Rear Camber Arms - Removal

[ANILE8]

I am wanting to install the Turner Motorsport Adjustable Rear Camber Arms

Looking at BMW's TIS for this procedure it appears to be a major headache.

Especially, removing the upper bolts that attach the OEM Camber Arms to the Diff housing as the bolt is too long to remove without dropping the Diff.

Does anyone have any experience in doing this and how much of a drama is it really?

[BookerM3]

Haven't done it in a coupe yet, but with both e36 and E46 bimmers you have
to at least loosen the diff and move / drop it a bit to get the inner bolt out. PITA

Planning to install the same part on my coupe next weekend.

[ANILE8]

I have found that there is precious little practical documented information on the installation of this modification from other forum members specifically for the Z4-M.

The Turner Adjustable Rear Camber Arms are installed now after two days of much frustration.

The amount of disassemble required to replace these parts is most disturbing.

I would have thought there would be an easier way around this disaster should the upper mounting points have been designed differently in the first place with this firmly in mind.

The RHS is not too bad as it can be accessed by only dropping the rear output shaft but to access the LHS because the differential housing design is asymmetrical the three securing bolts have to be removed and the differential rotated into a position which will gain you greater clearance to remove the upper camber arm bolt.

Quite the job to tackle on a rainy weekend once you have mentally prepared yourself for large doses of pain for extended periods.

[ANILE8]

Well worth the effort if easy rear camber adjustment is what you need.

[Finnegan]

Wow, what a PITA, but the end result seems pretty good if you need more camber adjustment than stock allows.

[ANILE8]

As I understand it to be, the stock camber adjustment on the front and rear of our vehicles are provided only for equalisation of the factory specified camber settings for the LHS and RHS rather than to provide 'extra' adjustably.

With the help of the Turner Front Camber Bolt Kit, I am running:

-2.5 Front Camber
-3.0 Rear Camber

I have been noticing considerable under-steer and delayed turn-in response. After correctly adjusting the camber to my specifications the vehicle is an all together difference machine to drive.

Considerable difference to before.

[ANILE8]

Forgot to add, those who were wondering the stock camber settings are approx:

Front -1.0
Rear -2.0

For the all up cost of under $350.00 for the TMS Rear Camber Arms and TMS Front Camber Bolt Kit this would have to go down as one of the best bang of buck modifications you can do that really works.

The improvement in handling will amaze you.

[l4zy]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but shouldn't you be putting some more camber in the front to dial out some of the understeer? If you are getting less understeer by increasing rear camber wouldn't that mean you are just decreasing your rear traction limit?

Also, since you are tweaking alignment settings you should consider more than just camber. Toe and caster will affect how your car handles as well.

[3002 tii]

Thread bump, I've seen companies like Whiteline come out with adjustable rear camber bushings. I wonder if this would be a good alternative since you wouldn't need to remove the stock arms (or do you?)

http://www.whiteline.com.au/product_...sans_vehicle=1



*Note it says E46 fitment but I don't see why it wouldn't work on our cars.

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by l4zy

Someone correct me if I'm wrong...

You're not wrong but you're also not entirely right. The rear gain camber at a different curve because it's a multi-link geometry (not unlike a double wishbone) where the top and the bottom of the kingpin forms a loose "trapezoid." As the suspension compresses the camber gain is linear and consistent.

The front is a McPherson strut. As it compresses PAST a certain point it will actually start to lose camber rather than gain it. However, before you get to that certain point, the MacStrut gains camber quicker than a multi-link/double wishbone type. If you have relatively stiff springs and/or thick swaybars, you can potentially run slightly less camber up front than rear, assuming that your suspension won't compress past roll center, and achieve a very neutral chassis.

So without further set-up info, it's hard to say whether or not said alignment will result in more or less understeer. At least, not until you take it to a track and hit that first few laps at speed.

[GQM]

I was able to get the camber arm bolts out by undoing the two bolts on top of the differential and the big one on the lower right side, then pushing it aside.

As far as alignment goes, I always run my cars A-arms or MacPherson with more camber in the front than the rear. I like cars that rotate easily and are more loose. More camber in the front than rear typically generates mid corner understeer and wonkey behavior when correcting a bigger slip angle slide. Also, less rear camber helps with putting power down on corner exit.

[seank]

Originally Posted by 3002 tii

Thread bump, I've seen companies like Whiteline come out with adjustable rear camber bushings. I wonder if this would be a good alternative since you wouldn't need to remove the stock arms (or do you?)

http://www.whiteline.com.au/product_...sans_vehicle=1



*Note it says E46 fitment but I don't see why it wouldn't work on our cars.

Eccentric rear bushings are not the preferred method. This is the inexpensive method to increase camber on an e30. They bind up, loosen, and wear out every few years. You will only save a little money and will eventually need to be replaced.

If there is any place not to save money on a track car, it is suspension first, removing weight second.