do i need a camber kit for a 1.75" drop?

[AznDragon]

i'm planning on getting H&R Sport Springs for my '97 GS-R, and i'm wondering if i'll need a camber kit. i've read that some people say i do, others say i don't. i went to a local speed shop and the guy told me that i don't need a camber kit unless i go 2" or more. who should i believe?

[emerge]

i would get a 2 degree camber kit if i were you. 1.75 is a pretty big drop. It all depends on the camber of YOUR car. You can tie a string with a washer on the end of it and tape it to the top of your fender. The string will fall straight down and you can measure how bad your camber is off in comparison to the string. (make sure you are on flat, level ground).

[CivicSiRacer]

I rode on a 1.8" drop for 3 years with no abnormal tire wear. YOu just have to make sure you rotate the tires 4000 miles and flip the tires on the rim every 12,000-15,000 miles. Also get the alignment check at least once a year.

[AznDragon]

what do you mean by, "flip the tires on the rim"?

[CivicSiRacer]

Originally posted by AznDragon
what do you mean by, "flip the tires on the rim"?

If you have directional rims you can only move tires front to back back to front. Flipping the tire on the rim so now the left side is on the right and vice versa. That way the inside of the tire which is getting wore, will now be the outside of the tire.

[khead717]

Originally posted by CivicSiRacer


If you have directional rims you can only move tires front to back back to front. Flipping the tire on the rim so now the left side is on the right and vice versa. That way the inside of the tire which is getting wore, will now be the outside of the tire.

how do you know if you have directional or non directional tires??

[SilverY2KCivic]

Directionals will always have an arrow to indicate rotation direction on the sidewalls. Also by looking at the tread design pattern on the tire can usually indicate if it's directional or not, althought it can be hard to tell with some tires.

[CivicSiRacer]

Originally posted by SilverY2KCivic
Directionals will always have an arrow to indicate rotation direction on the sidewalls. Also by looking at the tread design pattern on the tire can usually indicate if it's directional or not, althought it can be hard to tell with some tires.

Common sense just by looking at the tire will tell you. But yes also should have an arrow and direction on the sidewalls of the tires. Most direction tires are treaded in a certain way to evacuate water and grip better.

[AznDragon]

about how much would you say average price is to "flip the tires on the rim"?

[CivicSiRacer]

Originally posted by AznDragon
about how much would you say average price is to "flip the tires on the rim"?

Well for me it's free. Just had it done today thanks to my sponsors. But I really don't know. Should be the cost of mounting tires. I would call Sears Automotive.

[AznDragon]

you sure i can get away without getting a camber kit? i've been hearing both. i just want to be sure that i'm not going to have abnormal wear. (tires are kinda heavy on my wallet)

[CivicSiRacer]

Yes I'm sure. But if you want to play it safe you can get one. I'd just make sure you get an alignment and make sure the toe is within spec or 0 front 0 rear.

[BrokenLimits]

No, get a camber kit. I had a very mild drop my my 2000 Si and it ate right through my expensive performance tires. You will save money in the long run and your tires will grip the road better. Look at it this way, when your camber is off you are only using 65% of the inside of your tires....when it dead on you use 100% of your tires therefore no more squeeling and your car will stick corners much better then you can imagine...it may seem like a lot of money but it is by far worth it....

[CivicSiRacer]

Originally posted by BrokenLimits
No, get a camber kit. I had a very mild drop my my 2000 Si and it ate right through my expensive performance tires. You will save money in the long run and your tires will grip the road better. Look at it this way, when your camber is off you are only using 65% of the inside of your tires....when it dead on you use 100% of your tires therefore no more squeeling and your car will stick corners much better then you can imagine...it may seem like a lot of money but it is by far worth it....

Did you get an allignment after your drop? Mostlikely you didn't. Cause as I said I've been dropped 2" and actually lower before and my tires still have even wear on them, but I also run 0 toe front and rear. Camber is 1.5 negative fromt and 2.2 rear.

But you are also wrong about camber. When you have more camber in the front you corner better than someone with 1 degree of camber. Reason being is that when you corner you lean more onto the flatter part of the tire. WHen you have 0-1 degree camber and you corner you will roll over onto the outside of the tire, which means you will be lifting off the inside of the tire.

The National Champion in SCCA STS class was running 2.5 negative degrees of front camber and 1.5 rear. Camber is good up to a point of course.

[BrokenLimits]

Thats funny if you read a passed issue of Super Street when they got the 350 Z they dropped it and it performed terribly on the Skid Pad due to the horrible camber, and yes to answer yor question I did have it aligned...trust me you are not a race car driver...get a camber kit...also race tracks have banked corners... and they also have people who pay for their tires...if you have nice tires they will wear un-evenly and you will have to throw them out...get the camber kit its worth it in the end....