You can extend the tire life for tires that wear unevenly by “flipping” the tires, but the labor cost may exceed the savings in tire cost. The impact of static negative camber will vary based on driving style and road conditions. On a race car, you consider this because the tire has to make it to the end of the race or to the next pit stop, or last long enough to stay in your tire budget. Static negative camber will usually cause the inside of the tire to wear more than the outside. For example, what would be the best camber for maximum braking and acceleration? 0 degrees camber gives you the best contact patch and therefore the best performance with heavy braking. So, we want some dynamic, negative camber in a performance road car.ĭoes negative camber have undesirable effects? Also, the test was measuring the effect of dynamic camber, i.e., the tire loaded and executing a turn of about 6 to 7 degrees. This is a general statement there are many other variables such as tire width and type of tire construction. The effect reaches a maximum at about 5 degrees with radial tires. It has been demonstrated in testing that for a given vertical load, the lateral load the tire can withstand, without losing grip, can be increased by tilting the top of the outside tire (right tire for left hand turn) towards the center of the car. This can be defined as the coefficient of friction which is the lateral load (Fy, the force the tire can withstand without sliding sideways) divided by the vertical load (Fz, the weight on the tire). Why have negative camber? One of the goals of a car’s suspension system is to maximize lateral grip. This article focuses on camber because it has the highest significance on a performance road car relative to the others, then caster mostly because of its effect on dynamic camber, and finally toe. Describing the sequence of adjustments and their impact is somewhat like trying to describe the beginning and end of a circle, they are all connected. So why pick out camber they are all interrelated, that is, adjusting one affects the others.

It is not significant in road racing and only slightly so with autocrossing. Ackerman is only mentioned because it affects toe when the wheel is turned. Camber is just one of several attributes for a suspended wheel.

Rear negative camber