What's up AMG guys. Just created a front for all of us lowered people. Just check out the other W203 thread:

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...55#post1246555

Any comments or advice would be appreciated.

 

What are you trying to accomplish? More negative or positive camber? The W203 is camber challenged. Most of us who have tried the bolts produced less than .50 degrees either way. Mine are set at full negative and I only get about .96 on one side and 1.1 on the other. Not nearly enough negative.

You mentioned something about the KMAC's on the other C Class thread. I did not know they were making a set of camber plates for the car, or are you just referring to their camber bushings which have failed on some cars in the past, but still an alternative offering.

 

smgC32: Can you give us a little more info on obtaining negative camber? I used the camber bolts on my C32 and got -0.7 degrees max. I now have a C55. I read posts by E55 owners who are using washers to attain negative camber. Is this possible on the C32/C55? Any new news on this issue would be appreciated.

 

On your 32, what was the reading before the correction bolts? Did they turn the bolts and take a reading at both positions to confirm they were in properly? What is the C55 stock reading? Have you tried the bolts for the C55? Don't go too big on the washer and make sure you put a longer bolt back in to replace the original that is at least the same increase in length as the washer. Should be able to get another .5 neg with this method. You could get alot more with a thicker washer but you will throw off the geometry, and put undue stress on the suspension, all of which will effect the handling of the car in a negative way

 

I haven't done anything with the C55 yet. The C32 was at 0 degrees with the stock bolts. I purchased the negative camber bolts and had them installed. Came to find out that they installed only one of them, claiming that they could not get more than about -.7 with the negative camber bolt, and that they got the same using the original bolt on the other side. I always suspected that the dealer (or tech) did not want to go past -.7 which is the far end, or slightly past the far end of the stock spec. I am trying to decide whether it is worth the effort to try the bolts on the C55, or whether there was some other way to get negative camber. I envy the BMW guys who just make the adjustment under the hood when they arrive at the track.

 

SMG and I have gone to the ends of the earth looking for camber. The only real option right now is to use the crash bolts and or washers to get camber. I got rid of my C32 but that car had about 1.2 degrees of negative camber with the crash bolts and I had upwards of 2.5 degrees with some camber bushings up front. There were some issues with the bushing so I took them out and went back to the bolts.

I sold that car and how have a C230k and an E55k. My C230k was killing its front tires just like the C32 did so I used the bolts to get whatever camber I could and this car came out with 1.8 degrees of negative camber. The inside fronts now wear far quicker than the outsides (when going straight) and the car drives far better than before. I also backed out some toe and the car became far more "alive". I had a tech work on the car for upwards of 2 hrs to do the front end allignment and he earned every cent of that 2 hrs. Each car is a little different and there can be up to a 1 degree neg camber difference in two cars of the same make and year. The post 2005 cars were said to have a wider track so this may indicate a change in geometry so any comparison between a C32 and a C55 would not be accurate. I need to check the part numbers for the lower control arms on 2003 and 2005 cars to see if they are the same. AMG and non AMG makes no difference. But SMG's car is camber challenged for sure.

I now need to take him my E55k and see if I can get 2.5 degrees out of that car stock. I know the E55 has about 1.5 stock so i have my fingers cross that he can make that car more alive as well.

In the end you will need to do the washer method to get camber but that, like smg said, requires longer bolts. Chances are that we will get this done and if we do I will let you know. Steve's C32 needs so much more camber it is not even funny. We eat tires faster than gas.

 

Thanks Cyn.