Adding camber to a car means tilting the tops of the wheels inward (negative camber) or outward (positive camber) from vertical. Most enthusiasts want negative camber for better cornering grip, and the method you use depends on your suspension type. The main options are adjustable camber plates, adjustable control arms, camber bolts, and shims, each suited to different vehicles and goals.
Why Negative Camber Improves Cornering
When a car turns, weight shifts to the outside wheels, which naturally forces those tires to lean outward. If your wheels start perfectly vertical, that body roll pushes the tire’s contact patch onto its outer edge, reducing grip right when you need it most. Negative camber pre-tilts the tops of the tires inward so that under cornering load, the tire flattens out against the road. This maximizes the contact patch and gives you more traction through turns.
That’s why nearly every race car runs some degree of negative camber. The tradeoff is straight-line performance: on a straight road with no cornering forces, a negatively cambered tire rides slightly on its inner edge, which accelerates wear on that side. Finding the right amount of camber is about balancing cornering grip against tire life and straight-line stability.
How Much Camber to Run
The right number depends entirely on how you use the car. For a daily driver, aim for mild negative camber in the range of -0.5° to -1.5°. This gives you a noticeable improvement in turn-in response and cornering confidence without chewing through tires or making the car feel unstable on the highway.
For dedicated track or autocross use, more aggressive settings of -2.0° to -3.5° are common. At these angles, the tire stays fully planted during hard cornering at high speeds, but tire wear on the inner edge becomes significant during normal driving. Some people run a track setup on a street car, but expect to replace tires more frequently and accept slightly less grip under heavy braking in a straight line. If you’re building a dual-purpose car, starting around -1.5° to -2.0° is a reasonable compromise.
Adjustable Camber Plates for Strut Suspensions
If your car uses MacPherson struts (most front-wheel-drive cars, many sport compacts, and vehicles like the Mustang), adjustable camber plates are the most common and effective upgrade. These plates replace the fixed upper strut mount on top of the strut tower and allow you to slide the top of the strut inward or outward, changing the camber angle.
Installation involves removing the strut assembly, swapping the stock upper mount for the camber plate, and reinstalling the strut. The plate bolts to the strut tower (quality units use a four-bolt pattern to spread the load and prevent tower flex), while a separate bearing plate sits on top. You adjust camber by loosening the mounting bolts and repositioning the plate in its slotted holes. Some designs, like the reversible bearing plates from Maximum Motorsports, can be flipped side to side to double the available adjustment range within the limited underhood space.
One practical benefit of camber plates: they restore bump travel on lowered cars. When you lower a car with shorter springs or coilovers, you lose suspension travel. Good camber plates space the upper mount to reclaim some of that lost travel, which matters for both ride quality and keeping the tire in contact with the road over bumps.
Adjustable Control Arms for Wishbone Suspensions
Cars with double-wishbone or multi-link suspensions (many BMWs, Hondas, rear suspensions on numerous sports cars) change camber through the length of the control arms. An upper control arm that’s longer than stock pushes the top of the wheel outward, reducing negative camber. A shorter upper arm pulls the top inward, adding negative camber. Lower arms work in reverse: a shorter lower arm increases negative camber.
Aftermarket adjustable control arms replace the fixed-length stock arms with units that can be lengthened or shortened, usually by threading a rod end or turnbuckle-style adjuster. Many manufacturers ship these arms pre-set based on your goals. If you tell them you want more negative camber, they’ll assemble the arms at the right length and include alignment shims or tabs to fine-tune from there. If you’re replacing the arms for another reason (worn bushings, for example) and don’t have a camber issue, you can order them at OEM length and adjust later.
The advantage of adjustable control arms is precision and repeatability. Once you find a setting you like, you can return to it exactly after any suspension work. They also handle high loads better than some other methods because they’re a structural replacement, not an add-on.
Camber Bolts: The Budget Option
Camber bolts are the simplest and cheapest way to add a small amount of camber adjustment. These are eccentric (off-center) bolts that replace the stock bolts holding the strut to the steering knuckle. When you rotate the eccentric bolt, it shifts the knuckle position slightly, changing the camber angle. Most camber bolt kits offer about ±1.5° of adjustment, which is enough for mild street setups or correcting alignment on a lowered car.
Installation is straightforward: remove the stock strut-to-knuckle bolts, install the camber bolts in their place, and rotate them until you reach your desired angle. The limitation is that they rely on friction to hold position, and on cars that see aggressive driving or rough roads, they can shift over time. They’re a solid first step for street cars but not the best choice for track use.
Rear Camber Adjustment With Shims
Rear suspensions often have less built-in adjustability than the front. On many multi-link and independent rear setups, camber is adjusted by adding or removing shims at key mounting points. These thin metal spacers go between the ball joint carrier and the upright (or between other fixed mounting points, depending on the design). Adding shims on one side of the mount effectively tilts the wheel.
The process involves unbolting the relevant suspension component, noting exactly how many shims are installed and where, then adding or removing shims to shift the camber. Always record the original shim stack before making changes so you can return to the factory setting if needed. After any shim adjustment, a full wheel alignment is necessary to make sure toe and camber are correct on both sides.
For rear suspensions that don’t use shims, adjustable rear control arms or adjustable rear camber links serve the same purpose as their front counterparts, letting you dial in the angle with a threaded adjuster.
How to Measure Camber at Home
Before and after any adjustment, you need to know your actual camber angle. A digital camber gauge is the most accessible tool for home use. Place the gauge against the wheel (or tire sidewall, depending on the gauge type), zero it on a known flat reference surface, and read the angle. Many modern gauges connect to a smartphone app via Bluetooth, letting you hold a reading on screen for easier viewing while you’re working under the car.
A magnetic angle finder or digital level placed against the brake rotor (with the caliper removed or the wheel off) also works. The key is zeroing the tool on a flat surface first. If your garage floor isn’t level, zero the gauge on the floor or a setup board before measuring.
For the most accurate results, measure with the car at ride height, wheels pointed straight ahead, and the suspension settled (bounce the car a few times before measuring). Check both sides and compare. A difference of more than 0.3° to 0.5° between left and right is worth correcting, as it can cause the car to pull to one side.
Tire Wear to Watch For
The telltale sign of too much negative camber is inner-edge tire wear. The tread wears down noticeably faster on the inside of the tire while the outer edge still looks new. If you’re running an aggressive track setup on the street, expect this. Rotating tires more frequently can help distribute wear, but it won’t eliminate the pattern entirely.
Uneven camber wear that appears suddenly, or only on one side of the car, can also signal worn ball joints, degraded control arm bushings, or a bent suspension component. If you haven’t recently adjusted your camber and you’re seeing this wear pattern, the alignment change may not be intentional. Have the suspension inspected before simply re-aligning, or the underlying problem will eat through another set of tires.
Checking your tire wear every few thousand miles is the easiest way to confirm your camber setting is working as intended. Run your hand across the tread from outside to inside. If the inner edge feels noticeably smoother or more worn, your camber is doing its job, but you’ll want to decide whether the grip benefit is worth the faster replacement cycle.