People
will do just about anything to stand out in a crowd. Peacock
clothing, cool shades and modifying cars are just a few examples of
this attempt. The more the will to stand out the more extreme the
steps individuals take. When it comes to car modifications, standing
out is not easy. Modifying a vehicle is not be cheap. Custom-built
spoilers, side skirts wheels and cambered tyres are all the rage.
Today let us take a closer look at cambered tyres to see if they are
just a cosmetic change or do they affect the performance of a
vehicle.
First,
let us understand what cambered wheels are.
Tyres
on a vehicle ensure that the vehicle grips the road with minimal wear
and tear. This is great for driving in a straight line. But, cars do
not always drive in a straight line. They need to turn and corner and
depending on their use they may need to corner at great speeds. This
is where cambered tyres come in. These are tyres which have a few
degrees of tilt in their stance. Tyres which lean towards the vehicle
at their upper ends are said to have negative camber and ones which
lean away from the vehicle have positive camber.
Why
are cambered tyres used?
While
driving the rubber in the tyres of a vehicle loses its shape to
achieve maximum grip. This shift in the shape of the tyre is very
useful for driving in a straight line, in the corners, however, it is
not. In the corners due to the lateral force of the car’s weight
the tyres losses shape in a way which reduces its grip. What this
does is to reduce grip in corners and increase irregular tyre wear.
To counter this effect while cornering, the concept of tyres with
negative camber were introduced in cars. The camber in a road-going
car is very little, around 3 degrees. This is decided by the
manufacturer keeping the performance of the vehicle in mind.
Just
a cosmetic change?
The
simple answer is NO. But like with most things there are limitations.
Tyres with negative camber on road-going vehicles need to be kept in
the original setting fixed by the manufacturer. Tampering with it can
result in irregular wear. In track cars, however, the camber depends
on the track conditions and is used to enhance cornering performance.
Similarly,
positive camber is used in vehicles which participate in off-road
rally races or are load-bearing vehicles. In both these cases, they
become more than just cosmetic change. For great-looking cambered
tyres visit Tyres Altrincham.
Should
you try cambered tyres?
The
simple answer depends on personal choices. However, there are things
that one should keep in mind when thinking about getting cambered
tyres.
Increased
irregular wear on tyres- because of the angle at which the tyre’s
surface comes in contact with the road, there will be irregular wear
in the tyres. How much the wear, will depend on the angle of the
camber, usage of the vehicle and tyre quality. To get only the best
quality tyres to rely only on Gilgal Tyres. Also, remember
unless you are taking your car out to the track, the camber is of
cosmetic use only. It is only at blistering cornering speeds that
cambered wheels will be useful.
Remember,
you should only invest money and time with expert camber fitments
like those done by Tyres Bolton. When getting cambered tyres
on your vehicle make sure that everything is in order and no aspect
of camber fitments are left unchecked.
