Camber question

[Superfly_M3]

Hi Guys,

So I've installed Dinan springs (only the front for now, rear will follow tomorrow), lower control arm bushing replacement and front camber plates ... review soon to follow. From what I've read, Dinan stage 1&2 camber plates give you -1.2 degrees. Stage 3 gives you -1.7 degrees. I'm not sure which one I got, but I will find out.

Anyways, I'm not a big fan of how the car sits (front). Looks like the -1.7 but I'm not sure yet. It almost looks too agressive for the street and I'm concerned of losing the inside of the tire. Also, I don't know what is the cause (springs, monoball or camber plates) but the car got noticably stiffer. Stiffer but not bouncy. It feels like I switched to a 20 series tire, every expansion joint, every bump, pot hole, etc are now evident. Its not necessarily bad if you want to know if your tires ran over a nickel all the time, but seems a bit harsh for DD. It might be because I'm riding more on the sidewall. I highly doubt that its the springs since they are only 13.5mm (stock are 12.7) so not a big increase in thickness, and spirals are the same. Back to my question.

What camber do you guys run for the street? for the track?

[TurboBimmer]

Hi,

The harsher ride definitely comes from the stiffer springs.

With the camber plates you should be at -1,7 degrees which is perfectly fine for a street car. You should feel the added grip in cornering. And be assured, you're not riding on the sidewall

For the track you'd want a bit more camber on the front, like -2,5. You could even go beyond -3 but then it's no longer daily driveable as it will get scary on wet streets!

Greets,

Christian

[M3SQRD]

^This...Dinan fixed camber plates do not significantly increase camber (compared to an adjustable camber plate) and if your camber is now only -1.7 deg then you'll be fine on the street. Going from -1.2 deg to -1.7 deg is not a huge change so the shape/size of the tire contact patch is pretty much the same - the harshness you are experiencing is not due to the addition of fixed camber plates nor running on the sidewall of the tire. Also, Dinan's camber plate design won't cause any increase in NVH either (it's a flat piece of metal).

Are you using reduced-height front strut upper spring mounts? Stock or Dinan bumpstops? If you are using stock mounts and stops then you are probably hitting the bumpstops more frequently with your lower ride height (if not constantly riding on the stops), and with stiffer Dinan springs, this would increase harshness.

As for street/track camber here are my front settings:
-street -2.0 deg
-track -2.5 to -3.0 deg

[Superfly_M3]

Originally Posted by M3SQRD

^This...Dinan fixed camber plates do not significantly increase camber (compared to an adjustable camber plate) and if your camber is now only -1.7 deg then you'll be fine on the street. Going from -1.2 deg to -1.7 deg is not a huge change so the shape/size of the tire contact patch is pretty much the same - the harshness you are experiencing is not due to the addition of fixed camber plates nor running on the sidewall of the tire. Also, Dinan's camber plate design won't cause any increase in NVH either (it's a flat piece of metal).

Are you using reduced-height front strut upper spring mounts? Stock or Dinan bumpstops? If you are using stock mounts and stops then you are probably hitting the bumpstops more frequently with your lower ride height (if not constantly riding on the stops), and with stiffer Dinan springs, this would increase harshness.

As for street/track camber here are my front settings:
-street -2.0 deg
-track -2.5 to -3.0 deg

Dinan supplied a stock BMW upper spring mount alon with their camber platers. Its stock be cause BMW numbers match up. Bumpstops are stock as none were supplied by Dinan. I don't think I'm hitting the bump stops. I will give it a couple of days and let you know my review.

Thanks for the input.

[bigjae1976]

I have the dinan stage 2 and GC plates. I just run -2.5 up front. I figure the track wear will kill the fronts before the street wear.

My car is a little jarring but livable for an M3.

[1MOREMOD]

i put in just vorshlag camber plates and noticed no change in ride just rips corners at the track a little better with the added camber(but gets loose easier if wet)

[klammer]

I have the Stg.3 and the mono ball kit. Been rocking the -2.2 for over 2 years now and have had no unusual inside wear and wish I had more camber for the track and found the springs to provide a softer/nicer ride than stock. The monoball kit really tightened up the steering and made it much more communicative. I think what your feeling in terms of added NVH or it being "too much for a DD"
is derived from the monoball not the suspension. I personally love it but my car sees a bunch of track time and my wife DD's it to work everyday

[grussell]

I have Dinan springs and Dinan camber plates. I run -2.2 camber in the front and I am very pleased. My car is a DD and sees a few track days per year. I think -2.2 is a good compromise for street/track. FYI -2.2 is the most negative camber I can get with the Dinan plates and springs.