can i adjust camber myself

[tomtom-070526]

got some ktec bolts thru the post 2day, is there anyway i can adjust the camber myself? if so how do you do it accuratly, or is it best to take to a proper place to have it sorted?

 

[JAY172]

it needs putting on a 4 wheel allignment check to adjust camber.

 

[BenR]

YOu can check it yourself with a camber gauge.

You can make one yourself with a peice of string, weight, straight peice of wood and a protractor.

Then just adjust it as it wont affect any other geometry variables.

 

[cliosportcraig]

can someone explain how the bolts work ? My camber is out more on one side !! Does that mean somethings bent ? BTW ivw had two small curb incidents

 

[tomtom-070526]

mines out by a mile on the passenger side, other side bad but not that bad, the bolts are lobed when you turn them they move the strut,

benr how do you rig one of these things up? doesnt have to be nanometre perfect just so it does eat tyres for breakfast!

 

[BenR]

no, doesnt have to be perfectly perfect.

Get a straight edged peice of wood, stick a protractor at 90 deg to that edge, nail through the centre of the protractor, string on nail, weight on end of stright, gravity will tell you straight down and the protractor will tell you the amount of camber in deg when you place the flat edge against the wheel rim.

 

[CHR15G]

is the diameter of the bolt (between the cam bit) smaller than the original bolt?

 

[BenR]

the centre is offset.

 

[CHR15G]

i dont understand how these can work.

if they fit through the hole how can they be any different than a normal bolt (unless the diameter either side of the cam allows them to move within the holes) in which case they do they same thing as fitting a smaller diameter bolt

 

[Red16]

cos they look like this, not like ordinary bolts, you can see tho lobe in this pic borrowed from K-Tecs site

http://www.k-tecracing.com/products/clio1/suspension/camber_bolts.jpg

 

[CHR15G]

but the diameter of the lobe cannot be any bigger than a normal bolt as it would not fit in the hole.

therefore the rest of the bolt must be a smaller diameter than the original bolt, so it moves around in the hole to set the camber. does this not mean you are relying on the clamping force to hold the bolt in the bit of the hole where you want it (i.e setting the camber)

the same could be achieved by simply using a smaller bolt

 

[JAY172]

its the shape of the bolt thats allows the adjustment when you turn it. using smaller(you mean thinner) bolts would make it difficult to adjust and unsafe.

 

[CHR15G]

how doues this act any differently than a regular bolt or a smaller diameter bolt?

http://erc.qmuc.ac.uk/cliosport/gallery/full/1081196401__Untitled-1.jpg

 

[CHR15G]

its a cross section of the camber correcting bolt in the hole

 

[BenR]

LMAO!!!


AUTOCAD!!!

you really area intent on finding out how it works......simple, you really dont need autocad to visualise it. Just remember that the bolt moves the bottom bolt hole against the top hole which acts as its pivot. THe Hub then moves relative to the strut support assembly.

Its not the best solution, an adj top mount is, but its expensive. And eccentric bolts have been used for years in production vehicles.

 

[CHR15G]

hehe use autocad everyday so was easiest thing to draw it on

but because the diameter of the normal part of the bolt is smaller than the original your still relying on pulling it onto the right bit of the hole to get the camber you want, then the clamping force to hold it in the position. seems a bit hit and miss

 

[BUTRE]

I also used autocad to make my own "camber bolts". Really good tool for development.

 

[BenR]

It is a bit crude, but like i said........cheaper than pillow mounts.

 

[Uncle Fester]

Think im gonna try som of those bolts.....obviously something like a bent wishbone could cause the camber to adjust one way, but what if the top of the wheel is much further in the bottom of the wheel? tired top mount or something like that?