Has anyone had success with Camber Kit bringing Front Alignment within specified range. Before I give Alignment shop $300 to install one I'd like to see if it's actually proven to work. My car has 51,000 Miles but front suspension has all new parts with only 20k driven. I Had to replace Michelin Pilot A/S front tires with only 20k due to wear of the inside front passenger tire. I don't want to replace tires every 20k if I can avoid it. Car tracks perfectly straight without any shimmy or vibration even at high speed.

 

Yes, I did the front left on my UK-spec car last month. It gave me the half degree I needed, but adjusting the camber throws the toe way off, so this has to be done again afterwards. The bolt cost me £10, (about US$16) and I fitted it myself as I have my own garage with 2-post lift. The only problem was getting the steering rack bolts out, but it may be possible if you turn the steering and remove the gaiter, I didn't try that.

 

Three hundred dollars seems a bit steep !!!
If the rack bolts come out OK it should take less than an hour to replace both sides , just make sure they don't shear off the four rack bolts in the alloy subframe ,

All the best ,

Nik

 

You were able to get a .50 change in camber with a camber bolt? I only got .20. How did you do that?

 

Pass, all I know is that I was half a degree off ideal before, and as close to spot-on after, on the works Hunter 4-wheel alignment rig.....
2 of my steering rack bolts sheared, both lower ones - one came out after gentle localised heating of the subframe, other needed drilling out. Upper left came out ok, just swivelled the rack slightly on the upper right as it felt like it was going to shear also, that let me move the left side far enough to get the bolt past the rack. (right hand drive, UK car, so no need to move column u/j).

 

I'm just learning about these cars, so I'm not sure how the steering rack affects adjusting the front alignment. I'm not even sure my tech did anything to the steering rack when he used the camber bolts. What is the procedure?

 

I'm not saying it's impossible to get the rear bottom wishbone bolts out without undoing the rack mounting bolts and moving the rack to get clearance, but it certainly helps , the bolts come out rearwards and foul the rack if it's still in place ,

Hope this explains the action ,

Nik

 

Ah, I see. Then he probably did, but even if he hadn't it would not have affected the outcome of the alignment from what I can see.
So I guess I'm back to my origional question, why didn't I get more help from the eccentric bolts? I really don't understand how they work. Do you just tighten them up as much as you can, or do you stop at some point if you get the best improvement before it's in all the way?

 

Hi Badger,, Im having neg camber issues on my 99 xk8, caused I think by a bad mechanic who installed new tie rods... pls explain more about the camber bolts you mention and how they work and where u got them... loads of thanks

 

the bigger issue is bad upper shock mount that deteriorate and drop the ride height and drops camber more negative.
But if your camber is less that -1.5 and not closer to -2 I dont care what anyone says it will NOT prematurely wear the insides, but not setting toe correctly damn sure will and fast. If you dont check suspension deflection when setting toe like Mercedes has wanted for decades youll screw yourself. You drive on roads that take all the tolerances out of the suspension as you drive, ball joints, bushings, wheel bearing etc. You dont drive on an alignment machine! I preach this on forums till Im blue in the face. You can set front toe all day and Ive over the years, pressed on front tires and watch a "in the green" toed in front end go toed out into the red which will quickly wear out the insides of the front tires. When you simulate by pressing out on the insides of the front tires to simulate what the road will do to the suspension as you drive.
AND PS just cause its green doesnt meen it wont wear either. I always always toe in past the middle and my customers cars(if they dont hit crap) dont wearout unevenly. Also you may or may not be aware that on a XK most of tires youll put on are NOT gonna give you 30-40k, most will be 20-25k. as long as theyre wearing evenly. The cars are ment to stick in corners not drive on a set of tires for 40k. Look at the treadwear ratings when buying tires if your more concerned about longevity

 

Let me add to Brutal's comments that 13 year old springs will also cause the front to sag and the camber to go out. I replaced my spring pads and thought it made a big difference. Then I replaced my 15 year old springs and it made a lot more difference.

Check your ride height per this chart and see where your car is. To measure it, park it on a flat even surface like the concrete of a weight station or large parking lot. Before I changed my pads and springs I was down over an inch on the driver side. Pads made about 3/8 -1/2" difference. The springs made the rest and they were not evenly sagged on left and right.

 

where did u find camber bolt kit for 1998 xk8 conv

 

Where'd u get a bolt for a tenner?

 

I know, zombie thread. When I got an alignment after purchasing my 2003 XK8 convertible about a year ago, the tech said he couldn't completely align the right front wheel, and that the wheel was out of round slightly. Makes me think a prior owner, um, "bumped" something. I can get the wheel attended to locally. Does anybody know if the "camber kit" as described in this thread is still available from anybody? Thanks.

 

The likely root cause is a failed upper shock mount. Check the better part from Welsh Ent unless you want to do the job again later on as the Jaguar part disintegrates (again). To be sure, find the Jaguar Vehicle Spec Book and measure the ride height. Collapsed mount == excess negative camber.

OTOH, your out-of-round wheel is a hint that something is bent and that the camber bolt could be the remedy. Check with the tech how much the car is off by because these bolts do not seem to offer a whole lot of range. Last I heard, pricey, too. Part# JZB100086

Good thread with numbers here: xk8-front-suspension-exentric-bolt-upgrade-81140

Best of luck, keep us posted.

 

Thanks for your reply and the references. Attached is a printout of the alignment. It is very close, just barely out. The car drives straight and smooth, so the next question is how critical, since it is so close?

 

Your alignment looks like that of a car that has sagged about 2" (or has been lowered 2") . Even the green driver side front could be red unless they aligned the car with 200 lbs in the driver seat. The excess negative camber in back is the tip off of sagging/lowering.

Measure the distance from the center of the wheel to the center of the wheel arch on all 4 corners and report back.


Shock mounts/spring isolators/new shocks will usually bring everything back into spec.

 

USA LHD automobile:
Driver-Left-Front 14 1/2 inches, @ 37 cm
Passenger-Right-Front 15 inches, @ 38 cm
Driver-Left-Rear 16 1/2 inches, @ 42 cm
Passenger-Right-Rear 16 1/2 inches, @ 42 cm

 

You want close to 16" in front/back to have factory camber. Is the foam around the upper shock nut crumbly?

In back its weird its still -1 degree at 16.5". The only way to change this is with thicker half shaft shims.

 

I assume virtually all XK8s have premature wear on the inside ribs of the front tires. ?

I used to run negative camber on cars for autocross and track days and just accepted the premature wear as the cost of performance. It seems a little silly on a car like the XK8 which is more of a grand tourer than a sports car. JMHO