The wheels under your vehicle need to be vertically positioned properly. That way, they can move very smoothly on the ground or road beneath them. The angle of your wheels is referred to as their camber. There are two types of camber that your wheels can have; negative camber and positive camber. Negative camber means the upper portion of the front wheels is tilting inward toward the frame. Positive camber means the upper portion of the front wheels are tilting outward and away from the frame.
Whether you should have a positive or negative camber depends on which type of vehicle you’re driving. Positive camber is recommended for stabilizing recreational vehicles. As for negative camber, it is recommended for specialized or high-performance vehicles in which you will be using to make fast turns around corners. The great thing about camber angles is that you can customize them to accommodate your specific needs. The measurements of the camber angles are the number of degrees between the vertical axis and the top of the wheels. Adjust the angles accordingly based on whatever kind of driving you’re using the vehicle for.
Positive Camber Effects
A positive camber of your front wheels means they’re inclining away from the chassis. This is a great way to maximize stability since it creates a pulling effect inward on each side of the vehicle. Anytime you’re driving on rough terrain and you need smooth steering, a positive camber comes in handy. That is why agricultural vehicles and recreational vehicles have wheels with this type of angle. If you’re driving tractors or quads in the woods or farmland, these would be examples of scenarios where a positive camber is useful.
Adjustments cannot be made to the positive cambers of the average front-wheel drive vehicles. For most people, this won’t matter as long as their ordinary driving experience is smooth and comfortable. On the other hand, it does matter to drivers who’ve gone through accidents and must replace components which were damaged in their vehicle’s wheels. The original positive camber must be recreated for the wheels, which is not always an easy thing to do.
Negative Camber Effects
Negative camber on the front wheels means they’re inclining toward the chassis. This will benefit anyone who cares about turning quickly around corners. With a negative camber set for the angle, it positions the tires and wheels to make smooth turns when you’re in a hurry. As this happens, the bottom areas of the tires do not touch the road as much. This takes the pressure off them considerably, which results in better turns.
Most people assume that wheels and tires must always be aligned vertically straight. The problem here is that turning under these conditions will cause a lifting effect for certain areas underneath the tires. There needs to be a negative camber set so that the tires stay securely on the ground during a fast turn. The types of vehicles which are normally driven for this purpose are high-performance vehicles.
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Last Words
Remember that not all vehicles let you adjust the angle of the camber. If you are unsure about whether your vehicle does, check the owner’s manual and it will let you know. In fact, it should tell you the specific number of degrees that you need to adjust your wheels to for negative or positive camber.
In any case, you are better off hiring a licensed auto professional who can tackle this job for you. Even if you know the proper number of degrees to use for the angle, you may not have the skills to actually do it. Let professionals who’ve got these skills perform the angle adjustment for you.
