What, where and why: Cambered Tyres.

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.