[Jambo1]

I recently installed the H&R M550i springs, and while I like the stance, there is only so much adjustment that can be made with an alignment to ensure tolerant camber degrees.

The front camber is at -1.8/-2.0, with no ability to change this unless a different/adjustable upper control arm is used.

I now have -2.0 camber in the rear, and any adjustability is maxed out.

These number are very aggressive and should result in extreme tire wear (most can tolerate -1.5 max in the front and -1.8 in the rear).

So my question for those folks with the M550i springs: can you share your experience with both alignment specs and the condition of your tires? My goal is not to trash the tires, but would want to learn more about your experience.

Thanks.

[pbonsalb]

In the past couple of years here, I have read of no one saying the M550xi springs cause extreme tire wear. Maybe no one has driven very far on them - seems like most of these cars don’t get driven much.

I have H&R M5 springs and have no worries about excess tire wear, but they don’t lower quite as much.

[josec70]

I’ve had the HR 550’s on two different F90 M5C’s (19’ & 22’) with no issues.

Setup on the 19’ was 21” Wheels on 295-275 (30-21) while the 22’ is 20” 789’s 285-275 (35-20).

No issues with either car in terms on tire wear.

Both were aligned by a reputable local shop and I did not even read the alignment specs.

[Jambo1]

Thanks Jose. Any chance that you may have retained an alignment printout / email with your receipts from those transactions at the shops?

I suspect that both your cars would have the same -2.0 camber readouts with the M550i springs.

That is excellent news if you’ve had no inner tire wear.

[josec70]

Hey brother!

I will take a look and see if I can find anything.

[Desking101]

toe causes wear, not camber. camber will cause uneven wear if your toe is out of whack (toe out is the most common culprit although it is nice for steering) but the accelerated wear itself is from bad toe settings typically. I've had cars with almost -3.0 and tire wear was fine because I had my toe at a conservative setting. When I more aggressive toe out, the steering response was awesome but the tires wore way too quickly for a street car so wasn't worth it

[Jambo1]

Actually, they both cause wear. Plenty of technical automotive papers and books available.

Below is straight from Dinan:

“Excessive tire wear can be caused by camber or toe.
 Too much positive camber will wear the tire on the outside, and too much
negative camber will wear the tire on the inside.
 Too much toe-in will wear the tire on the outside, and too much toe-out will
wear the tire on the inside.
When a tolerance is given for an alignment setting, it is because each driver operates their car differently, and you must evaluate the customer’s needs when performing an alignment. The best way to do this is to examine tire wear.
 A very aggressive driver, one that drives curvy roads frequently, or who frequently participates in track days will wear the tires on the outside edge.
 Conversely, someone who drives sedately or spends much time on the highway in a straight line will likely wear tires on the inside.
If a camber range is given, the aggressively driven car should be setup on the negative side, and the sedately driven car should be setup on the positive side of the allowed range.
Do not be fooled by the fact that the customer is purchasing a high performance suspension. Often people purchase a suspension just for the look of a lowered car, and not because they drive fast. Their tire wear will tell the story.”

[Desking101]

Originally Posted by Jambo1

Actually, they both cause wear. Plenty of technical automotive papers and books available.

Below is straight from Dinan:

“Excessive tire wear can be caused by camber or toe.
 Too much positive camber will wear the tire on the outside, and too much
negative camber will wear the tire on the inside.
 Too much toe-in will wear the tire on the outside, and too much toe-out will
wear the tire on the inside.
When a tolerance is given for an alignment setting, it is because each driver operates their car differently, and you must evaluate the customer’s needs when performing an alignment. The best way to do this is to examine tire wear.
 A very aggressive driver, one that drives curvy roads frequently, or who frequently participates in track days will wear the tires on the outside edge.
 Conversely, someone who drives sedately or spends much time on the highway in a straight line will likely wear tires on the inside.
If a camber range is given, the aggressively driven car should be setup on the negative side, and the sedately driven car should be setup on the positive side of the allowed range.
Do not be fooled by the fact that the customer is purchasing a high performance suspension. Often people purchase a suspension just for the look of a lowered car, and not because they drive fast. Their tire wear will tell the story.”

They worded that weirdly. Toe accelerates wear, camber determines where it wears. I guess technically lots of negative camber can make a tire wear faster, but it generally isn't extremely noticeable unless it's some stupid stanced out -6.0 crap or your tires are over/under inflated. It's all about contact patch. That's the only thing camber changes. With extreme negative camber then you have other factors that can cause accelerated wear but I'm talking about normal aggressive camber settings.

[SenorFunkyPants]

Certainly toe is the adjustment that you feel the effect of, more than a small amount of negative camber....although its very much hidden in a modern heavy car with wide grippy tyres, power steering and a massive lump of metal over the front wheels.

Typically a rear wheel drive car has a small amount of toe-in the front and rear.
Under acceleration the front tyres have a tendency to toe-out which is offset by the static toe-in setting. The front toe-in also helps with keeping the car in a straight line when cruising. As you move the front toe towards 0 and then toe-out, the front end becomes more lively and wanting to turn-in to a turn...good for track days and autocross, but not so much for daily driving.

The oem static toe-in setting has the effect of wearing the outsides of the tyres slightly more than the inside which is usually offset by the oem front negative camber which wears the other way round....the overall effect being even wear across the tyre for a typical daily driver.

I wouldn't fret about 2 degrees of front and rear negative camber, it should be fine with 10-15 minutes of total toe-in. The single most important adjustment after that is that the rear toe-in is identical side to side.