Your vehicle’s camber is the measurement in degrees of your tire’s center-line in relation to the road’s surface. This affects how you handle steering when your car possesses a suspension design. Premium vehicles, such as sports cars that have particular suspension models, are designed for efficiency in speed and handling capabilities.

These types of vehicles have low frames that make them unreliable in uneven terrain. On the other hand, this makes them incredibly fast and effective on even surfaces, such as asphalt and concrete. Although you may not be driving an expensive sports car or a luxury vehicle that has this model, it’s still vital for your safety to maintain a balance on your camber’s alignment.

Understanding camber’s effects on handling

Your vehicle’s negative camber is a reflection on how the top of your tire tucks inwards when making turns. Depending on your car’s frame, negative cambers can improve your handling on the road. A car that does not have negative cambers will run the risk of having a compromised overall grip.

Opposite to a negative camber’s value, a positive degree reflects how the top of your tire turns outwards. As such, high positive camber value can lead to complications in preventing you from making effective turns.

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Balancing positive and negative camber values

Although the presence of negative camber allows you to have a better grip on the road, it can also put too much stress on your inner tires. The added pressure is transferred to the tires’ inner portion, which will cause an imbalance on your tires over time.

If you opt to balance your camber, you will also need to deal with the tire alignment of your other wheels. This is because having unbalanced arrangements will lead to an imbalanced load on your ball joints and bearings. The key to making sure that your vehicle’s handling remains consistent is by striking a proper balance on positive and negative camber on your tires.

Seeing the option for zero camber

Certain European models of cars are made with speed and turning in mind, which is why they have superior cornering capabilities. If you’re using a different model, your car would need to realign to a high enough negative camber value to allow sharp hairpin corner turns. However, you need to be careful about adjusting your values, which makes it difficult to handle on country highways.

When going through straight movements, a tire that’s extended too much can affect how well you can handle hard stops. There’s also the option to go for zero camber on all your tires which will reduce your car’s performance significantly when it comes to maneuvering through corners. Yet, doing so prolongs your tire’s lifespan by distributing a balanced load on all your tires.

Reviewing your own driving style

Did you know that your driving style will play a huge role in how much or how little you should adjust your camber? If you’re a casual driver who turns corners at slow speeds, adjusting your comber to negative values may give you more problems than you bargained for. However, if you’re an adventure seeker who likes to take your car to its limits in taking fast and sharp turns, the proper balancing of the camber may be necessary to improve your car’s maneuverability.

Adjusting your camber requires precise measuring tools and the proper testing equipment. If you attempt to realign your tires by yourself, you may run the risk of creating more problems for the car’s handling. Make sure that you contact a garage that can perform a proper drive test to make the right adjustments to your car’s camber values.

TrilliTires Auto Centre is an auto repair shop in Richmond Hill that services your vehicle’s repair, replacement, and maintenance needs. Get in touch with us today, and we’ll make sure to treat your vehicle with expert care!