Re: adjustable camber plates

[alex.fadeev@xxxxxxxxxxx]

"lars@domain.elided"  wrote:
> I have two questions for anyone out there with experience with the 
> k-mac front adjustable camber plates for my E36 325is. 

Eric,
I can't help you with _your_ 325is, but I can share my experience with 
KMACs on my M3 and another set waiting to go into my wife's 328i.

> First, they say that they will not increase the ride height, yet 
> they do. 

Not for me.
Granted, I had also swapped the shocks and eventually the springs as part 
of the KMAC install, but comparing KMACs to the stock '95 M3 front upper 
strut bearings, the two were nearly identical in thickness.
I've heard that early KMAC versions were thicker than OE camber plates, 
but that was corrected later in the production run. Perhaps your KMACs are 
of the early variety. Or perhaps non-M3 camber plates are thinner than OE 
M3 and KMAC plates. I will not have the conclusive answer until I take 
apart my wife's suspension.

> Did I have them installed wrong or is that just the way they are?

I don't think the height will change with KMAC plate's installation 
orientation. Although installing them one of the three ways will result in 
the maximum negative camber gain/minimum caster loss.

> Second, even with the adjustable plates I still can't get as much
> caster as a stock M3 , I'm about 2 degrees off. 

That right.
KMAC and other camber plates sacrifice caster for camber. 
Try to visualize where the top of the strut would need to go to get 
maximum caster vs. maximum camber and you will understand why. This is 
also the reason why race GC camber plates require custom welding to 
enlarge the strut tower opening.

> I have m3 bushings, control arms and hubs. 

I also had installed M3 bushings on my wife's car, but did not touch the 
control arms. 
What year M3's control arm did you use?
'95 M3 arms are different than '96+ arms which are in turn different than 
standard E36 arms. The same is true about the control arm bushings. What 
suspension geometry change did you aim for and get with the control 
arm/bushing change?

> What else is different about the stock m3 suspension?

The front shock cartridge has sway bar brackets welded to the shock tower 
itself. Non-M3 sway bars attach to the control arm.
That's it.

alex f

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