camber adj kit - what kind???

[Drew]

Hi All,
I had this posted in someone elses thread, and was hoping to get some feedback as soon as i can. Hope someone can shed some light on the issue.
And, yes, i know there is a kit valiable on the online shop.

anyway -

I've just had my VT II wagon lowered and need to source a camber correction kit...

Didnt go stupid on the lowering as its still a touring bus for surf trips and the like...

King Springs fitted. Off the shelf 2" Lows up back and a custom 1.5" lowered for the front. Sits how i want it, and the negative camber is not too excessive. But, once the car is loaded up with camping and surf gear, then the car really squats.

I did a 700km round trip to Yorke Peninsula for a surf trip a couple weeks ago and scrubbed the inside of the rears cos the car was loaded up....

I dont like looking like a "skid king" with black stockies on the back. stockies are on the wagon until i get a solution for my 17s scrubbing out.



My question is - type of kit should i source?

Most people i have spoken to have said the 2 bush kit will be suffice to correct my problem, and some say the four bush is the way to go because it allows for more camber adjustment.

Also, what brands?

I have been told by a reliable source who has access to use multiple brands of kits - that he used the supapro 2 bush kit (or superpro not sure on spelling)
He says the bush quality is superior to alot out there, and it allows for slightly more adjustment on camber than the Pedders kit I can get fitted for
similar money


What are peoples experiences with the kits they have had fitted and what brands have you used???

[paul84]

am looking at lowering my VT wagon and have been looking into the camber kits as you have. I spoke to a suspension place and he recommended the 4 bush kit, but why?? maybe 'cos he would get more $$ from me - cant say! ($650 fitted). Could you post some pics of the new stance of the surf bus?? I am having trouble deciding how low to go!

[Drew]

paul84,

I ended up getting Pedders to put the camber correction kit in the wagon.

I rolled up with 15 inch stockies on the back as the neg cam was pretty bad.
I had my rear 17s in the back with a full tank of juice to simulate a typical load I would be carrying on a surf trip.
Turned out I had -3 degrees on each side up back.

They ended up putting a double kit in the rear.
Final geometry measurements (still with the 17s as weight in the boot) came to -0.6 degrees both sides. They were surprised with how much adjustment they got out of the kit and we were even talking about maybe raising the rear if we couldnt get enough out of it.

I was hoping to get out of it with just the single kit, but with -3 up back there was no way that was going to happen.

I was quoted discount prices through my mate who knows the guy well at this particular workshop. $320 supply fit and align for single kit, and $480 supply fit and align for double kit.

It was one of those times when i regretted even touching the suspension, but it looks how i want it now, and rides ok (firm, not too stiff).

Pics attached still have 2 15 inch steelies in the boot.
King Springs fitted - 2 inches lowered rear, and 1.5 inch on the front.
(slightly lower on the back to flatten out the wagon stance)

Cheers
Drew

[Drew]

hope the fourth pic attaches on this post. wouldnt on the last one!

[paul84]

looks good. Did you have to roll the wheel arches or did the tyres clear? (Mine look like they wont)

[Drew]

Not a prob for guard clearance for me. Heaps of room!
Factory Holden wheels (VY II Calais) so the offset is perfect.
Also the 225/50/17 tyres that are spec'd on the Calais wheels would give me a fraction more clearance too.
As they are a 50 series they are a bees dick taller and just touch the splash sheild when turning on the front sometimes. But its bugger all and wont rub through the plastic.
But even if i had the more conventional 235/45/17 there still wouldnt be a problem.

If you've got aftermarket wheels, the wider offset could prove to be an issue.

Cheers
Drew

[judd]

my local mechanic is going to charge me $210 dollars to get and install rear camber kit for my vt........she has 2" taken off the back and has quite a lean going on........is this a fair price?

[Drew]

Originally Posted by judd

my local mechanic is going to charge me $210 dollars to get and install rear camber kit for my vt........she has 2" taken off the back and has quite a lean going on........is this a fair price?

Not a bad price if this is for a single kit. Remember you will have to get an alignment too.

But you might have to get a double kit like i did if the camber is quite bad...

As I load up my car for surf and camp trips this brings the back down even more which again induces more neg cam on the back. Remember to take this into consideration as it might be worth spending the extra to get the double kit!
(the extra cost is around the cost of one tyre! If you scrub two tyres in a few thousand kms because you didnt go the double kit you'll be spewin!)

Cheers
Drew

[Ev0LuTioN]

a quick question,

what would happen if only super-low kings are installed in a vx without camber kit ?

cheers,

alex.

[digitok]

The camber is bad enough as it is, the lower you go the worse it gets, you'd have to get a wheel alignment done to see if it was absolutely necessary, but it's always a good thing to put one in if you want your tyres to last as long as possible.

Cheers

[Drew]

Originally Posted by Ev0LuTioN

a quick question,

what would happen if only super-low kings are installed in a vx without camber kit ?

cheers,

alex.

Put it this way! I had very good even tyre wear before i lowered my wagon.
I put the King Lows in (not super lows) then went on a surf trip.
3 people in the car with camp gear, esky, surf gear etc... Car was sitting rather low with a fair bit of neg cam.
700km round trip and I scrubbed the inside edge out real bad...
I took my wheels off and got the tyres flipped before they were totally rooted so i should get a few more kms out of them now.

With super lows I would definately recommend at least a double kit.

I have heard the VX IIs have an additional trailing arm in the rear to help with rear end geometry.

So Alex, the answer would be - you'd be up for tyres pretty soon after lowering it without a camber correction kit.

cheers

[Ev0LuTioN]

Originally Posted by Drew

Put it this way! I had very good even tyre wear before i lowered my wagon.
I put the King Lows in (not super lows) then went on a surf trip.
3 people in the car with camp gear, esky, surf gear etc... Car was sitting rather low with a fair bit of neg cam.
700km round trip and I scrubbed the inside edge out real bad...
I took my wheels off and got the tyres flipped before they were totally rooted so i should get a few more kms out of them now.

With super lows I would definately recommend at least a double kit.

I have heard the VX IIs have an additional trailing arm in the rear to help with rear end geometry.

So Alex, the answer would be - you'd be up for tyres pretty soon after lowering it without a camber correction kit.

cheers

cheers mate, thats all i needed to know , cause couple of people told me just to get springs with wheel allignment, but yea, since you have done it and expirienced it ur da 1 i should trust hehe

thx again mate

alex.

[monkeyboy]

The best way to tell if you are wearing out the inner sections of your tyres, without waiting until they are actually wearing excessively is after a reasonable drive in the dry, jump out and feel the rear tyres. If the insides are warmer than the center and outside edge, then you need a camber kit. The heat is being generated from the rolling friction of the incorrectly alligned tyre. If there is no heat, then wait till you have done a few more k's and get a shop to take a measurement of the tread just to be sure. Most decent shops can tell just by looking at it though. Generally though, heat is the quickest way to tell if there is excessive rolling friction on a tyres edge.

I'm buying a 4-point kit (either K-Mac or Super Pro) for my VT and getting a mechanic mate to drop it in for 80 bucks. So all up, with an allignment ($66-$76), it'll come to 286 bucks. pretty cheap compared to the cost of two new tyres every six months!

I've been quoted between $450 and $650 from Peddars and Goodyear...so it certainly pays to shop around. as prices can vary wildly.