<E34> Alignment & Camber Plates

[Pearson-Franks Family <pearsonf@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi, Jeff.

I am very interested in this thread, as we just installed
camber plates in our E28, and I am waiting to see how we
like that before I do the same to my E34.  We have strut
tower braces on both, and had to omit the upper ring of
the camber plate to be able to remount the strut brace.
There is still plenty of meat for everything to grab, so
we didn't feel we were compromising strength or stability.
The day at the track the day after the installation was
anticlimactic; rain.  :(

I am advised (by Duane Collie) that my theory of finding
a camber adjustment that will even out inside and outside
tire wear on the fronts was valid, and is around -2.5
degrees.  He recommended an "accurate guage" to set them,
and I will be putting a note to Steve D'G to see if he
sells them!

It would appear that you could replicate factory settings
pretty easily; we just matched the castor (front/back)
settings to the factory "center", and set the camber to
about twice what the factory appeared to be, and tweaked
it to be the same on both sides; guaged by a level up and
down on the wheels.  Also recall that the position of the
camber plate will have no effect on toe-in; that comes
from adjusting the length of the tie-rods.

Keep us posted, and I'll do the same!  Larry F.

>Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 04:03:25 -0400
>From: Jeff Donnelly <jeff@domain.elided>
>Subject: <E34> Alignment & Camber Plates
>
>I am thinking about installing the BMP adj camber plates on my 95 540 and
>have a few general questions. The first is does anyone think that the plate
>will affect my upper strut brace?
>
>Second once the adj plates are installed and the car re aligned (by a good
>shop) is there any way to index the shop alignment so that after a track
>day I do not have bring it back to the alignment shop.
>
>If any of you run these plates what neg camber do you use and what for toe
>to start out for a road course like Lime Rock?
>I have also seen toe gauges and camber tools does any one do there own
>alignments and if so how long does is take on the garage floor.
>
>TIA   Jeff Donnelly
>
>

Larry Franks
Issaquah, Washington
'95 540i/6
'86 535i
'83 245 GLT  (Swedish iron)

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