Rear Camber Adj./Kit

[FORDMANWITHA330]

A while back, I read an article regarding a rear camber kit. This kit increased the camber range, allowing you to go nearly neutral in the rear, for "Daily" town drivers, to very negative for "Track" days. The problem is that I can't remember the company. Anyone recall the manufacturer.

My situation: Our CPO 330i Sport Sedan runs out of warranty in Dec. 2011. We decided to keep the car (We love it), but I am tired of spending $800+ every year on rear tires. As you may know, these tires cost more than my 37" BFG Muds on my F250. My wife drives the BMW mostly in town and puts about 9,000 mi./year on the car. This includes our occasional trips to Vegas, San Diego, Big Bear Mtn. etc.

I love the look of the 18's and the Sport Package, and "I KNOW" I am looking for the "Best of ALL Worlds". However, 9,000 miles, and 1 year to the day, and the inside rears are smooth. The rest of the tire has nearly 100% of the tread life. I knew what I was getting into with a BMW & a Sport Package, just looking for an acceptable compromise between wear, handling, and comfort. I would have to say that this is the ONLY thing I don't like about the car. Guess that's pretty good.
:buttrock

[mryakan]

You can ask your dealership to adjust the rear alignment to dial in less negative camber. I am not sure how much they can do with the stock parts, but my guess is that you do not need to go aftermarket for your needs. Your handling will suffer those, esp. if you drive aggressively around corners. The car will not feel as planted when you accelerate out of a corner. I personally consider the tire expense as the price of an enjoyable car and being able to do things I would not be able to otherwise. To each their own though.

[FORDMANWITHA330]

I have to agree with you. I am a "Road Course" guy. Runnin' a NASA set-up Mustang with BIG V-8 power and BIG $$$ in the chassis. I am at home at Sears Point/Infineon Raceway, Thunder Hill, Long Beach GP etc., as well as Moto GP & Superbike, and SCCA World Speed Challenge. I get the whole chassis set-up idea. However, my wife does not. She grew up on the NHRA Circuit. With her, it's all about the 1/4 mile in 8 to 10 seconds (Or Less), 1000+ Hp, and punchin' in 150+++ MPH. NOW, she's driving a BMW.

I have a lot of vehicles. I have a "Tinker Illness". My wife has made it clear that the BMW is "Off Limits", save the tinted windows and some paint work. So, just trying to come up with a compromise that will extend tire life & still drive descent on the average pavement. All this considering that my wife drives the BMW 95% of the time. Don't get me wrong, I have too many things to tinker with (Truck, Boat, H/D Road King, Mustang, Jeep, Desert Toys, Toy Box, etc.). My wife has done a great job of distracting me from touching her Bimmer. I have even tried to talk her into a new 535, X5, X3, and she just loves that 330. I do too, but it's HER daily driver.
:rolleyes

[mryakan]

Understood. As I said, they stock suspension allows for some adjustment (although it may be limited), so I would try that 1st before investing in any off market. Chances are though that it would also take a lighter foot to get significant improvement in tire life. If your wife drives like she is on a dragstrip all the time, then the tires will only last marginally more. Choosing a different tire (usually all season tires) will yield better tread life.

[FORDMANWITHA330]

You can ask your dealership to adjust the rear alignment to dial in less negative camber. I am not sure how much they can do with the stock parts, but my guess is that you do not need to go aftermarket for your needs. Your handling will suffer those, esp. if you drive aggressively around corners. The car will not feel as planted when you accelerate out of a corner. I personally consider the tire expense as the price of an enjoyable car and being able to do things I would not be able to otherwise. To each their own though.

Let me ask you this, is there a dual compound tire that would work in this situation??? In the past, I have run dual compound on my Ninja 636 (ZX6R) which gave a good firm compound in the center for "Highway" use, and a nice sticky compound on the edges, for "Knee Draggin'" mountain racing. Anything like that available for BMW???

[mryakan]

Let me ask you this, is there a dual compound tire that would work in this situation??? In the past, I have run dual compound on my Ninja 636 (ZX6R) which gave a good firm compound in the center for "Highway" use, and a nice sticky compound on the edges, for "Knee Draggin'" mountain racing. Anything like that available for BMW???
The only thing different with the BMW is the size of tires that fit within OEM specs. So if you can find such a tire with acceptable sizes, then it should work. The only dual compound passenger car tires I know of are the performance all seasons (such as the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S), but the problem I experienced with those is that the softer compound in the center (which is meant to allow some winter traction in cold wet or minor snowy conditions) wears out a lot faster than the edges. This is the opposite of what you want.
You can post this question in the tire section, there are a lot more people knowledgeable about tires there.

[FORDMANWITHA330]

Thank you for your time & info. Much appreciated.

Cheers
:drink1

[hollysride]

The reason for a duel compound tire is so you can get longevity out of your tires while on surface streets and good grip deep in a turn. On a motorcycle the center of the tire is a denser compound rubber than the rubber toward the edges of the tires. With that beings said, it wouldn't make sense to have a duel compound tire for a car because you would want the same density rubber all the way across the contact patch to get the best grip. I ride a R1. Track days rule!

[FORDMANWITHA330]

The reason for a duel compound tire is so you can get longevity out of your tires while on surface streets and good grip deep in a turn. On a motorcycle the center of the tire is a denser compound rubber than the rubber toward the edges of the tires. With that beings said, it wouldn't make sense to have a duel compound tire for a car because you would want the same density rubber all the way across the contact patch to get the best grip. I ride a R1. Track days rule!

I spoke to a manager from America's tire, about a year ago, regarding BMW Run Flat tires & wear issues. He stated that a few companies were working on a dual comp tire to address wear issues for vehicles with a lot of negative camber. The idea was that the very INSIDE edge would have a harder compound for extended wear. The MIDDLE & OUTSIDE/CORNERING edge would have the softer compound for excellent cornering. Just was not sure if those tires made it to the public yet. That was more my point/question.

[froggy47]

I have an 07 328i sport pkg (wife's commuter) and just replaced the oem Bridgestone runflats. 38k miles, pretty even wear, a bit more on the insides due to the factory neg camber settings.

You either have a bad alignment or "someone" is driving the car seriously hard (no problem with that here).

Any alignment shop can take some neg camber out, you don't need a camber kit. Your handling will degrade some.

Camber kits are for track cars, I have one on my Z06. 3.1 deg neg front & 1.6 deg neg rear.

Those dual compound tires - I have never tried & I have not heard much about them, use caution.

What tires are you putting on the rear that cost $800 /pr?

I ditched the runflats for some Dunlop DZ101 all around. Not run flats. They are quieter, grip better & cost less than the oem RF tires.

Some people have a great fear of getting a flat & I understand that, especially for women.

If you can live with non run flats I would look at Sumitomo, Dunlop, or Hankooks. These are good high performance tires but not the top level track tires. About $800 for 4 out the door, Tire Rack or Discount Tire.

I would put any of those on my wife's 328i Coupe.

:)

[jlamb51]

Let me ask you this, is there a dual compound tire that would work in this situation??? In the past, I have run dual compound on my Ninja 636 (ZX6R) which gave a good firm compound in the center for "Highway" use, and a nice sticky compound on the edges, for "Knee Draggin'" mountain racing. Anything like that available for BMW???

I just picked up a set of conti extreme contact dws tires for my 328 coupe. I love the tires. Not all the grip that the sport tires had but the ride is much less harsh. A friend of mine however just picked up a set of nitto neogens. They are a dual compound tire with the inner shoulder reinforced. He has put them on every car he has owned (a6,jetta,525, 335) he swears by them. They are designed for cars with lowered suspensions. Idk about fitment and sizes but I would check out their website.