After putting on my 5Zigen FN01R-C (18" staggered), the negative camber on my rear wheels became more apparent. My suspension is stock for now.

I went to Big O Tires to get a four wheel alignment, but the rear wheels still have the negative camber which is clearly visible when viewing my car from the rear.

After the alignment was suppose to have been done, I called the techcician's attention to the negative camber that was STILL visible. The tech said, and I quote, "Nissan's spec camber for the rears are 1.1 degree negative camber for performance purposes" There's about 1.5" on the outside part of the tread that's not touching the ground. I asked the tech if they can go 0 degree of camber. The tech comes back, "Ya, we can do it if you want a bad ride"

My ??: Was the tech right about the negative camber? Is it true that Nissan put this negative camber as STOCK set-up? Remember, my suspension is stock (for now).

Thanks for any input you fellas can give me.

 

That's true. I think the maximum is 1.5 degrees negative, minimum is 0 degrees. I'm not sure what the optimal is.

 

Yes, stock has a slight negative camber. You do not want 0 camber unless you are drag racing. Your handling will suffer dramatically as well

 

the tech is correct on all accounts. You don't want zero camber in the rear. Even if I only drove straight all day long I don't think I would want zero camber.

 

Thanks fellas. The input given makes me feel a ton better. Oh ya, as usual, I received numerous compliments on the Z while it was being worked on, and afterwards when it was driven to a parking stall. Thanks again guys!!

 

Alignment may look unusual when the car is siting because the alignment is static. What the tires do when the car is moving is a different story (and more important). Keep an eye on unusual tire wear.

 

What camber you want depends on what kind of driving that you do. If you auto-cross or track the car, you will likely want as much negative camber as you can get. For street driving, go with the factory specs.

 

I will definately keep an eye out for the tread wear. As I mentioned, the outer portion. about an inch, of the tire seems like it's not touching the ground, which will make the inside portion of the tire wear faster. I make enough $$ to have bought my Z, but I sure don't wanna throw it away by buying rear tires NEEDLESSLY.

Thanx again Fellas for the useful info.

 

Why is it that you would not want zero camber in the (imaginary) case of driving straight all day long?

 

Yeah, the outside of my tread doesn't like to touch the ground much either. But note, that is while sitting still. In corners, that floating patch will be like backup traction. I even lowered the pressure a bit in the rear to get a slightly bigger contact patch, I think I'm running 28psi right now in the back.

 

You definitely would want 0 camber if you drove straight all day long.

Having some negative camber in the rear actually helps the car maintain a street-safe amount of understeer.