Camber Gauge

[Guest TerryBarry]

From the wonderfully instructive and easily viewable build videos   Richard taped a one 13mm nut to the bottom of a spirit level and 2 to the top and used this to set the camber

I'm fairly sure that advice is missing on the 2B video.

 

Interestingly, I calculate that the 13mm nuts (M8 = 6.3mm thick) taped to a spirit level will give a camber angle of + 0.96° on a 14" wheel or + 0.90° on a 15" wheel.

 

+ depending if the two nuts are at the top or bottom

[Guest ady]

is that including the thicness of the tape?

[Guest timswait]

The guage in the original post only claims to measure to plus/minus 3 degrees anyway, which really sounds next to useless. For my car, I originally set it by eye to the right sort of angle, then drove up and down the road a few times, adjusting one side at a time until the car didn't pull in either direction, so I then knew the two sides were equal. After that it was a case of a bit more road testing, winding the two sides in and out equal number of turns until I was happy with the handling. I still don't know what angle camber I have, but I know it's about right! Oh, I already had the toe angle set by a garage.

[Grizzly]

... and I'm hoping that my freindly local garage guys will set both toe-in & camber for me in one go. THAT'S when I eventually get it built!

[Longboarder]

Should note altering camber alters toe as do some methods of altering castor. They are all pretty much interdependant, change one you effectively change the others.

 

Nigel

[Guest ScotMac]

Why wouldn't a range of + or - 3 degrees be useful? ie, my understanding is that most performance cars go w/ a negative camber of around 1 degree...so, up to 3 degrees sounds fine.

 

Or did you think they were talking about the accuracy of the gauge!!! ;-)

[Guest ady]

The +- 3 deg. is the acuracy of the camber guage. This means that if you set an indicated -1 degree, you could end up with anything from -4 to +2 degrees.

[Bob Tucker]

I reckon thats the accuracy of the guage.

Why not let gravity help?

Cut a rectangular piece of ply tall enough to just fit against the rim, without touching the tyre. Make it about 6 inches (15cm for anyone under 35!) wide.

Draw a line at the top at right angles to the side touching the rim.

Mark a point roughly in the centre of the line

Use a protractor (bigger the better) to draw lines at various degrees (or just the one you want) coming down from from that point, then use a plumb line from that mark.

The ply must be vertical when viewed side on.

Just make sure the car is reasonablly level before you start.

I used something similar (thanks Paul M!) to set up the caster when I fitted my wishbones.

Bob.

[Guest ScotMac]

No guys. The + or - 3 degrees is the "range" of the gauge. I agree that their wording is a bit ambiguous : "check the the angle to + or - 3 degrees", but even that somewhat implies that the range is 3 degrees.

 

But the definitive answer lies in their datasheet and the picture. The datasheet clearly says that each line on the gauge is 1/2 degree, and if you download and zoom the picture, it clearly has about 6 lines.

[Snapperpaul]

Bob is this the sort of thing you made? This one is the Demon Tweeks expensive one

[Bob Tucker]

Yep, 'cept mine was more "Hoody " style, using wood offcuts, a kids protractor, string, and a fishing weight!!!

All of which has now been re-cycled!!

It would take all of 10 minutes to make another one

 

It was along the lines of the badly drawn attachment...

camber.doc

[Guest ScotMac]

Ya, that'll work...if i remember, a protractor is just a half circle w/ degree markings, right? So, you just use that to mark the degree lines, then press the flat board against the wheel, and see which degree line the string w/ the fishing weight on it lines up w/?

 

Yes, it DOES sound VERY hoodie!!!