# Camber Problem



## Guest (Aug 20, 2002)

I have a 99 sentra se. i lowered it using eibach sprotline sprinks and kyp shocks and struts. since then i noticed that inside of my front tires have been getting worn out faster then the rest of the tire. i know this is porblem due to poor camber. i want to know what the easiest way to fix this problem is?????????????????


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## UnderDog (Jul 14, 2002)

Ground Control makes adjustable camber/caster plates for our cars that allow camber and caster adjustments and lower the car 3/4" without losing any wheel travel.


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## Overlooked (Jul 10, 2002)

get an alignment


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## BORNGEARHEAD (Apr 30, 2002)

Camber is not adjustable on Nissans BUT if you loosen the two 17mm bolts to the strut and pull out hard on the top of the wheel while it's on the alignment machine you can do some compensating.


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## Neil (Aug 13, 2002)

why wouldnt camber be adjustable on nissans?

I realize the rear can't be aligned because its a solid beam rear axle but the fronts?


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## Guest (Aug 21, 2002)

there is a poor mans way of correcting camber. you widen the two bolt holes on the struts and measure the camber until you are satisfied. worked for me. oh and also if you take your car to a camber alignment shop they will do it for you.


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## Nostrodomas (Jun 15, 2002)

Neil said:


> *why wouldnt camber be adjustable on nissans?
> 
> I realize the rear can't be aligned because its a solid beam rear axle but the fronts? *


you can adjust the camber on a nissan that is stock height. However, when you lower a car you increase the degree of camber extreamly. So you cant adjust it, it doesnt do anything. Thats why they have the camber plates, it gives you the extra degrees for the correction.


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## UnderDog (Jul 14, 2002)

I went to Lowe's and bought two smaller diameter eight-guage bolts and replaced each top bolt on both struts with one of the smaller ones I bought. It gave me a couple of degrees of adjustment in either direction. I don't know how safe that is but it worked for me. I worked at a mechanic shop at the time and did the alignment myself but I get tire pull now because I'm too cheap to buy tires for my car right now and I grabbed some 185/60's from a guy who just felt like buying tires that day and scrapped some good-condition tires for no reason.


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## kP_sr20De (Jun 20, 2002)

id say get an alignment first, and then see if you need some camber bolts or plates.


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## Guest (Aug 21, 2002)

I had one fella who said this might not be a camber problem but a problem with the toe angle thats creating my tire wear problem.. Anyone have thoughts on this.. Also what do guys do if they have coilovers... How do they know to adjust there alighment everytime they change ride hight?


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## UnderDog (Jul 14, 2002)

Toe out of spec will cause tire wear. If the tire is toed out the inside of the tire is the leading edge running on the pavement, so the inside wears first, and visa versa if it's toed in. Camber will only cause pull to the net direction the tires lean unless it's excessive then it can also cause tire wear. When you raise or lower the ride height (whether by adjusting coil overs or getting shorter springs) you change the angle at which the struts connect from the upper strut mount to the lower control arm. Since the hub connects to the strut as one piece that will always change the camber. Camber also changes toe, so they always realign the car totally when the ride height is changed.


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## Guest (Aug 21, 2002)

Thanks for the reply underdog


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## UnderDog (Jul 14, 2002)

No problem. If I were asking a question I'd expect someone to share their knowledge with me instead of saying "hit the search button, bitch." So I try to give the same effort in return.

Think of it like a right triangle. The strut is hypotenuse and the bottom side is the lower control arm and the third side is an imaginary line from the top strut mount straight down to the control arm. I know there's not a perfect right angle anywhere in this example but it helps to think there is one. Anyway, if you shorten the hypotenuse (by adjusting the coilover or a different size spring), in order to keep the angle between the control arm and the imaginary line a 90 degree angle you will have to shorten the angle between the strut and the control arm slightly to make the top opposite corners line up (the opposite corner being the strut mount corner). This in turn shortens the third, imaginary line side (lowering the ride height). Now imagine another line perpendicular to the bisect of the angle between the control arm and strut, tangent to the triangle (the wheel). When you tilt the inside angle downward by lowering the car, the wheel tilts inward because it's all one piece.

Unless you were a geek like myself in high school and actually enjoyed math then this won't make a bit of sense since I'm not good at tech support and I couldn't even explain the Catholic faith to a Nun to save my own life.


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## Guest (Aug 21, 2002)

Once again Thanks... I'm taking the car into the alignment shop this weekend to have to problem fixed.


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## JT200SX-N-FX (May 30, 2002)

I've had no problems with tire wear, since I got an alignment, and I have no camber plates. the guy who put my coil-overs on referred me to a shop that specializes in aligning lowered cars, so I got kinda lucky!


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## Neil (Aug 13, 2002)

so assuming camber and toe is 0 degrees stock and I lower my sentra 1.4" with eibach prokits how many degrees should it be off and how much is "acceptable" so that it passes but doesnt cause noticable problems. Someone told me once that anything under 1.5 degrees isnt a problem but I can't remember who and if it was a reputable person.

The guy at the nissan dealership when I asked if i lowered my car and if he could do an alignment said 1.4" was a lot and he might not be able to do an alignment on my car.


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## UnderDog (Jul 14, 2002)

The camber spec on a B14 chassis is -0.6 degrees at the stock height. Lowering it will tilt that camber way in. That's why he said it might not be alignable to a bearable measurment because unless you installed camber/caster plates the camber is minimally adjustable. Not enough to make much difference. I used to align cars but I've never aligned a lowered Sentra let alone seen a lowered Sentra in person (not popular around here yet), so I have no idea exactly how much lowering one will tilt the camber in until I do it to my own car. I'm waiting until I have the money for a Ground Control/AGX setup before I lower mine, so it will be a while.


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## kristinspapi (Aug 29, 2002)

*no more...help..*

So as I continue to read through these threads, if i'm getting the prokits, do I need the adjustable camber plates too? Will I be okay if I just get an alignment? Man, I if won the lottery....Pablo


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