Wheels flush?

[ike301]

Looking at the car either head on or from the rear, it looks like the front wheels and the rear wheels, it seems the rear ones are not inline. Meaning the the top half of the tire goes slightly deeper into the well.

Or is it just me?

[SuperGreg]

Originally Posted by ike301

Looking at the car either head on or from the rear, it looks like the front wheels and the rear wheels, it seems the rear ones are not inline. Meaning the the top half of the tire goes slightly deeper into the well.

Or is it just me?

Normal, it's called negative camber. Negative camber refers to a wheel that is leaning inward with its top closer to the vehicle than its bottom. Positive camber, surprise-surprise, is the opposite, and means that a wheel leans out with its top further from the vehicle than its bottom. Many of the original Volkswagen Beetles had noticeable negative camber in the rear tires which made them look like they were squatting all of the time. A slight amount of negative camber setting is desirable because as a vehicle turns the outside wheels get pushed into a more positive camber state. This results in a camber of zero, or a straight up-and-down wheel, while cornering, which provides the largest contact patch and the greatest traction for handling.

SG

[MatriX5]

Originally Posted by ike301

Looking at the car either head on or from the rear, it looks like the front wheels and the rear wheels, it seems the rear ones are not inline. Meaning the the top half of the tire goes slightly deeper into the well.

Or is it just me?

They are set that way from the factory to enhance handling characteristics. Noticed it on mine and several sedans as well, so I looked it up. Can't remember where though.

[MatriX5]

Originally Posted by SuperGreg

Normal, it's called negative camber. Negative camber refers to a wheel that is leaning inward with its top closer to the vehicle than its bottom. Positive camber, surprise-surprise, is the opposite, and means that a wheel leans out with its top further from the vehicle than its bottom. Many of the original Volkswagen Beetles had noticeable negative camber in the rear tires which made them look like they were squatting all of the time. A slight amount of negative camber setting is desirable because as a vehicle turns the outside wheels get pushed into a more positive camber state. This results in a camber of zero, or a straight up-and-down wheel, while cornering, which provides the largest contact patch and the greatest traction for handling.

SG

Beat me to it, plus a better answer

[ike301]

Originally Posted by SuperGreg

Normal, it's called negative camber. Negative camber refers to a wheel that is leaning inward with its top closer to the vehicle than its bottom. Positive camber, surprise-surprise, is the opposite, and means that a wheel leans out with its top further from the vehicle than its bottom. Many of the original Volkswagen Beetles had noticeable negative camber in the rear tires which made them look like they were squatting all of the time. A slight amount of negative camber setting is desirable because as a vehicle turns the outside wheels get pushed into a more positive camber state. This results in a camber of zero, or a straight up-and-down wheel, while cornering, which provides the largest contact patch and the greatest traction for handling.

SG

whew

[JV]

Originally Posted by SuperGreg

Normal, it's called negative camber. Negative camber refers to a wheel that is leaning inward with its top closer to the vehicle than its bottom. Positive camber, surprise-surprise, is the opposite, and means that a wheel leans out with its top further from the vehicle than its bottom. Many of the original Volkswagen Beetles had noticeable negative camber in the rear tires which made them look like they were squatting all of the time. A slight amount of negative camber setting is desirable because as a vehicle turns the outside wheels get pushed into a more positive camber state. This results in a camber of zero, or a straight up-and-down wheel, while cornering, which provides the largest contact patch and the greatest traction for handling.

SG

What he said. You'll notice it big time if you are ever behind a Mercedes 500 or 560 SEC. Makes it harder to squeal those tires on an off ramp.

JV

[ike301]

Originally Posted by JVZ104

What he said. You'll notice it big time if you are ever behind a Mercedes 500 or 560 SEC. Makes it harder to squeal those tires on an off ramp.

JV

why would you want to squeal your tires?