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Yes, I noticed much better grip, especially in the wet, with the lowered camber.
I do not think the K-Mac bushings are stiffer than stock. The stock ones almost have no rubber - it is almost all metal and very stiff. The K-Macs are also plenty stiff and should be fine even under track use, as per my tuner (who is an experienced racer himself).
So what did you do after you uninstalled the K-Mac bushings? Live with the excessive camber and resulting tire wear, or did you find a better solution?
The rear adjustment was the problem (as always) and a fellow enthusiast with skills manufactured a small run of shortened LCA's that did the trick nicely when combined with H&R lowering springs. It became the preferred solution for our 500E crowd.
Yes, I noticed much better grip, especially in the wet, with the lowered camber.
I do not think the K-Mac bushings are stiffer than stock. The stock ones almost have no rubber - it is almost all metal and very stiff. The K-Macs are also plenty stiff and should be fine even under track use, as per my tuner (who is an experienced racer himself).
How many miles have you had them for? I know when I went with those adjustable arms a number of people were having problems with the kmacs
I am pretty close to pulling the trigger on a set of the rear bushings and the front plates...
How many miles have you had them for? I know when I went with those adjustable arms a number of people were having problems with the kmacs
I am pretty close to pulling the trigger on a set of the rear bushings and the front plates...
The front K-Mac camber plates are sold. The rear bushings are in maybe 500 miles now? Too early to tell.
2012 C63;1971 280SE 3.5(Sold);2023 EQS 450 SUV 4 Matic (Wife's)
I had the front camber and caster and rear camber bushings on my 2010 C63 for two years and close to 11000km. I did not have any problems with the bushings. The car was lowered on H&R springs.
1800 miles on my E55's front and rear KMac bushings. No squeaks, no issues to date. Took several attempts to get the camber and toe where I wanted it but I don't blame it on the bushings; more like me and the alignment tech learning the interactions of the new adjustable parts. Biggest issue in the rear was ensuring to disconnect the toe arm before attempting to adjust camber. In the front the tech kept attempting to use the thrust arms to adjust camber rather than the control arms; once I pointed that out the alignment went pretty quickly.
Just a heads up, K-Mac just sent me an email addressing the squeaking that Wobble was experiencing. They said to check the torque on the bolts, as if they're loose, that can cause them to squeak.
Badmeat, I removed (and sold) the K-Mac camber plates in the front, when I moved to KW Clubsport coilovers (they come with their own camber plates, different from the V3s). However, those same coilovers brought my rear down significantly compared the HR spring setup I had before, so I recently installed the rear bushing kit from K-Mac to get camber down to a reasonable value. Works great, has lots of adjustment range, but squeaks a bit, at least mine. Not an issue for me though, since I know there is a good reason for the squeaking. It will save me many sets of tires.....
i bought Jims camber kit and I have the V3s now as well. When lowering the car im getting rubbing on the outside fenders with my new setup. Will the kit help with this? Right now my numbers are 2.6 front neg camber and rear is 1.9 neg in the rear. I want to run 2.0 and 1.5 for the street but having issues with tire rub in the rear. Also what kit is it by the way. I must be missing something. Thanks in advance.
2012 C63;1971 280SE 3.5(Sold);2023 EQS 450 SUV 4 Matic (Wife's)
Maz I don't think the rear camber kit from K-MAC will help your rubbing in the rear. It will enable you to lower your rear camber and will do it without making your rubbing much worse as it brings in the suspension from the lower control arm rather than pushing out the top control arm. Depending on where you are rubbing and how bad it is you may have a reasonably simple solution. There is a metal piece that joins the rear bumper to the quarter panel. It protrudes a little into the wheel arch. If you are rubbing on this spot it is relatively easy to trim it without doing any damage to your fender lip or bumper/quarter panel joint.
2014 C63 Sedan, Toyota Tacoma Supercharged, Lexus RX 350
Not to hijack, but I also have this kit for the front and I have the squeaking Mort mentioned. It has been driving me crazy, so I took my ride back to the install shop and they found one of the kmac bush was causing the noise. Kmac sent me a brand new bush (cheers!) along with some more pointers for install. Brought my rig back to the install shop for them to replace the bush, and they find this. Now I need some new specialty washers so the shop can install the new bush. I think its Australia Day so Kmac is hopefully out celebrating as I have not heard from them. I assume he will get back to me soon.
Anyone know where I could source the washers from locally?
2012 C63;1971 280SE 3.5(Sold);2023 EQS 450 SUV 4 Matic (Wife's)
Originally Posted by Mazspeed
i bought Jims camber kit and I have the V3s now as well. When lowering the car im getting rubbing on the outside fenders with my new setup. Will the kit help with this? Right now my numbers are 2.6 front neg camber and rear is 1.9 neg in the rear. I want to run 2.0 and 1.5 for the street but having issues with tire rub in the rear. Also what kit is it by the way. I must be missing something. Thanks in advance.
The kit for the rear is 502226K. I have done both my 2010 and 2012 with these kits. Neither kit I got from K-MAC was the correct one but with Kevin's help I made both work. One kit I have is the 502626-1 which is for a W211 AMG and a 502526 which covers a number of models W211 etc. I hope they will send you the correct kit so be specific about the part SKU: 502226K.
I just set my rear cambers at -1* 30' (1.5*neg) and still have toe adjustment of 1/16" per side. If you try to go any lower you will run out of toe adjustment and need to install the toe bushings that come with the kit. So far I haven't bothered installing the toe bushings. No reason really just haven't bothered fussing with them.
The kit for the rear is 502226K. I have done both my 2010 and 2012 with these kits. Neither kit I got from K-MAC was the correct one but with Kevin's help I made both work. One kit I have is the 502626-1 which is for a W211 AMG and a 502526 which covers a number of models W211 etc. I hope they will send you the correct kit so be specific about the part SKU: 502226K.
I just set my rear cambers at -1* 30' (1.5*neg) and still have toe adjustment of 1/16" per side. If you try to go any lower you will run out of toe adjustment and need to install the toe bushings that come with the kit. So far I haven't bothered installing the toe bushings. No reason really just haven't bothered fussing with them.
Hey Mort. Thanks for the write up. Right now the car is 3/4 lower front and rear and my current camber is -2.6 in the front and -1.9 in the rear. And I am rubbing on the drivers side rear. I’ll post a photo later, but I am aiming for -2.0 front and -1.5 rear. At the current height I can’t go less than -1.9 in the rear so I think these Kmac parts will help. The shop I am using is also looking into these fixes as well. They maintain that the rubbing might not be able to be fixed because these is so little to trim and the plastic liner would fall out. It does look as if the rubbing on the top center of the wheel arch. How have you liked the setup so far? Thanks for the advise.
2012 C63;1971 280SE 3.5(Sold);2023 EQS 450 SUV 4 Matic (Wife's)
Originally Posted by MB_SD
Not to hijack, but I also have this kit for the front and I have the squeaking Mort mentioned. It has been driving me crazy, so I took my ride back to the install shop and they found one of the kmac bush was causing the noise. Kmac sent me a brand new bush (cheers!) along with some more pointers for install. Brought my rig back to the install shop for them to replace the bush, and they find this. Now I need some new specialty washers so the shop can install the new bush. I think its Australia Day so Kmac is hopefully out celebrating as I have not heard from them. I assume he will get back to me soon.
Anyone know where I could source the washers from locally?
Sorry I can't help you with a local source for these washers as I am sure that they are custom made by K-MAC.
One thing I am sure of is that Kevin will be more than willing to work with you on resolving this issue and supplying you with new parts. One thing about K-MAC and Kevin is that he supplies excellent customer support and will modify parts on the fly if need be. Unfortunately you will have to wait for the parts to arrive but Kevin will send them the fastest way he can. Good luck getting your squeak eliminated and your car back in service.
2012 C63;1971 280SE 3.5(Sold);2023 EQS 450 SUV 4 Matic (Wife's)
Originally Posted by Mazspeed
Hey Mort. Thanks for the write up. Right now the car is 3/4 lower front and rear and my current camber is -2.6 in the front and -1.9 in the rear. And I am rubbing on the drivers side rear. I’ll post a photo later, but I am aiming for -2.0 front and -1.5 rear. At the current height I can’t go less than -1.9 in the rear so I think these Kmac parts will help. The shop I am using is also looking into these fixes as well. They maintain that the rubbing might not be able to be fixed because these is so little to trim and the plastic liner would fall out. It does look as if the rubbing on the top center of the wheel arch. How have you liked the setup so far? Thanks for the advise.
Hey Maz. I really like the setup I have. I love the adjustability and the build quality of the parts. I also think these bushings are stiffer than stock and will help improve suspension compliance. It has not been without some small issues but I will tell you Kevin is excellent to deal with and very quick to resolve any problems or issues you may encounter.
I have the front camber/caster bushings and top plates (street not race version) and the rear camber/toe bushings.
I have had the rear bushings installed for two years on my 2012 and about 7720 Km (4825 miles) without issue. My rear camber adjusted down from - 2* 55' to - 1* 35' and there is a little more adjustment left but not much. That and reduced rear toe-in should help a little with rear tire wear.
I have had the front top plates installed for two years and 7720 Km as well. I have had an issue with the left front top bushing but not sure if it is something with my car or an install issue. I think part of the issue is not being able to get the proper torque on the nut on top of the KW strut. I will work with Kevin to sort it out and Kevin was more than obliging to supply me with more bushings.
I just installed the front camber/caster bushings so that I could lower my front camber. I am not expecting to have any issues with these as they worked perfectly fine on my 2010. I have the top plates for camber adjustment as well but will use them to fine tune my settings. I installed the top plates for maximum negative camber and now wish I had them the other orientation but they will be fine this way for now. I could not use them to reduce front camber settings anyway as the tires would have rubbed on the fender lips and I do not want to try to roll my front fenders. I did that on my 2010 and it did not work out satisfactorily. I was able to adjust my front camber from around -3* to -1*55' . I think this setting will work well on the street and help a little with tire wear. I have not run them on the street yet so I cannot give you any impressions at this point. They did however work very well on my 2010 but set at around -3* camber.
If you are going to try to use the top plates to lower your front camber make sure you install them in the correct orientation for that purpose, you have to swap them from one side to the other. There may be a small adjustment you can make to the top plate as well by grinding some material off. It was in another thread or send Kevin an email and he will be able to help with that and how to ensure you get them installed on the correct side of the car for your purposes. I found the picture he sent in the instructions a little hard to decipher, as to the orientation of the top plates for maximum positive or negative adjustment purposes. Not really sure how much adjustment you will be able to achieve, in reducing the front camber settings, using the top plates alone.
I am not sure how you will stop the rubbing in the right rear. If you do end up grinding the rear lips (for a very little gain) and the fender liner starts to droop you can drill a hole through it into the inner fender (be careful not to go through the quarter panel in the process) and use body fasteners to hold the liner up in place. I have a few in my BS liners, in my HMS flares, holding it out of harms way. They are black plastic fasteners with thin flat tops about 3/4" in diameter and fuzzy stems to hold them in place. Any good body shop should be able to help with this if no one else is brash enough to do it. Make sure the guys check the metal brace at the bumper/quarter panel joint as I think it is a common place for tires to rub on dips. Maybe as a last resort mill a few mm off the hub on your wheels if there is enough meat on them. I am sure you know more the risks vs rewards of doing this than me but I have seen it mentioned several times. Keep safe.
Sorry for writing a book but I hope it helps out.
Last edited by Mort; 01-27-2018 at 12:58 PM.
Reason: Mill hubs?
Little hack for anyone wanting to change their rear offset to reduce rubbing or make a more aggressive stance. You’ll need the the Kmac bushings for the LCA and Toe arm. You’ll also want to pick up an adjustable upper control arm off eBay. Now you can effectively move your wheel in and out by adjusting both the upper and lower control arms!
Little hack for anyone wanting to change their rear offset to reduce rubbing or make a more aggressive stance. You’ll need the the Kmac bushings for the LCA and Toe arm. You’ll also want to pick up an adjustable upper control arm off eBay. Now you can effectively move your wheel in and out by adjusting both the upper and lower control arms!
Hey Maz. I really like the setup I have. I love the adjustability and the build quality of the parts. I also think these bushings are stiffer than stock and will help improve suspension compliance. It has not been without some small issues but I will tell you Kevin is excellent to deal with and very quick to resolve any problems or issues you may encounter.
I have the front camber/caster bushings and top plates (street not race version) and the rear camber/toe bushings.
I have had the rear bushings installed for two years on my 2012 and about 7720 Km (4825 miles) without issue. My rear camber adjusted down from - 2* 55' to - 1* 35' and there is a little more adjustment left but not much. That and reduced rear toe-in should help a little with rear tire wear.
I have had the front top plates installed for two years and 7720 Km as well. I have had an issue with the left front top bushing but not sure if it is something with my car or an install issue. I think part of the issue is not being able to get the proper torque on the nut on top of the KW strut. I will work with Kevin to sort it out and Kevin was more than obliging to supply me with more bushings.
I just installed the front camber/caster bushings so that I could lower my front camber. I am not expecting to have any issues with these as they worked perfectly fine on my 2010. I have the top plates for camber adjustment as well but will use them to fine tune my settings. I installed the top plates for maximum negative camber and now wish I had them the other orientation but they will be fine this way for now. I could not use them to reduce front camber settings anyway as the tires would have rubbed on the fender lips and I do not want to try to roll my front fenders. I did that on my 2010 and it did not work out satisfactorily. I was able to adjust my front camber from around -3* to -1*55' . I think this setting will work well on the street and help a little with tire wear. I have not run them on the street yet so I cannot give you any impressions at this point. They did however work very well on my 2010 but set at around -3* camber.
If you are going to try to use the top plates to lower your front camber make sure you install them in the correct orientation for that purpose, you have to swap them from one side to the other. There may be a small adjustment you can make to the top plate as well by grinding some material off. It was in another thread or send Kevin an email and he will be able to help with that and how to ensure you get them installed on the correct side of the car for your purposes. I found the picture he sent in the instructions a little hard to decipher, as to the orientation of the top plates for maximum positive or negative adjustment purposes. Not really sure how much adjustment you will be able to achieve, in reducing the front camber settings, using the top plates alone.
I am not sure how you will stop the rubbing in the right rear. If you do end up grinding the rear lips (for a very little gain) and the fender liner starts to droop you can drill a hole through it into the inner fender (be careful not to go through the quarter panel in the process) and use body fasteners to hold the liner up in place. I have a few in my BS liners, in my HMS flares, holding it out of harms way. They are black plastic fasteners with thin flat tops about 3/4" in diameter and fuzzy stems to hold them in place. Any good body shop should be able to help with this if no one else is brash enough to do it. Make sure the guys check the metal brace at the bumper/quarter panel joint as I think it is a common place for tires to rub on dips. Maybe as a last resort mill a few mm off the hub on your wheels if there is enough meat on them. I am sure you know more the risks vs rewards of doing this than me but I have seen it mentioned several times. Keep safe.
Sorry for writing a book but I hope it helps out.
Huge thanks Mort. I will run this by the shop. We picked picked up both bushing packages. Thanks again
Tire rub photos. The tire size is a 265 in the rear. I was thinking of looking at shaving the hub about an 1/16th to see if that would work, but want to call the wheel maker to see if that is an option.
2012 P31 C63 Coupe Trackrat, 2019 GLE63S Coupe Beast
Maz, sorry I didn’t reply here earlier but you have good advice from Mort. The leading edge of that rear clip joining the quarter panel to the rear bumper can be shaved down and still remain functional - that’s going to be your biggest gain and should let you run 275’s without any further work. Rolling the rear fender can be done, but you’re likely to crack the paint around the edge in the process and it’ll look funky close-up. Those two things should get you all the clearance you need without doing the adjustable upper arms. As stated above, the KMAC bushings will pull the wheel in from the bottom so won’t help you with clearance but should get your camber where you need it.
03-01-2016, 11:43 AM
