Camber Bolts??

[Mitch]

Long story short, there is no good way to get negative camber on a late model Nissan Sentra.

 

I was told 3 ways.

 

1. Elongate the 3 holes in the top of the shock tower in towards the engine. That will allow you to move the shock in, hence neg. camber.

 

2. Elongate the top hole where the strut mounts to the knuckle allowing for neg. camber.

 

3. OR, probably the best option, Camber Bolts. SO, my question is, how well do camber bolts work? How much neg. camber can I get out of them. I assume they are strong enough for track events correct??

 

Can I drive the car daily with -2.5 degrees of camber? will it destroy my street tires??

 

by the way, the car is a 2006 Sentra, Spec V.

 

Any input on Camber Bolts would be helpful.

 

TIA

[kbrew8991]

that is a VERY car specific question... so beware of the answers you may get. A person that races your kind of car would likely be your best source.

 

that being said I've done countless events as I worked my way up from DE1 to Instructor with my MR2 and every single one of those events I was using camber bolts. Not to say that plates aren't better or worse, but the bolts worked for me. I went from -1.5 to -3.1 on the Toyota TSB bolts that are available for my car...

 

again, I'd check with racers of your car, and possibly companies that offer solutions even though there is potential for bias there... they wil probably know whats best for your car since they should be more faimilar with the car's construction, etc

[Mitch]

Not many people race Spec V's unfortunatly. Older SE-R's yes, but not the newer Sentras. I've been a member of all the boards but I dont find much info about it.

 

From what I understand, nobody makes camber plates or else I would go that route for sure. I have checked everywhere.

 

The tops of the shock tower is curved a litte. Slightly hemispherical and thereore camber plates dont work. Some guys have cut the tops of the towers off and welded on flat tops but I'm not willing to go that far. The car is still my DD and part time track car. I do about 4-5 events a year. So the bolts might be the best solution.

 

Thanks again. Any more info/opinions are greatly appreciated.

[getfast]

I have heard stories of those "crash bolts" (mostly used to get camber back into spec on a bent chassis, hence the nickname) slipping on some cars, but I used the Ingalls brand on both my B13 SE-R's with no issues.

 

Camber doesn't kill tires as bad as toe does IMHO. Zero the toe and your tire-wear (with rotation and proper pressures and frequent inspections of course) shouldn't be too bad. Plus, tires are a "wear item" if you want to go fast anyway.

 

Are you looking to add negative camber because your front tires are wearing their outside edges too quickly now, or to help get rid of understeer? If it's the latter, I'd recommend stiffening the opposite end of the car first. We used to run huge rear swaybars on B13 SE-R's with stock front camber settings and they would turn on a dime.

 

Hope it helps,

 

Jon

[Mitch]

but I used the Ingalls brand on both my B13 SE-R's with no issues.

 

Are you looking to add negative camber because your front tires are wearing their outside edges too quickly now, or to help get rid of understeer? If it's the latter, I'd recommend stiffening the opposite end of the car first. We used to run huge rear swaybars on B13 SE-R's with stock front camber settings and they would turn on a dime.

Jon

 

I just ordered the Ingalls as well. I am fanatical about rotating tires and tire pressure so thats not much of an issue.

 

Hmm. Tough question to answer. I have Nismo suspension (shock/springs) and Nismo front and rear sway bars. I'm really just trying to build a good daily driver / better weekend track car. In about a year it will be a designated track car only (unless I buy a mustang)

 

I run Falken Azeni 615's 225-45-17's on the track. I just want to be faster in the turns. I am killling the outside edge of the tires while the inside is showing almost no wear with 4 or 5 track days on them so far.

[getfast]

If your car is like every other SE-R I have driven, it understeers a lot. With your current setup, camber bolts and maybe putting the stock front swaybar back on will help this? I can't speak for your platform but that was the hot trick with the '91-'94 SE-R's. Good luck!

 

Jon

[Renntag]

.... Some guys have cut the tops of the towers off and welded on flat tops ...

Obviously this option is OUT for a spec car....but if you MUST track a car that doesnt have a huge aftermarket parts supply, then I wouldnt hesitate to mod the towers on my street/track car.

 

 

... I'd recommend stiffening the opposite end of the car first. We used to run huge rear swaybars on B13 SE-R's with stock front camber settings and they would turn on a dime.

This is the next best option for sure.

 

 

 

... In about a year it will be a designated track car only (unless I buy a mustang)

Have you been over to the mustang Paddock area and spoken to the CMC drivers? We have a GREAT time every weekend, on and off the track. There are several HPDE drivers that hang out with us too. Who knows....you might lean toward the mustang once you get to know us.

 

Best of luck.

[Frank Corkran]

Ditto on the CMC Mustangs. Just helped some ex-Spec Miata folks make the move and had a great weekend. Even managed to complete both races despite the fact that their Mustang came to the track, shall we say, straight from a junkyard.

 

Oh yeah, you might e-mail Dwayne Moody at Rent-A-Racecar from the link on the Mid-Atlantic website about your camber issues. They rent current model Sentra race cars. I think they may have been the VIR Rallycross school cars in a former life.

[Renntag]

... managed to complete both races despite the fact that their Mustang came to the track, shall we say, straight from a junkyard.

 

Yes, that was surprising to say the least.