Camber Change: What It Is, How It Affects Your Car, and What You Need to Know

When you adjust the camber change, the angle of your wheels relative to the road surface when viewed from the front or back of the car. Also known as wheel camber, it’s one of the most overlooked but critical parts of wheel alignment that directly impacts how your tires grip the road, how fast they wear, and how your car handles in corners.

Camber change isn’t just about looks. If your wheels tilt inward (negative camber) or outward (positive camber) too much, you’ll get uneven tire wear—often on the inner or outer edge. That’s not just expensive to fix; it’s dangerous. Many people tweak their suspension for a lower ride height using lowering springs without realizing it pulls the top of the wheel inward, creating unwanted negative camber. And if you add wheel spacers to push wheels out, you’re changing the scrub radius, which can make camber issues worse. These aren’t separate problems—they’re connected. A camber change from lowering your car can increase stress on your wheel bearings, leading to premature failure, just like what happens when spacers are installed wrong.

Most stock cars are set up with slight negative camber for better cornering grip, but aftermarket mods often push that too far. You don’t need to be a race car driver to care about this. If you’ve lowered your car, added spacers, or noticed your tires wearing unevenly, you’ve got a camber issue. It’s not always visible to the eye, but it shows up in your tire tread, steering feel, and even your fuel economy. A bad camber angle makes your tires drag sideways instead of rolling straight, forcing your engine to work harder. And if you’re thinking about a body kit or new wheels, you’re probably going to need a realignment afterward—because camber doesn’t fix itself.

What you’ll find below are real-world guides from people who’ve been there. Whether it’s how wheel spacers affect bearing life, why lowering springs change your alignment, or how to spot tire wear caused by bad camber, these posts cut through the noise. No theory. No fluff. Just what actually happens when you modify your car—and how to fix it before you waste money or risk your safety.