Eibach drop and neg camber

[New2Import]

You guys wanting Eibachs and running 20s you will have neg camber at least 1* out from spec. Im set at -2* up on both sides. Spec is -1* to .5*. Cross camber is within spec though at -0.3*. On the rear its within spec with camber and toe. On total toe they also got me within spec at .10*

Im calling Eibach tomorrow and see if they can do a camber kit. Ill be faxing my specs to them so they can make parts to fix the camber issue. The tech aligned it for me a couple a weeks ago and recheck and it stayed where it was set at. He change the toe which he said was not in spec and thinks it was missed. He told me to keep tire pressure low up front til I could get the camber issue solved. Its not a daily so wear is small. I took a 1K trip and wear was starting to show on the inside from rough Alabama roads but I had the pressure up 5lbs. I just hate neg camber and thought I would share with those with dailys. Eibach might not be for you if you go 20s. 19s you might get within spec.

[07sportm35]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but, wheel size has nothing to do with camber.

Right or wrong?

[m-licious]

wheel size can play an important role. if your wheel is too big or wide or offset too low, you may have to dial in neg camber to avoid rubbing.on the other hand, i'm rolling stock 18" rims and still have neg camber with the eibachs. this is not due to rubbing concerns exactly, but more due to the geometry of the rear suspension. there is a lower tension arm/control arm that due to the lowering of the car, forces neg camber.

to the OP, I would love to see the specs on how they aligned your car. I've had 3 alignments (gotta love the Firestone lifetime service) since putting the coils on 3 months ago. I can't get my rears into spec (I'm just over 2* neg camber) and my fronts are just under 2*. are you on sport struts?

in Eibach's defense, the car looks great and the ride is not bad at all. in fact, other than rare clearance issues on huge speed bumps, i can hardly feel a harshness difference from stock and the drastic change in roll and pitch is appreciated.

[New2Import]

Its in the first post -2* on both sides up front on camber. Caster is in spec at 5.3*. Toe is in spec now at.05*. I had a negative toe at first. All cross specs are within range. On the rear they got -1.4* and spec is -1.3*. Toe on the rear is .12* on left and .09* on the right. Like I said the rear is fine. I love the ride of the Eibach but the camber issue needs to be address and I hope I can get something going with them today.

[Backdoc7]

waiting to see what eibach has to say.. keep us posted.

[New2Import]

Call tech support and plea your case to get the ball rolling faster. The tech told me he was turning my specs in to engineering to get something done. I think more calls will help get it going faster.

[Backdoc7]

I've already called!

[New2Import]

What was the response from them?

[SteveTheTech]

wheel size can play an important role. if your wheel is too big or wide or offset too low, you may have to dial in neg camber to avoid rubbing.on the other hand, i'm rolling stock 18" rims and still have neg camber with the eibachs. this is not due to rubbing concerns exactly, but more due to the geometry of the rear suspension. there is a lower tension arm/control arm that due to the lowering of the car, forces neg camber.

in Eibach's defense, the car looks great and the ride is not bad at all. in fact, other than rare clearance issues on huge speed bumps, i can hardly feel a harshness difference from stock and the drastic change in roll and pitch is appreciated.

That's a perfect description.

Altering a key suspension component is going to have a ripple effect. The increase in camber also adds about +2* of caster. The caster increase has a positive impact on highway stability. Trambling concerns are almost completely resolved.

The Eibachs tell you in the installation instructions that they tires should be rotated every 3k after the spring install. Cross rotation will also greatly increase the longevity and even the wear out over the full contact patch.

There is no possible way that anyone will ever be able to zero the camber in the rear with the factory eccentrics. I'm betting you will not be able to get any closer that -1.75 although that is pure speculation as no two Ms travel the same roads meaning the wear is different. I have not seen any adjustable control arms for the front or rear but they may exist.

The front camber is not adjustable from the factory and I can imagine that running rims over 20" would rub on something, and they will transfer more road imperfections. Something about increased rotational mass and decreased sidewall shock absorbing capabilities. That is a personal choice though.

[07sportm35]

Well I think folks missed my point. Clearly, if the wheel/tire is to big then you are FORCED to do negative camber to tuck in the wheels to help prevent rubbing.

My point is this...simply putting on a bigger wheel alone does not change camber. This refers to the first statement/question. The answer to my question was muddied by the assumption the bigger wheel would not fit therefore forcing the wheel to fit by more negative camber. Most bigger wheels (including my own) fit just as well as the smaller wheels. Tons of room to spare I might add. I proved a 10 inch wide, 20 inch wheel could fit in the front of a lowered M35 without any modifications. Full right and left turn over bumps. In most cases you're just changing wheel for tire (same circumfrence). Dealers routinely exchange 18's for 19's and visa versa and DON"T even think about realignment or negative camber. Period!

There are a fair amount of aggressive Z fanactics and others who dial in negative camber to accomadate their 11 inch -5mm offset wheels with stretched tires. I know one person who at one point had -7 degress negative camber to force his big azz wheel to fit his car. Car was barely drivable.

[07sportm35]

Read this statement by Newport. "Eibach might not be for you if you go 20s. 19s you might get within spec."

It implys camber is changed by the size of the wheel. I disagree. Show/prove me wrong, and then I will sincerely appreciate the education.

My statement/question/paragraphs was in this regard.

[New2Import]

Only specs that was out was the camber. The rears where right on spec in camber. I think Eibach is gonna come thru with the kit. They have one for the G35. After talking again its one of the things to come in the furture. The company that does the spacers is a source also. Ill be contacting them today also. No need to sit and talk about it. Call the companies and give your input to get the ball rolling faster.

[m-licious]

i don't understand though is how new2import can have more neg camber up front and less in the rears than i do. i think Steve said the cars are traveling on different roads but shouldn't the geometry dictate the camber?

another question: how truly accelerated is tire wear for ~2* of camber? is it really that much of a big deal? i mean, honestly, if it's <10% faster, I don't think i'm gonna lose sleep over it. another thing i don't understand, how does rotating my tires help? even if I could cross rotate, since i'm running neg camber all the way around, won't the camber (inner tire wear) be accelerated regardless? the only i way i can envision that you'd "even" out the wear is if you could remount the tire with the inner lip out and vice versa. am i totally missing the point?

[Backdoc7]

[/QUOTE]

the only i way i can envision that you'd "even" out the wear is if you could remount the tire with the inner lip out and vice versa. am i totally missing the point?

That's exactly what he's talking about. You "flip" the tire on the rim and use it on the other side of the car. So the inside on the left front would become the outside on the right front after the flip. (because the tires are uni-directional, they can't be flipped and used on the same side). I've done this many times in the past and it is the "best" way to get mileage out of a staggered set of tires. Like he said, if you flip them at the right time, you can get the most useage or mileage out of them.