Rear Camber Adjustments

[losichu]

I have been doing some overall suspension work searches, and I have come across a couple different types of camber kits and I don't quite understand the benefits/disadvantages of these types.

The UUC adjustable control arms claim that they can adjust camber from +1 to -3 degrees.

BavAuto has a rear outer, camber adjustable bushing set and also a rear camber kit that goes somewhere (I'm guessing it also replaces the bushings).

Does anyone know which is better and why?

[L84THSKY]

The UUC control arms don't fit our cars.

I have the BavAuto rear camber kit, works for me.

Originally Posted by losichu

I have been doing some overall suspension work searches, and I have come across a couple different types of camber kits and I don't quite understand the benefits/disadvantages of these types.

The UUC adjustable control arms claim that they can adjust camber from +1 to -3 degrees.

BavAuto has a rear outer, camber adjustable bushing set and also a rear camber kit that goes somewhere (I'm guessing it also replaces the bushings).

Does anyone know which is better and why?

[losichu]

What is the bavauto kit replacing? Is it bushings? How does it adjust?

[L84THSKY]

It's the control arm bushings, and an off-centric bolt that allows adjustment in camber.

Look at BavAuto's website for part details.

Originally Posted by losichu

What is the bavauto kit replacing? Is it bushings? How does it adjust?

[losichu]

So, if I were to redo my rear suspension to freshen up and improve what I have I could do the following:
Rear shock mounts
Shock Reinforcements
Standard Trailing arm bushings
Bavauto or Eibach camber kit

Are any of these parts a duplication of effort, meaning that I am buying the same part twice and therefore wasting my money? Am I missing anything?

I plan on calling eibach to see what the deal is with their camber kit, I want to see if it is what would work on our cars. I will have them send a pic so that others on the forum can confirm.

[DustenT]

Originally Posted by L84THSKY

It's the control arm bushings, and an off-centric bolt that allows adjustment in camber.

These have been reported to slip, so plan on getting multiple alignments, assuming you can find a shop to align these.

Ireland Engineering sells a toe and camber kit, although you have to welde it on, it takes care of the rear problem.....TOE IN! Camber really isn't an issue, -2 is fine, in fact -4 is fine for aggressive street/track duty.

The -1/4" of toe is what causes tire wear.

[losichu]

FYI on the Eibach Rear Alignment Kit:
I spoke with someone at Eibach yesterday and it turns out that they do not make a kit for the ti, and that they go through SPC performance for all of their alignment stuff. The kits that you see being sold are the type with the adjustable control arm, which is invalid on our vehicles.

Guess I will have to go with the Ireland Engineering kit and see how many favors I can get down at the shop. I heard this was quite the expensive job to do on the ti. Thanks for all the help.

[mohaughn]

Yes, it is expensive. You have to completely remove and clean the rear subframe. Then you have to remove the existing trailing arm brackets and weld the new ones in. Prime the subframe and repaint. Then reinstall everything.

You might as well plan on replacing all of the bushings while you have the subframe out. It is about a 10 hour job if the shops knows what they are doing.

If you are going to do all of that I would also weld in rear sway bar reinforcement tabs while you have the trailing arms out, and maybe even do the ZM3 trailing arm reinforcements listed at Gustave's E30 M3 website.

In the long run I didn't think it was worth it. The extra camber from dropping the car actually helps performance. The toe out does increase tire wear, but what you have to figure out is if the extra cost of now having to keep the rear end aligned and the cost of getting it all installed is worth it...

For a daily driver I would go with the adjustable bushings over the weld-in kit. That is really designed for people that need more precise adjustment capability for track cars.

[DustenT]

Originally Posted by mohaughn

Yes, it is expensive. You have to completely remove and clean the rear subframe. Then you have to remove the existing trailing arm brackets and weld the new ones in. Prime the subframe and repaint. Then reinstall everything.

You might as well plan on replacing all of the bushings while you have the subframe out. It is about a 10 hour job if the shops knows what they are doing.

If you are going to do all of that I would also weld in rear sway bar reinforcement tabs while you have the trailing arms out, and maybe even do the ZM3 trailing arm reinforcements listed at Gustave's E30 M3 website.

In the long run I didn't think it was worth it. The extra camber from dropping the car actually helps performance. The toe out does increase tire wear, but what you have to figure out is if the extra cost of now having to keep the rear end aligned and the cost of getting it all installed is worth it...

For a daily driver I would go with the adjustable bushings over the weld-in kit. That is really designed for people that need more precise adjustment capability for track cars.

I have my 318ti in the air right now getting ready for this project. Is there enough interest in this for me to take pics and document the process? It shouldn't be that scary.

I'm replacing the subframe bushings, RTABs and IE toe/camber plates.

POR15 on everything!!

[mohaughn]

Yeah, I think we already have pretty detailed instructions and photos on removing the subframe and doing all of the bushings. Seeing some detailed steps for the IE toe/camber kit install would be great.

I've only made 1 adjustment to my suspension since it was installed, so right now for me I don't need the extra adjustment on the rear wheels. I've got my hands full worrying about my driving.

[DustenT]

Originally Posted by mohaughn

Yeah, I think we already have pretty detailed instructions and photos on removing the subframe and doing all of the bushings. Seeing some detailed steps for the IE toe/camber kit install would be great.

I've only made 1 adjustment to my suspension since it was installed, so right now for me I don't need the extra adjustment on the rear wheels. I've got my hands full worrying about my driving.

Are you running R-Compound tires? My R's were wearing out pretty damn fast on the inside of the rear tires, thus the need for the kit.

[mohaughn]

Nope. Probably going to Potenza RE-01r's or advan neova's next. I've got about 4 1/2 hours of DE and 16 or so auto-x runs since I dropped the car. My kumho mx's are still in pretty good shape but you can definitely see that the inside of the tire has worn more than the outside. I'm running 1 degree of negative camber up front on my street setting. So I just rotate frequently and hopefully the little bit of street use helps with the uneven wear from the negative camber. I'm sure the extra 60 HP you have doesn't help with the tire wear either.

You are running the hoosier a6 right? While probably giving you the most grip, they probably also have a higher wear rate than some of the other less grippy r-comps.

I know bam2002 is running r-compounds and does a lot more auto-x than I do. I think they should last most of the season. He might have said 10 or 12 events before his tires were getting really worn on his e30 bauer. Don't quote me on that though..