E46 Front Camber Settings

[WNNAM3]

Can anyone tell me if its possible to adjust the front camber setting on a e46 without purchasing aftermarket parts?

Thanks,
Dave

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'05 330i w/PP
'84 318 w/o power
'96 LR Disco w/bad attitude

[AG]

Can anyone tell me if its possible to adjust the front camber setting on a e46 without purchasing aftermarket parts?

Thanks,
Dave

_________________
'05 330i w/PP
'84 318 w/o power
'96 LR Disco w/bad attitude

The strut towers on the E46 are slotted. If you knock out the pin at the top, you should be able to get another 1/2° or so of additional camber.

[WNNAM3]

Thanks AG, I'll take a look at it tonight and see if I can make out what you are talking about.

-Dave

[bren]

This should help. http://m3.madrussian.net/diy_camber.shtml

[WNNAM3]

Thats great, thanks.

Dave

[WNNAM3]

The site was very helpful except that on my e46 330i the pins do not have the hex head so it looks like there is no way to remove them from the top.

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

Punch them out. They're fixed in place, so a hammer and a punch or phillips screwdriver will do nicely.

[Dirichlet]

I'm looking to buy front wheel adjustable camber plates for my car (E46 323i) - I've heard some recommend ground control, others TMS - Just looking for a little more input on the matter... any help greatly appreciated.

[bren]

I'm looking to buy front wheel adjustable camber plates for my car (E46 323i) - I've heard some recommend ground control, others TMS - Just looking for a little more input on the matter... any help greatly appreciated.

If you are even remotely concerned with NVH/maintenance then stick with plates with rubber bushings.

TCK plates are monoball (no rubber), GC offers monoball and rubber, Turner has rubber plates also.....any of these are quality parts.

[Ernest]

Looks pretty simple, at the DIY in Manassas today I watched two different people do it in just a couple of minutes (maybe 20?). And, if you don't like it, you can just tap it back to the center and take the 1/2 degree back out.

-Ernest-

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

And if you don't like extra camber, you should be shot.

[SMOODY]

And if you don't like extra camber, you should be shot.

Well, I am glad that I will not get shot. My car was one of the two to get a little extra negative camber on Saturday.

Punch them out. They're fixed in place, so a hammer and a punch or phillips screwdriver will do nicely.

We ended up using a grinder to elongate the hole for the alignment pin which allowed the shock tower to move the full distance of the slots for the three bolts. The mod ended up being fairly simple once the car was on the lift and the right tools were in hand.

Road testing so far has been very positive. The extra camber has improved the steering response and definitely removed some of the understeer at the limit. The car has a much more neutral feel now.

Tim (the shop owner) cautioned both of us that this will promote pre-mature wear on the inside edges of the tires. Maybe others here who have already done similar modifications can relay how dramatic the tire wear is.

I run the same size tires all around and hope that the extra wear can be minimized with regular tire rotations.

[Barry]

[QUOTE=WNNAM3]Can anyone tell me if its possible to adjust the front camber setting on a e46 without purchasing aftermarket parts?
Thanks,
Dave

_________________
What kind of handling changes are you trying to accomplish?
Is it for the track, or for autocross??
Barry

[WNNAM3]

It's one of my daily drivers that I've tracked twice while I'm building another car just for track days and eventual IT racing. I'm fine with it's handling but just want some cheap performance advice - every little bit helps right?

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-Dave

[Barry]

It's one of my daily drivers that I've tracked twice while I'm building another car just for track days and eventual IT racing. I'm fine with it's handling but just want some cheap performance advice - every little bit helps right?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-Dave

Dave,
I think you may be getting ahead of yourself. If you've only tracked the car twice, I would assume that you're not a highly experienced driver. If that assumption is correct, I would recommend that you do nothing to your car.
If you're driving the 330 on the track, that car has outstanding handling capability out of the box. I had a 330Ci and I did no mods to the alignment or suspension and the car was a blast at the track. Your car has the Perf Pkg, and that makes it even better. On the track, with good performance tires, these cars do not exhibit any understeer. So, my recommendation is to not change your camber settings. Just work with tire pressures.
Barry