[Blue2]

I have some pretty dumb questions here.

I do a lot of autocross and more negative camber will obviously save some shoulder wear on my tires, but will it noticeably improve handling/grip? I'm using a PS4S staggered setup.

I believe you need camber plates in order to adjust front camber, correct? How do you adjust rear camber?

Thanks!

[grinchmas]

Yep you do need camber plates to adjust the front wheels. I haven't looked too much into rear camber but I've seen some camber shims on bimmerworld or ind I think that give you a small range of rear adjustment.

[Drop the hammer]

I run in autocross. When my car was stock I tore up the shoulders pretty quickly. I added camber plates and that has solved the issue. I was running -2.8 front and -1.8 rear camber all else stock and it handled really well. Stock rear has cam bolts in the arms so it’ll adjust on its own without parts.
Some other guys chose to not do the camber plates and they added the -0.5 camber correction hubs from bmw. Being a bmw part they get to stay in b-class which is a huge advantage. I cannot stay in the class with camber plates, and I’ve done other mods as well so I’m out anyways.
They get around -2.1’ish camber with them alone which really helps minimize the shoulder wear.
My handling is stellar with the increased camber (I’ve since added coil overs as well) and handling is even better again. I’ve learned a lot from the autocrosser folks in here.

[Gusman1]

Originally Posted by Drop the hammer

I run in autocross. When my car was stock I tore up the shoulders pretty quickly. I added camber plates and that has solved the issue. I was running -2.8 front and -1.8 rear camber all else stock and it handled really well. Stock rear has cam bolts in the arms so it'll adjust on its own without parts.
Some other guys chose to not do the camber plates and they added the -0.5 camber correction hubs from bmw. Being a bmw part they get to stay in b-class which is a huge advantage. I cannot stay in the class with camber plates, and I've done other mods as well so I'm out anyways.
They get around -2.1'ish camber with them alone which really helps minimize the shoulder wear.
My handling is stellar with the increased camber (I've since added coil overs as well) and handling is even better again. I've learned a lot from the autocrosser folks in here.

Which camber plates and coilovers you running? Huge difference from stock on the auto x courses?
What class do those 2 mods put you in?

[boony1968]

No dumb questions. Camber transforms the car. The questions for you are, what group are you running with and how competitive do you want to be?

If you're wanting to run national level SCCA competitively, with an M2C, don't add camber plates and stick with BS. For local SCCA, you can run in STU with camber plates under the NOC rules, but you'll likely be at a disadvantage without further mods (especially without more front tire).

It's much easier to be competitive in the BMW club stuff with mods than in the SCCA. So it all depends on who you run with and what you want to do.

A few months ago the SCCA proposed adding the OG ('16 to '18) M2's to STU for national events. I've acted as if this change will happen, made changes, and have been running STU in local events. The car is awesome with the changes. So much so I may go to ASP if changes don't go through - competitive or not, the car is a blast to drive.

With the questions you have about alignments, don't sweat it, figure out what you want and let a shop set it there.

[Blue2]

Thanks for all the info, everyone. Very helpful.

Originally Posted by boony1968

No dumb questions. Camber transforms the car. The questions for you are, what group are you running with and how competitive do you want to be?

If you're wanting to run national level SCCA competitively, with an M2C, don't add camber plates and stick with BS. For local SCCA, you can run in STU with camber plates under the NOC rules, but you'll likely be at a disadvantage without further mods (especially without more front tire).

It's much easier to be competitive in the BMW club stuff with mods than in the SCCA. So it all depends on who you run with and what you want to do.

A few months ago the SCCA proposed adding the OG ('16 to '18) M2's to STU for national events. I've acted as if this change will happen, made changes, and have been running STU in local events. The car is awesome with the changes. So much so I may go to ASP if changes don't go through - competitive or not, the car is a blast to drive.

With the questions you have about alignments, don't sweat it, figure out what you want and let a shop set it there.

Thanks for the info. I autocross with local clubs and some don't even follow SCCA classing, so I'm less concerned with class competitiveness than raw times.

When you say it "transforms the car," do you mind elaborating? Will it significantly improve grip in corners?

[M2 GT]

It will effectively increase the contact patch as the front Macpherson suspension lose dynamic camber under cornering load... the increase in static camber compensates for that but the rear multilink actually gains camber under some circumstances.

Originally Posted by Blue2

Thanks for all the info, everyone. Very helpful.



Thanks for the info. I autocross with local clubs and some don't even follow SCCA classing, so I'm less concerned with class competitiveness than raw times.

When you say it "transforms the car," do you mind elaborating? Will it significantly improve grip in corners?

[HP Autosport]

Originally Posted by M2 GT

It will effectively increase the contact patch as the front Macpherson suspension lose dynamic camber under cornering load... the increase in static camber compensates for that but the rear multilink actually gains camber under some circumstances.

The 5 link rear should gain both camber and toe-in under compression.

[Blue2]

Originally Posted by M2 GT

It will effectively increase the contact patch as the front Macpherson suspension lose dynamic camber under cornering load... the increase in static camber compensates for that but the rear multilink actually gains camber under some circumstances.

Thanks -- so does this translate to faster cornering speeds/faster exits?

[SEAT TIME RULES]

Originally Posted by M2 GT

It will effectively increase the contact patch as the front Macpherson suspension lose dynamic camber under cornering load... the increase in static camber compensates for that but the rear multilink actually gains camber under some circumstances.

Just to clarify, adding Neg Camber does NOT increase the size of a contact patch. It helps manage the SHAPE of the patch. Therefore increasing front mechanical grip, and dialing out most if not all the understeer.

There are only two ways to change the total area of a contact patch...Tire Pressure & weight. Weight can be altered with downforce but that's it.

Also by pushing the Caster all the way out on your CP's you increase Dynamic Camber as well.

Last, one of the least expensive ways to make any BMW handle better is CP's. Even with the OEM suspension understeer melts away...

Cheers,
HAZMAT