Anyone install k-mac rear camber kit?

[John 535is (Sydney)]

I am looking to adjust the rear camber to reduce inside tyre wear. I have Bilstien sport struts, Zender springs (35mm lower), 235 * 17 dunlops. Has anyone had experience with fitting the rear camber kits, and with good results? Looking at past threads, there is complaints about them squeeking.
The K mac front kits look OK, but the rear looks pretty basic for the cost!

John 535is

[Jeff N.]

You have too much rear camber, is that correct? Do you know the current measurement? Curious what it is...

Sorry I can't offer any help with the K-mac kit...

[GJPinAU]

Yeah John, I've got them installed in the rear.
Helps heaps with inside tyre wear. The squeaking has stopped but only with persistence from my suspension guy.

[attack eagle]

ditto
they didn't squeak at first, then did and now seem fine again.

was able to dial the toe OUT back to toe in and get the rear suspension back to mtecnik specs

[EngPhys09]

Did you find most suspension shops knew how to adjust this setting? I'm just about to drop my car and haven't bought these yet and dont plan to unless i need to.
I'm afraid that most suspension shops wont know what to do.

[GJPinAU]

What convinced me was after I had driven a 1000km trip with the family on board I looked at the rears and they had 90% tread on the outside but were down to the belts on the inside - Scary ****!

[EngPhys09]

I got a shop to do my alignment and they got it "within" specs, so not perfect. And its wearing the driver side inside and passenger side outside, srubbing like crazy.

Stupid shops don't know how to think. You can't always go by the book.

Anyways i was also told i had a bent strut? So purchased Sach kit and starting from scratch.

Seeing how my tire ware is for a few weeks then after winter put on some new tires and rims.

[BigKriss]

If the strut is bent, buying a sach kit won't help anything. :(


I got a shop to do my alignment and they got it "within" specs, so not perfect. And its wearing the driver side inside and passenger side outside, srubbing like crazy.

Stupid shops don't know how to think. You can't always go by the book.

Anyways i was also told i had a bent strut? So purchased Sach kit and starting from scratch.

Seeing how my tire ware is for a few weeks then after winter put on some new tires and rims.

[attack eagle]

Did you find most suspension shops knew how to adjust this setting? I'm just about to drop my car and haven't bought these yet and dont plan to unless i need to.
I'm afraid that most suspension shops wont know what to do.
Sorry for the delay.

NO one would touch it except the dealer.

not because of the kmacs, because it said BMW.
Apparently places here are completely incapable of doing an alignment without the computer spitting out specs for them...
I even had one shop tell me they would have to buy a 600 tool to align it...
When I informed them they didn't, the tech proceeded to argue with me and tell me that I didn't know what tools were required.

He must be a former government employee because only a fool would buy a $600 14mm open end wrench.

[Paul in NZ]

I got a shop to do my alignment and they got it "within" specs, so not perfect. And its wearing the driver side inside and passenger side outside, srubbing like crazy.

Stupid shops don't know how to think. You can't always go by the book.

Anyways i was also told i had a bent strut? So purchased Sach kit and starting from scratch.

Seeing how my tire ware is for a few weeks then after winter put on some new tires and rims.
there is something wrong there.Typically e34s will wear the INSIDE of the rears.The "sports" suspension setting and a lower setting makes the tyres wear the insides even more.I found the same thing on my 535 with m tech suspension the rear tyres looked fine but they were down to the steel belts on the inside. I think this happened because the tyres had been rotated abd the former outside edge of the front had become the inside edge at rear,because my next set of tyres did not do this

[John 535is (Sydney)]

I found most places just check the alighnment is true to the fronts not the camber. There is no adjustment that I have found on the standard rear (including m-tech). The M5 had an adjustment. I suppose checking the back is true to the front indicates the subframe is not bent, but like others, I have bad tyre wear. I thought it was due to rotating tyres from the front, but I just put new ones on and don't want to scrub them out. John

[John 535is (Sydney)]

I haven't measured it. I had HIOP lowered springs, I thought they may have just got a bit weak causing excessive sag, changed the springs to Zender lowered, (changed the Bilstiens for new ones too!) the camber still looks about the same. Just put new tyres on and don't want to repeat the same wear issues.

[John 535is (Sydney)]

Doesn't sound like a bent strut. If you are wearing the inside of one and the outside of the other, the rear subframe is not aligned to the car. Check your subframe mounts or a broken spring. I can't see how a bent strut could twist the rear end out of alignment. John535is

[John 535is (Sydney)]

exact same result for me after a trip to the snow. Except the highway patrol pulled me up to inform me. Then the two cops had a bet as to what year model the car was. In all the discussion about the car, they let me off instead of booking me. luck happens sometimes.

[Paul in NZ]

if you do rotate John just go front to back(and visa versa) on the same side,then you have a new edge to wear

[EngPhys09]

Doesn't sound like a bent strut. If you are wearing the inside of one and the outside of the other, the rear subframe is not aligned to the car. Check your subframe mounts or a broken spring. I can't see how a bent strut could twist the rear end out of alignment. John535is


I didn't think it was a bent strut either, or a bent strut insert in the front. The fact is it drove straight and then all of a sudden the handling got messed and i took it to get an alignment. After that steering wheel was straight, *wheels however weren't*

I dont know if any one experiences this but when you are driving on the left side of the road you turn to the right slightly and on the right you turn to the left. I know it has to do with the crown of the road. I do it ever so slightly on my car, does anyone else have this problem?

[GJPinAU]

If you are thinking of getting this kit installed, the guys at Hornsby Wheel Alignment did mine and I forgot about that tool needed to do the job, apparently Kmac supply one but it doesn't do the job properly - HWA modified one of their own to deal with it.

cheers,
Greg

[attack eagle]

If you are talking about the sleeve for pushing out the bushings, I didn't use it either. Took all of 3 minutes per bushing to burnout the OEM ones with a propane torch. Then I just knocked out the final external sleeve with an air chisel. :D
Those suckers have 3-4 metal sleeves inside the rubber, but if you heat the innner sleeve only, it will set the rubber ablaze in < 60 seconds. then with a junk screwdiver you can push the sleeves out as they are exposed.
I spent 15+ minutes on the first one trying to burn the rubber itself to no avail, so take my advices and heat the inner sleeve itself. works every time.

[ktteoh]

this is slightly off-topic, but i was browsing realoem when i saw the following parts - what do they do? ok the price as listed from stealership is ridiculous but still i'm curious.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=HB52&mospid=47370&btnr=31_0120&hg=31&fg=10

01 GUIDE SUPPORT CAMBER CORRECTION +30MIN. 2 07/1990 31331137233 $239.94
01 GUIDE SUPPORT CAMBER CORRECTION +30MIN. 2 07/1990 09/1992 31331139480 $239.94
01 GUIDE SUPPORT CAMBER CORRECTION -30MIN. 2 07/1990 31331137234 $239.94
01 GUIDE SUPPORT CAMBER CORRECTION -30MIN. 2 07/1990 09/1992 31331139481 $239.94

[Barney Paull-Edwards]

You have too much rear camber, is that correct? Do you know the current measurement? Curious what it is...

Sorry I can't offer any help with the K-mac kit...
Just set mine, not sure of factory settings but mine, with standard ride height, was 1.5' negative,with lower springs it has increased to 3' negative.Anybody having unequal wear has problems, wont be a bent strut.

[John 535is (Sydney)]

front camber strut top adjuster. Unfortunately for the later model than mine. It only has a very small adjustement though

[genphreak]

If you are thinking of getting this kit installed, the guys at Hornsby Wheel Alignment did mine and I forgot about that tool needed to do the job, apparently Kmac supply one but it doesn't do the job properly - HWA modified one of their own to deal with it.Hey Greg... nice rims, the beast is looking great! How much did they charge to fit your camber kit? It doesn't seem so easy I'd want to do it out the back lying on the concrete. I have a tremendous tyre wear problem htat has to be fixed... cheers, Nick

[GJPinAU]

Can't remember but it was big$ apparently had to take off the exhaust and with the afore mentioned tooling probs took a bit of time.

I have a crook bump-stop making thumping noises now but I'm too scared to get it fixed due to what might be an expensive job to fix a relatively easy thing.

[genphreak]

Can't remember but it was big$ apparently had to take off the exhaust and with the afore mentioned tooling probs took a bit of time.

I have a crook bump-stop making thumping noises now but I'm too scared to get it fixed due to what might be an expensive job to fix a relatively easy thing.Thanks Greg. Surely its the shock mount (cheap part) and easy to do yourself from inside the car.. even the bump stop- are they even necesssary on the rear?