Which adjustable camber rear camber set to choose?

[Dino D]

Hi Mate,

I live in Auckland and have just gone thru the bushing, rear subframe debacle.

On my 1999 2.8 Z3 mspec I have the following....

Black IE concentric bushings for the front control arms (offset to increase castor and further improve steering response)
IE rear shock mounts (replaceable red Nolathane inserts)
Powerflex purple rear trailing arm bushing
Powerflex purple rear axel carrier beam bushings
Powerflex pink differential mount bushing
Z3 Sport springs
Bilsten HD tourers replaced in the rear
Installed IE rear camber\castor kit to reduce tyre wear (I am going to get the bolts spot welded in place as they have a tendency to loosen).

Ingen carbon fiber air intake piping incl washable pod filter (ex E46 from TradeMe for $25, a slight modification and it fits like a glove)

I also run 235x17 all round now. Offset great in the front but I added 20mm spacers in the rear to move the wheel out to the edge of the body (like the front) and increase the width of the tyre track for increased handling).

Unfortunately the previous owner did look after the car, so a lot of work has been done just to make it safe.
I have had to replace the axle carrier beam and both rear trailing arms due to accident by previous owner.

The car is part of the family now and the combination of Nolathane bushings and castor\camber kit make the car much more stable and removes the twitchy rear steer....

I like the increased handling and stability and find that the additional noise and vibration is marginal.

I recently had to rebuild my rear brake calipers (seal kit) and replaced the rear brake hoses as they De-laminate internally with age.

g.

Sorry for going OT here but very interested to hear how you find the difference with the with the offset front control arm bushings.

I have powerflex purple throughout and BC Racing coilovers with adjustable camber upfront with -1 dialed in and that's made a nice difference with turn in. Just wondering how far you go before it becomes too responsive upfront.

 

[Geeloo]

Hi,

You will regret asking the question after reading my answer.....ha ha ha

My mechanic who helped me install the Black IE concentric bushings was concerned that there would be a sufficient increase in vibration, ride harshness and that because they are so hard (when you tap the bushings together they sound as if they are ceramic or hard plastic) they will wear out fast.

I feel that there is a marginal increase in noise and ride harshness, nothing really.

The steering performance does increase, but when I was looking to replace the front arm bushings my primary objective was to resolve the severe rear steer issue....i felt the increased castor was a bonus so why not get them?

If I felt I needed to increase the steering responsiveness even more I would replace the front sway bar with a bigger on.

Quite happy with the current configuration now but prior to now........

All of the bushings on the car needed replacing after experiencing a $2500 NZ bill for rear subframe rebuild and still I had to work all this out for myself......Now I have had to upskill and complete most of the work myself and have finally found a mechanic who does right by the car.

At this point I was still unhappy with the handling even after replacing ALL the bushings in the rear and installing the IE rear camber\castor kit, so now the front control arm bushings got replaced, but still unhappy with the stability of the car.

It was after all this (and help from my NEW mechanic Bill), I discovered that the left rear trailing arm was bent slightly and this was exacerbating the problem of the instability in the rear.

Now that the trailing arms have been replaced and chassis trued, ALL the new bushings and camber kits etc are working well together.

My Zed is a daily driver and I am finally happy with the car's overall stability and turning performance from the Nolathane bushings etc is VERY GOOD and the ride quality is firm but very comfortable driving round town or on a long drive.

Bottom line: Need better seats now to stop me moving round the cockpit when cornering at high speed!

g.

 

[Dino D]

I know what you mean about the seats - when sorted these cars really stick in a bend- been using this for years : http://www.cg-lock.com/index.html
Would like alcantara for the seats (have the sports seats already)

 

[Cooper]

@Dobiwallah that was a brilliant write up and entertaining as well. I am looking at the camber toe issue at the moment so I appreciate that you took the time detail everything.

 

[Dobiwallah]

@Dobiwallah that was a brilliant write up and entertaining as well. I am looking at the camber toe issue at the moment so I appreciate that you took the time detail everything.

Thanks Cooper, glad I can help you with my post! It has been 6000km ago, no wear signs on the inner sides of the tyres for sofar

 

[Cooper]

Now I just have to figure out a way to get you to Tasmania Australia to do mine! lol

 

[Dobiwallah]

Would be a nice holiday, but I don't think Mrs Dobiwallah would agree though!

 

[Antm72]

@Dobiwallah how have the bushes settled any issues increased harshness at all just about to set about mine and wondering on your experience with them fitted ?

 

[Dobiwallah]

I am quite happy with them. I notice a bit more noise from the diff or gearbox, but that is all. I also think the handling on the road is better, it sticks like a magnet on the road, and I don't have the tramlining anymore. The car is a bit stiff, but that has more to do with the Biltsteins I guess.