Hey guys/gals,

I have a 2010 sedan (base model), and I am curious as to whether or not our cars have any camber adjustment built into the rear end. I've heard some people say there is, and others say to just buy a camber kit. I have searched around the various forum categories for about a week for an answer, and haven't found too much. I apologize if I missed the forum on this topic.

I have Eibach springs, and I'm getting a little bit of tire wear on the inside of the rears - nothing too bad, just noticeable. I'm getting new tires soon, so I want to avoid as much excess tire wear as possible on the new ones. I installed the SPC front camber kit to take care of the front of the car, and now I'm thinking I need to buy the rear kit too, unless we have a little bit of adjustment in the rear. I think 1 degree of adjustment would be plenty to get the rear camber to an acceptable level (for me).

So does the stock setup have any adjustment options? And if so, is it something an alignment technician will be able to do when I get my new tires mounted/balanced and the car aligned?

Thanks for the help - these forums have saved me a ton of money and time so far, and given me some great ideas/suggestions.

Marshall

 

The rear suspension has *some* adjustment for tweaking camber. It's possible, maybe even likely, that your shop maxed out the adjustment already and it's not enough. A rear camber arm just gives you more adjustment.

 

There is a fixed camber arm in back w/ an offset concentric adjusting washer that slides the arm in or out. The problem is the stock arm has a very limited adjustment path so it won't extend enough to get a lowered vehicle in spec, but will improve the camber somewhat. So in short, you can get the camber better w/ the stock adjuster, just not much better

 

Thanks for the replies. Do you have a picture of this washer, blnewt? I'm trying to visualize what to look for, next time I jack the car up. I can just see the alignment shop telling me that they can't adjust the camber at all, so hopefully I'll be able to show them what small adjustment can be made.

It's encouraging to know that a small amount of camber can be adjusted - I think with the mild drop of the Eibachs, that small adjustment might be enough to get me close enoug to specs.

 

Here's a pic of some SPC camber arms, the new black arms on each side, so rather than an adjustable arm the OEM arms are solid non adjustable, the inner washer mount is what you adjust. That's the best I could do on short notice, but you get the idea

 

The OEM rear allows for +/-1 degree of camber and toe. Most shops will get your camber in the green to the point where they can set you up with a 0.05 toe in for the rear. Toe out (which is a biproduct of lowering your car) is what's causing excessive inner tire wear.

For your situation I'd pass up on the rear kit. Just get your toe within spec and you'll be golden. You can also get rid of your front arms too unless you need it for wheel fitment/clearence purposes.

 

Thanks for the picture blnewt, that helped me out this weekend.

JC-RH, I got an alignment right after installing the springs, which was roughly 12 months ago, but the tire wear on the inner portion of the tread still persisted. That's why I bought the front SPC arms, which has since resolved the inner tire wear. Unless the guys at the alignment shop did a terrible job (not completely impossible), I wouldn't think the toe out would be the culprit for the tire wear. What are your thoughts on that?

 

If you got it *right* after installing the springs, that could be your problem. Springs settle over the course of a week or so, and it'll throw your alignment out of whack again.

 

Completely agree. You'd be amazed how much springs can settle in a week. When the did, the toe goes out again. Even if the tech did a good job at the moment, toe and camber most likely changed.

I was running about -2.3 camber in the rear with good toe, and my rear tires lasted over 20k.

 

That makes sense. I knew they settled some, but I didn't know it was that significant.

I believe I got the alignment about 2 days after installing the springs, so the settling that occurred after that could very well be what is causing the tire wear. I'll be curious as to what the print out says about my current alignment when I get the car re-aligned with the new tires.

Thanks for the help guys.

Marshall