't big enough and I was wearing the 215/60 Bridgestone Grid III tyres on the shoulders even with 40psi, 7" rims, zero toe and 1.5 deg neg. I'm now onto a custom 20mm bar and it has made a big improvement (a bit taily on the gravel out here though, so I have to be careful not to coast into corners). I'm about to try 2mm toe out. My dampers have 100,000 on them and will soon be replaced with Boge gas. I expect that will improve matters too.

Cheers,
Alan