Camber kit needed?

cuzin

cuzin

Well-Known Member
46
12
Smithfield, North Carolina
Vehicle Model
Civic Si
Body Style
Sedan
Hey guys, I'm looking to either buy some H&R springs or Eibach sport lines. I'm balling on a budget and don't want to spend extra on anything else but the springs. I've been searching around and can't seem to find a clear answer if camber kits are needed for either of these or not. Also which seem to ride better. Thanks in advance!! :)
 
I would think that would depend on how much you change the ride height.
 
Lowering 1.5" and further generally need camber kits.

You don't have to run them at all but if you lower the car a lot you will end up with poor handling or excessive camber.

When you lower the civic it will gain negative camber in the rear. Camber arms will just help you return them to 0 or whatever you would like to run.

You shouldn't gain any negative camber in the front from lowering but camber bolts will help you achieve some neg camber which will improve the handling aspect of the car. Something around -1.25 degrees.
 
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If you don't want the expense of camber kit for the rear don't lower beyond 1.5" to be safe.

necessary is subjective. I would say yes so you don't end up with -3 degrees or more in the rear just from the static lowering.
 
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DD will need proper alignment for tire life over any other type of driving condition.

This is an endless argument. I always error on the safe side, and when I got springs I also got rear camber arms to ensure I had proper control over my alignment. This way I don't have to just hope the alignment will be good enough.

Going cheap is typically the wrong way to do these type of things, in my opinion of course.
 
No, I haven't seen a complete "kit" from anyone since there are so many variables.

Basically you will just need the springs and rear arms. The fronts should be ok on their own. You can get a set of camber bolts to adjust the front minimally but they are inexpensive at around $30 for a set.

Lowering significantly on the stock dampers will wear them out quickly as well. You can lower a lot but plan on upgrading the struts down the road a bit.

Are you looking for better handling or mostly just to close the wheel gap? Do you want the car to be slammed?
 
You'll also end up going through the tires faster without a rear camber kit. So, while you might save a bit up front by not buying a kit, you'll have the added expense of tire wear. Tires cost a lot more than a camber kit
 
Nix said:
No, I haven't seen a complete "kit" from anyone since there are so many variables.

Basically you will just need the springs and rear arms. The fronts should be ok on their own. You can get a set of camber bolts to adjust the front minimally but they are inexpensive at around $30 for a set.

Lowering significantly on the stock dampers will wear them out quickly as well. You can lower a lot but plan on upgrading the struts down the road a bit.

Are you looking for better handling or mostly just to close the wheel gap? Do you want the car to be slammed?
Click to expand...

Mostly to close the wheel gap. I didn't want to slam it since its my dd and I drive about 85 miles a day, so I didn't want to be scanning for potholes all the time. :p
 
webby said:
You'll also end up going through the tires faster without a rear camber kit. So, while you might save a bit up front by not buying a kit, you'll have the added expense of tire wear. Tires cost a lot more than a camber kit
Click to expand...

That makes total sense lol. I guess this guy won't be lowered for another month or so. :( lol
 
I just installed H&R OE Sport Springs (8th gen version available only, just requires 8th gen upper-rear spring mounts), and I had the same goals in mind as you. I wanted the close the wheel gap and some better handling but I didn't want to sacrifice driveability and I wanted it to look natural so that you wouldn't know it was lowered unless you specifically knew that it came higher from the factory. It was supposed to lower .75" but I think I got more like 1-1.25". It has remained easy to get over gutters and speed bumps of any kind that I could already drive over with stock suspension. The ride is somehow more comfortable than stock.


I highly recommend them for your needs.

Here is a pic of the drop:
IMG_1665.jpg
 
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trustdestruction said:
I just installed H&R OE Sport Springs (8th gen version available only, just requires 8th gen upper-rear spring mounts), and I had the same goals in mind as you. I wanted the close the wheel gap and some better handling but I didn't want to sacrifice driveability and I wanted it to look natural so that you wouldn't know it was lowered unless you specifically knew that it came higher from the factory. It was supposed to lower .75" but I think I got more like 1-1.25". It has remained easy to get over gutters and speed bumps of any kind that I could already drive over with stock suspension. The ride is somehow more comfortable than stock.


I highly recommend them for your needs.

Here is a pic of the drop:
View attachment 19776
Click to expand...

That's about how I want my car. Looks really good!
 
Nice! Thanks trustdestruction

cuzin : If you go with springs with a similar drop you most likely won't need a camber kit right away and your tire wear won't be too bad. Stick to a good rotation schedule to minimize wear. Also get a good alignment. Toe eats tires much fast than camber. 0 toe or as close to it as possible. Your stock struts should be able to handle the 1" drop ok for a while also.
 
Ok so I have looked at camber arms and they have camber adjusters too what the hell is the difference when I started I just wanted to drop my car a little now I am confused and running to the cabinet for Xanax.
 
I'm not sure what you mean by adjustable. The rear arms shouldn't have any adjustment for camber. Got any pics?
 
i have the H&R kit with no camber kit. now have over 4k miles and no irregular patterns on inside edges of tires. when i set the alignment the rear camber was still in spec any ways. so i would say no its not needed. if you go lower than 1.6 though id strongly consider it. just my 2 cents.
 
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