confusion about wheel offset and camber
12-07-04, 10:13 PM
#1
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
confusion about wheel offset and camber
call me an amateur when it comes to this, i don't mind.. but everyone has to learn
i've been trying to do research, and slightly successful, yet i am still confused..
to my understanding, when you decrease offset, you move the wheel further away from the brake caliper correct? alright, what i mean is, my stock wheels have an offset of 50mm, and when i look at my wheels when they are mounted on my car, there is very little space between the caliper and my stock wheel. When I purchased a new set of wheels, they had an offset of 36mm. I mounted them on my car and the space between my caliper and backside of the rim is larger. There is more space between the caliper and backside of my wheel. So, this means the lower offset I go, then my wheels will move further away from the caliper and closer towards us?
If this is correct, then why isn't it recommended to go with a low offset? I have heard people mention that if you go with a low offset then you run the risk of "rubbing". What exactly is it "rubbing"? My fender walls, like when I am turning my steering wheel, and i have a low offset of my wheels, then I run the risk of rubbing against fender walls? So there is always an option of pulling them right? Not sure if this is right..
Also, I am a bit confused with camber kits/corrections. Many said that after I buy new wheels and add a significant drop, I will need a camber kit. I own a 93 sc300.. I know about engines and forced induction.. but i am lacking significant knowledge when it comes to suspension, braking, and wheels.
I basically have no clue what camber is. I know a little bit here and there.. i know when your camber is affected, your wheels may slant inward. anybody know what the camber measurments are on stock suspension? how is camber measured?
i plan to drop my SC a good 2" with the kit I have. i bought tokico shocks and springs for a supra tt. this kit was suppose to drop the supra 1.5". i heard that if you use stock suspension from a supra tt and put it on your SC, your call with drop 0.5". So with this kit being made for the supra to drop 1.5", if I install these on my SC, I am expecting to get a 2" drop. I am almost positive that they will work well, but that isn't what im concerned about. My friend told me i'll probably need a camber kit.
I heard Daizen makes a good camber kit for the SC, so i plan to purchase this one, but not yet. What exactly would happen if I put this suspension on my SC with no camber kit? How big of a risk am I running of damaging my suspension? How much would my car be dropped? Does anybody have a pic of an SC with 18s and a 2" drop? Do you think it would work? I have heard people with 20s and a 3" drop (with modification of course) so I think my 18s and a 2" drop would be fine.
But back to my question about camber, I heard of people having negative camber. What this mean? "Negative camber"? Whats the difference between positive and negative?
Basically, what I want, is a ncie setup. .doesn't everbody? But we all have different taste. When my stock wheels are mounted on my car, the space in my wheel wells are huge. I want to fill 'em up. I want to bring my wheels to the surface of the car.. if you don't know what i mean i'll try to explain better. When I take my hand.. and put it on the body of my car (above my wheel well), and slide it down, vertically, I want my wheels to be right there at the surface of the car instead of hiding all the way back into my car, do you know what i mean now? So what offset of wheels should I run to acheive this? How wide should my wheels be to do this 19x10, 19x11, 19x12? It depend more on the offset than anything right? Like I can have 19x7 and still bring the wheels to the surface with a space or something right? But I don't want to do that I want some wide wheels like 19x11 or 19x10 at least. So what offset should I get to do this?
And what I want with camber, i dont want my wheels to slant inward or outward, I just want them to be straight.. If I drop my car 2", will my wheels slant inward? What does this cause, uneven tire wear, harm to suspension? Let me know all that you guys know, all help is appreciated.. please understand, as i have said before, that I am not an experienced guy when it comes to suspension, handling, and braking.. my original interest was all focussed on engine.. but my car really needs new wheels, suspension, and brakes, with my engine almost being completed.
What my goal is to sell my current wheels and suspension and start from scratch. I want 19x11 in the rear and 18x10 in the front.. with some nice coilovers, new braking system.. probably take supra ones from lexuspros.com, and then settle with that.. aside from that. i think i need to do some more research before i buy anything and regret later. thanks
i've been trying to do research, and slightly successful, yet i am still confused..
to my understanding, when you decrease offset, you move the wheel further away from the brake caliper correct? alright, what i mean is, my stock wheels have an offset of 50mm, and when i look at my wheels when they are mounted on my car, there is very little space between the caliper and my stock wheel. When I purchased a new set of wheels, they had an offset of 36mm. I mounted them on my car and the space between my caliper and backside of the rim is larger. There is more space between the caliper and backside of my wheel. So, this means the lower offset I go, then my wheels will move further away from the caliper and closer towards us?
If this is correct, then why isn't it recommended to go with a low offset? I have heard people mention that if you go with a low offset then you run the risk of "rubbing". What exactly is it "rubbing"? My fender walls, like when I am turning my steering wheel, and i have a low offset of my wheels, then I run the risk of rubbing against fender walls? So there is always an option of pulling them right? Not sure if this is right..
Also, I am a bit confused with camber kits/corrections. Many said that after I buy new wheels and add a significant drop, I will need a camber kit. I own a 93 sc300.. I know about engines and forced induction.. but i am lacking significant knowledge when it comes to suspension, braking, and wheels.
I basically have no clue what camber is. I know a little bit here and there.. i know when your camber is affected, your wheels may slant inward. anybody know what the camber measurments are on stock suspension? how is camber measured?
i plan to drop my SC a good 2" with the kit I have. i bought tokico shocks and springs for a supra tt. this kit was suppose to drop the supra 1.5". i heard that if you use stock suspension from a supra tt and put it on your SC, your call with drop 0.5". So with this kit being made for the supra to drop 1.5", if I install these on my SC, I am expecting to get a 2" drop. I am almost positive that they will work well, but that isn't what im concerned about. My friend told me i'll probably need a camber kit.
I heard Daizen makes a good camber kit for the SC, so i plan to purchase this one, but not yet. What exactly would happen if I put this suspension on my SC with no camber kit? How big of a risk am I running of damaging my suspension? How much would my car be dropped? Does anybody have a pic of an SC with 18s and a 2" drop? Do you think it would work? I have heard people with 20s and a 3" drop (with modification of course) so I think my 18s and a 2" drop would be fine.
But back to my question about camber, I heard of people having negative camber. What this mean? "Negative camber"? Whats the difference between positive and negative?
Basically, what I want, is a ncie setup. .doesn't everbody? But we all have different taste. When my stock wheels are mounted on my car, the space in my wheel wells are huge. I want to fill 'em up. I want to bring my wheels to the surface of the car.. if you don't know what i mean i'll try to explain better. When I take my hand.. and put it on the body of my car (above my wheel well), and slide it down, vertically, I want my wheels to be right there at the surface of the car instead of hiding all the way back into my car, do you know what i mean now? So what offset of wheels should I run to acheive this? How wide should my wheels be to do this 19x10, 19x11, 19x12? It depend more on the offset than anything right? Like I can have 19x7 and still bring the wheels to the surface with a space or something right? But I don't want to do that I want some wide wheels like 19x11 or 19x10 at least. So what offset should I get to do this?
And what I want with camber, i dont want my wheels to slant inward or outward, I just want them to be straight.. If I drop my car 2", will my wheels slant inward? What does this cause, uneven tire wear, harm to suspension? Let me know all that you guys know, all help is appreciated.. please understand, as i have said before, that I am not an experienced guy when it comes to suspension, handling, and braking.. my original interest was all focussed on engine.. but my car really needs new wheels, suspension, and brakes, with my engine almost being completed.
What my goal is to sell my current wheels and suspension and start from scratch. I want 19x11 in the rear and 18x10 in the front.. with some nice coilovers, new braking system.. probably take supra ones from lexuspros.com, and then settle with that.. aside from that. i think i need to do some more research before i buy anything and regret later. thanks
12-08-04, 09:55 AM
#2
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Pennsylvania
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Okay I didnt read the whole thing cause its a novel. But here is some information.
Wheel offset is basically explained here - [URL=http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/offset.htm[/URL] and herehttp://www.usacomp.com/Offset.htm
But basically, lower the offset, the more the wheel will stick out AWAY from the brakes, but you also run the risk of rubbing your fenders, thats why people will roll their fenders, or run negative camber (explained later). Higher the offset, the more tucked the wheel will be...If its too high, you wont clear coilovers and such...and if it does fit, it might look stupid all tucked in there. Running a spacer on a wheel with too high of an offset pushes them out to fit better.
As far as camber goes, its measured in degrees. Negative camber means the top of the wheels are tucked IN to the car. Postive camber means the top of the wheels will be pushed away from the car. This typically does not happen. A car will run stock at 0 degrees camber, in other words, the whole tire is flat on the ground. Running negative camber will wear the inside of the tires out faster, however having some negative camber helps in the turns (look at touring cars, they run tons of negative camber). Dropping a car will give it negative camber, a camber kit will fix this (if you want to). The more you drop the more camber you'll have. Running camber wont break any suspension component or anything at all.
I run my SC slammed, on coilovers, with a crap ton of negative camber. I love it. But then again I drift my car, so that setup usually isnt for everyone.
Wheel offset is basically explained here - [URL=http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/offset.htm[/URL] and herehttp://www.usacomp.com/Offset.htm
But basically, lower the offset, the more the wheel will stick out AWAY from the brakes, but you also run the risk of rubbing your fenders, thats why people will roll their fenders, or run negative camber (explained later). Higher the offset, the more tucked the wheel will be...If its too high, you wont clear coilovers and such...and if it does fit, it might look stupid all tucked in there. Running a spacer on a wheel with too high of an offset pushes them out to fit better.
As far as camber goes, its measured in degrees. Negative camber means the top of the wheels are tucked IN to the car. Postive camber means the top of the wheels will be pushed away from the car. This typically does not happen. A car will run stock at 0 degrees camber, in other words, the whole tire is flat on the ground. Running negative camber will wear the inside of the tires out faster, however having some negative camber helps in the turns (look at touring cars, they run tons of negative camber). Dropping a car will give it negative camber, a camber kit will fix this (if you want to). The more you drop the more camber you'll have. Running camber wont break any suspension component or anything at all.
I run my SC slammed, on coilovers, with a crap ton of negative camber. I love it. But then again I drift my car, so that setup usually isnt for everyone.
12-09-04, 05:18 AM
#3
Lexus Test Driver
Originally posted by Iluvmymommy
Okay I didnt read the whole thing cause its a novel. But here is some information.
Wheel offset is basically explained here - [URL=http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/offset.htm[/URL] and herehttp://www.usacomp.com/Offset.htm
But basically, lower the offset, the more the wheel will stick out AWAY from the brakes, but you also run the risk of rubbing your fenders, thats why people will roll their fenders, or run negative camber (explained later). Higher the offset, the more tucked the wheel will be...If its too high, you wont clear coilovers and such...and if it does fit, it might look stupid all tucked in there. Running a spacer on a wheel with too high of an offset pushes them out to fit better.
As far as camber goes, its measured in degrees. Negative camber means the top of the wheels are tucked IN to the car. Postive camber means the top of the wheels will be pushed away from the car. This typically does not happen. A car will run stock at 0 degrees camber, in other words, the whole tire is flat on the ground. Running negative camber will wear the inside of the tires out faster, however having some negative camber helps in the turns (look at touring cars, they run tons of negative camber). Dropping a car will give it negative camber, a camber kit will fix this (if you want to). The more you drop the more camber you'll have. Running camber wont break any suspension component or anything at all.
I run my SC slammed, on coilovers, with a crap ton of negative camber. I love it. But then again I drift my car, so that setup usually isnt for everyone.
Okay I didnt read the whole thing cause its a novel. But here is some information.
Wheel offset is basically explained here - [URL=http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/offset.htm[/URL] and herehttp://www.usacomp.com/Offset.htm
But basically, lower the offset, the more the wheel will stick out AWAY from the brakes, but you also run the risk of rubbing your fenders, thats why people will roll their fenders, or run negative camber (explained later). Higher the offset, the more tucked the wheel will be...If its too high, you wont clear coilovers and such...and if it does fit, it might look stupid all tucked in there. Running a spacer on a wheel with too high of an offset pushes them out to fit better.
As far as camber goes, its measured in degrees. Negative camber means the top of the wheels are tucked IN to the car. Postive camber means the top of the wheels will be pushed away from the car. This typically does not happen. A car will run stock at 0 degrees camber, in other words, the whole tire is flat on the ground. Running negative camber will wear the inside of the tires out faster, however having some negative camber helps in the turns (look at touring cars, they run tons of negative camber). Dropping a car will give it negative camber, a camber kit will fix this (if you want to). The more you drop the more camber you'll have. Running camber wont break any suspension component or anything at all.
I run my SC slammed, on coilovers, with a crap ton of negative camber. I love it. But then again I drift my car, so that setup usually isnt for everyone.
12-16-04, 12:19 AM
#4
offset
For a visual of a perfect offset/wheel size for the sc/soarer platform take a look at Takahiro Ueno's Vertex D1 drift Soarer. it wears Volk Racing GT-C's, Face 1 up front and Face 2 in the rear sized f:18x10 and r:18x11 with offsets of f:+24 and r:+18. Face 1and Face 2 refer to the way the spokes of the wheels are angled. Face 1 they are straight up and down, or perpendicular to the rim and Face 2 the spokes are angle inward farther toward the hub. Look at the photo and you'll surely see the difference.
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