camber issue

[mikezilinski]

Hey guys, I'm new to club protege , I love this site, I have a 93 protege lx, I'm having camber issues to much negative camber. Ive been reading other post and have an idea on how to adjust it. Is it really as ez as unbolting the top of the strut and turning it? And could someone tell me y my automatic seatbelt only moves forward 5inches n stops? Thanks guys..

[mikezilinski]

Oh and how do I know if I have a bp or b8?

[ThatGreenBG]

BP is DOHC, B8 is SOHC. There's plenty of pictures and info around here, as well as Google. Also, a B8 car will have rear drum brakes. Technically, they're the same bottom end. If you swap a BP head onto a B8 you'll have lower compression than a standard BP, which is good for turbo applications. If you don't plan on boosting, keep your B8 or swap in an N/A BP.

If the strut stop hats are like the ones on later proteges, you will change the camber by mounting the strut tops in different positions. There's really only one way they're supposed to be, as your caster and other stuff will be all out of whack. I wouldn't call it an adjustment, since there's only one way that is correct.

Welcome to CP!

[mikezilinski]

Thanks for the info, so how do I adjust my camber? Or what's the correct way?

[ThatGreenBG]

Camber plates or camber bolts. Camber plates replace the strut top hat and are quicker/easier to dial in adjustments on, but they are a lot more expensive. Camber bolts are a sort of eccentric bolt that angles the suspension when you turn it (same idea as oem Miata suspension). These replace one of the bolts that mounts the knuckle to the strut and facilitates the adjustment. They only add about 1.5-1.75 degrees of camber over stock, depending on which kind you buy.

Bolts


Plates


Sorry for the monster pic.

[mikezilinski]

So there is no adjustment that I can make without plates or bolts?

[ThatGreenBG]

Beyond toe adjustment, no. Very few cars have factory camber/caster adjustment, especially family econo-sedans.

Pro Tip: Lower the car. Get free camber.

[mikezilinski]

So if I have negative camber right now it's because something is wrong? I think my front wheel bearings are shot I'm replacing them tomorrow I hope.

[mikezilinski]

Can u use regular shocks with plates?

[ThatGreenBG]

Is it negative camber at all corners? How bad is it?

I'm not sure how exactly they bolt up from the underside, i.e. how you keep the upper spring perch when replacing the top hat (I've never had a set. I just know how they work. lol) but yes, you can.

[mikezilinski]

Just my front has the negative camber, I his replaced my front shocks wit kyb shocks n stock springs. It's noticeable just looking at them.

[ThatGreenBG]

So, you're just eyeballing it and don't have actual numbers from an alignment machine telling you what your measurements are? You cant just look at it and guess.

There is SOME camber from the factory, but that's just the design of the suspension and there's not a whole lot from a performance standpoint. The wheels aren't just going to be straight up and down.

[Mazda_Powered]

You can spin your OEM front strut mount to change camber and toe angles. If you're not able to have your camber within OE specs, you can purchase crash bolts as mentioned above from ebay or an alignment shop.

[mikezilinski]

Awesome thanks for the information guys!..