Hi,

I'm trying to figure some last minute details for my suspsnesion adjustments before my wheels arrive. I planned on rolling with natural camber but my desire to sit PERFECTLY is growing as I get more and more picky. I'm still learning so please forgive me fi I'm missing something obvious.

*Any references to camber will be negative camber.

I understand what the purpose of camber arms are and same goes for alignment but why would you get camber arms when you can just go to an alignment shop that frequently deals with lowered cars and tell them what specific camber you want? (And they can keep your toe in spec also.) Reasoning:

1. You save money by not buying arms if you know EXACTLY how you want to sit (as in you picked correct offsets and widths right off the bat and you wont be altering ride height and adding / removing spacers often)

2. If you go with arms, then any camber adjustment you do on your own will mess with your toe, meaning that you will need an alignment anyway or toe arms


Responses I'm expecting to hear as to why one should get camber arms:

1. Once you get your wheels (assuming you want to tuck tire and close to wheel tuck), you can slam it right there and then and add the neccessary camber to not rub. This as opposed to driving possibly far to an alignment shop while rubbing / cutting into tires.

2. Convenience for when you want to add spacers or adjust ride height later on instead of having to get an alignment every single time (for people that frequently adjust their stance ).

3. If you live in an area without an inground alignment rack or if you can't fit on it.

4. More precise adjustments and a broader range of camber (going with SPL kit and setting -6 instead of taking it to an alignment shop and them not wanting to go that negative )

5. You like doing stuff on your own.

I'm pretty much torn between which to go with and the long run picture. I know that camber arms are a good investment for the long run, but I'm thinking that natural camber may be good enough. I just don't want to spend money unneccessarily but if it makes the most sense, I'm down to buy.

Also curious about if one should just go for SPL pro arms instead of SPC since SPL offers greater camber range in case you ever need it ( I know, it's a lot of camber but just in case).

Thanks,
Alex

 

The aftermarket camber arms give you much more range of adjustability. OEM adjustment usually won't get you far on a lowered vehicle.

I would buy the arms, and learn how to do your own alignment.

 

as stated above, you can only adjust so much with oem components. the lower you go, the more necessary it becomes for the use of camber arms / toe bolts or toe arms depending on which suspension type you're going with.

it's not a waste of money but rather a good investment in the long run in regards to correct suspension alignment as well as tire wear.

 

OEM front camber isn't adjustable and, as previously stated, oem adjustments won't get you far. SPL arms are well worth the money.

If a shop won't set your alignment how you request, then find another one. I have only had one shop other than my friend do my alignment, and that's NTB. I walk right out and bs with the tech while he sets the alignment to whatever I tell him. Only disadvantage to the front camber arms is that you have to pull the tire in order to adjust and set the camber correctly.

My one warning about SPL -> I am lowered somewhere between 1-2 inches over stock (can't tell for sure cuz my front tires are smaller od than stock too) and my spl arms hit the pinch weld type-thing above the rear part of the arm. That may be because I added caster, but just a warning.

 

Another thing to note with Z camber arms in the front, make sure you ground down the little knobby looking casting mark on the upright. It can cause contact with the arms and damage them.