How Cam Bolts Work (How to Adjust Camber) • Cars Simplified

This is how cam bolts are used to adjust camber!
These cammed bolts are designed to allow some adjustment of the angle between a MacPherson strut and the steering knuckle it attaches to.
Sometimes your vehicle will need an alignment adjustment beyond what is available from the factory, and these cam bolts are the way shops add adjustability. You can sometimes save yourself some money by installing these yourself before having the vehicle aligned!
A pair of cam bolts: amzn.to/2WiqSwL *
Exact part # shown in this video: amzn.to/2U8sYlm *
(*Make sure these are going to fit your vehicle; they come in different sizes, and some vehicles can't use them at all.)
Having too much or too little camber can cause excessive tire wear on the inside or outside edge of the tire's tread.
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[@jeffwilliamson342]

Watched several videos to try to see how these dang things work. This was the first that actually made sense. Thanks.

[@CarsSimplified]

Awesome! Glad to hear it is helping people!

[@dougb5202]

Yes, I agree 100%. I saw other videos that just showed how to replace the original bolts with the new cams, with zero explanation on how they work or how to adjust them.

[@Loulito]

Excellent video! You have just saved me $300 in parts & labor! That was what I was going to be charged at a Goodyear alignment shop to get these camber bolts and have them installed! Ridiculous. More importantly thank you for letting me know that I can install them at ZERO adjustment! That way I can still safely drive to the alignment shop and not need a tow. That was super helpful because you answered my only question I would've had right there. I have a 98 Camry and these dont come with camber adjustment capability. I went on the MOOG site and looked up the camber kits I needed for both front and rear and will install them at zero adjustment and take it to Goodyear for a proper alignment and evade +300 cost in parts and installation labor. Again, thank you so much! 🙌👍

[@knocksensor3203]

And in my case ,alignment never was adjusted correctly, always had shaky steering wheel, tire wear..$80 wasted at every trip.. they had warranty.. but who wants to bother going back to the alignment/tire shop waiting there,an hour or more, just to hope they get the alignment right.. big waste of 💸and time.. like the saying go’s “ Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish,and you feed him for a lifetime..”I learned and do my own wheel alignment.. height adjustments,camber and toes..

[@stoned12345678910]

finally. clear explanation of the mechanism. thanks!

[@patgrant9663]

Swear to God your explanation was hands down the the best man.

[@davemcguigan218]

Great explanation of suspension adjustment!

[@ianleonard3745]

Thanks Mate, simple, clear and to the point well done!

[@CarsSimplified]

I don't always achieve that, but I aim for it every time I make a video. Thanks!

[@waqarqadeer5217]

Thanks for explaining it so well ❤

[@prospermakosa4408]

You make so simple bro👍🏿. Love from South Africa

[@bernieanderson8118]

Great explanation! Thank You!

[@mikej3844]

Very nice! I feel like I can do this myself!

[@georgekopsias9159]

Excellent video. Thank you.

[@crazy_clone1876]

Honestly I never knew about Campbell's until his video thank God for him

[@DanielHennellMusic]

Extremely helpful, thank you! Subbed

[@BryanVizcarrondo]

Thanks for the video! It helped me a lot, thank you.

[@knocksensor3203]

Excellent explanation 👏🏼

[@alishahid6344]

Thanks alot for explaining.

[@johncoppock3823]

Great video, many thanks

[@ThijsDijkstra]

Thank you. Very useful. Will buy some

[@MrChickenspit]

Wow. Good video, hopefully you grow alot

[@gustavocalzada5893]

I needed to see this! Gracias amigo

[@CarsSimplified]

Glad it helped! Thanks!

[@carlosbarragan6729]

the diagram makes it awsome. thx uu

[@najeebbaterdouk9253]

Thank you very much!

[@obummeryourmumma]

Thank you sir, ill now be able to get 4000 more miles out of my front tires 🙌 🙏

[@davidcayll3296]

Please explain how the lower ball joint affects the use of 2 cam bolts as you demonstrated. I tried this and it did not work as expected

[@aintnunbutapenut]

Wow thank you so much

[@Cypherlockey]

Thank you.

[@MustangMedic]

Nice job 👍

[@psaunder1975]

thanks great video.. !

[@jimmyfavereau]

great vid, I was perplexed wondering, why would toyota echo not have camber adjust option? I was going to oblong the top hole just so I could get it in spec... thanks for the vid!

[@hezziedin]

Good sharing.

[@Johnsmith-yv8tx]

This is the video I was looking for!! I had an accident hitting the curb, I changed my lower control arm and outer rod but the tire has positive camber like a lot that my tire is wearing on the side, I thought to change the whole wheel bearing with hub assembly thinking it might have been bend and right now I am installing the whole wheel assembly but what do you think??? is it a simple camber adjust or actually the wheel bearing with hub assembly is the one?

[@slowsubie5651]

Unreal video 💪

[@CarsSimplified]

Thanks!

[@fernandogil65]

You're a genius! Very clear and to the point...

[@CarsSimplified]

Thanks!

[@LeandroFTW]

Oooooooooh I get it now. Ordering now!

[@danjohnson4519]

Great video.

[@CarsSimplified]

Thanks!

[@bseries8826]

Thanks man I appreciate you. Answered my question plain and simple

[@CarsSimplified]

Thanks! I don't always accomplish it but it's what I aim for!

[@theslimeylimey]

Clearly explained thank you.

[@permabulk1454]

What’s up man! I just installed some Megan coils on my 04 gto. Quick questions.. does the stock camber bolt (little 8mm bolt above/perpendicular to the clevis bolt holes) need to be pressed into the strut before tightening the clevis bolts? Or does it matter

[@lowerclass4182]

Cool my camber kit came with the camber bolts on front wasnt sure on how that did it

[@kneebarx]

Excellent video excellent explanation too bad I threw these bolts away now not knowing what they were. I have to buy new ones now to get a good alignment

[@knocksensor3203]

They’re quite pricey

[@trixie8655]

I was told last week that my 2014 Taurus needed the Camber Adjusters removed and OEM strut bolts put back in because he couldn't find the center line and the cam adjusters were "put in wrong" (2 bolt strut, put in top hole). How true is what he said?

[@MuhamadAzizi-wn5qt]

if oem bolt diameter 17mm , what camber bolt i need to use ? tQ

[@danielk0106]

Are these what they call eccentric cams? I see camber and caster kits but what is the caster?

[@MrEatthemeat]

Thanks I really needed this info

[@CarsSimplified]

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

[@bosanovaboy]

Hello and thank you for this great video. I just had my car alignment done and they told me I needed to fix 3 of my wheels with camber kits, and from watching this video I can see that I can do it. My question is, after I correct my camber, will it change my alignment too, do I need to get my car realigned? Thank you.

[@echonomix_]

Anytime you unbolt or adjust suspension components, it's a good idea to get an alignment. It's cheaper than a new set of tires. If you're actually making adjustments to camber (which is a vital component in your alignment) then you most certainly need an alignment.

[@yon1438]

@@echonomix_ wow thank u sir..im already think of the same but dindt know thats true or not but what u said is totally make sense..thanks again!

[@jedmethven3633]

Any one know if I can use a regular nut and bolt instead of a cam bolt? The nut and bolt snapped off of the cam bolt on my 95 grand Cherokee....don’t really want to spend 50 bucks on a glorified bolt if I don’t have to

[@jojojeep1]

I dropped my car 3 inches I have bought four of these bolts to bring it back to maybe 1° I don’t want to ruin my tires, how do you work the Two bolt system

[@Mm01233]

I made an alignment to my tires and he informed me that the front driver side tire need one of these bolt and the camber showed -1 its bad, it's necessary to do that or it's ok

[@dknc7393]

Are these self locking nuts? I have trouble tightening them like the nuts don't fit the threads. Does it mean that the camber bolts/nuts can only be used once? Next time if taken off, I cannot reuse them? Would I have trouble getting the nut back out next time around? Should I put anti seize?

[@CarsSimplified]

Definitely don't use anti-seize on them! The nut on the ones in the video have a section of deformed threads that keep it from backing off. Once they are used the first time, they aren't as effective and will go on easier because of it. If you want to put anything on to assist it, threadlocker is the stuff to use, but it doesn't need it when it is fresh. I don't know if a threadlocker provides the needed locking force to "fix" a used nut; I imagine red may do the trick, but I don't know for sure. I'll look into it further, but an initial search didn't turn up anything.

[@yok3nny]

I have -1.4 camber on my front passenger and -0.7 and the driver's side. Is that REAL bad?

[@dallastexas4503]

I wrecked my front bumper and bent the frame a bit on the left side ever since im not able to get a alignment on the left side dead on do you think these will help

[@CarsSimplified]

They should give you more camber adjustment range, but there is more to frame damage than that. Definitely better than not doing anything, though!

[@jin5632]

Hello, I have a weird question. Can I use camber bolts with aftermarket coilovers (meaning the car is lowered) or should I go with camber plate ? My coilover (Tein street basis Z) doesn't have camber and I have to use camber bolts, but it seems it's not holding it's position properly. It usually slip when driving on uneven roads (ruts, bumps, potholes etc).

[@CarsSimplified]

Camber plates are going to have a better end result for performance, if they stay in place. If you can't lock them in place and camber bolts fit, then a double set of camber bolts should work. I lowered a Pontiac Grand Prix a few years ago (-1 inch lowering springs, not coilovers) and I needed to use camber bolts on both bolt locations on each side to get the alignment right. Even if you go with camber bolts, you'll need to make sure whatever the top of the coilover is mounted to stays put. Let me know how it goes!

[@jlrockafella]

@@CarsSimplified so if the inside of my front tires is showing more wear then I would need positive camber? I found some camber bolts from SPC maybe this will help.

[@elliekay8616]

“You don’t want positive camber” 😂 amen. So helpful, thank you!!

[@CarsSimplified]

Thanks!

[@gsheverything_2716]

Unless you're lowered though

[@aiibertt]

@@gsheverything_2716 that makes no sense

[@ryangraves3353]

Right ....cars that are lowered need positive camber..we need the top of tire to come out

[@kellyreinoso4827]

Unless you are racing circle track. You want positive camber in the LF.

[@Phil-D83]

Had to use these to fix the camber in my dad's car.

[@abrishatravel]

very Easy to understand ... but i have a question can i order 2 cam adjustment bolts and use the 2 oem bolts for each side of wheel im curious to save some dime..😊 thank you

[@knocksensor3203]

Yep.. camber adjusting bolt on the top hole of strut/ knuckle and the OEM thick bolt on bottom hole of strut/knuckle ( source: Specialty products company or Moog..)

[@tonyrichard2705]

So if I put ordinary bolts in I'll get negative camber

[@fachinetto]

Bro, I have a question: does it affect the car alignment? In terms of, Toe in, toe out... Best explanation ever. Thank you... just found you on youtube. Following

[@CarsSimplified]

Thanks for the kind words! In response to your question, the suspension style shown/discussed here should only see camber altered. With some designs where the bolts are very low on the steering knuckle, if a dramatic adjustment kicks it out, there may be a slight toe in/out alteration, but very minimal. It will also depend on how far the tie rod's ball socket is from the lower ball joint. There is a completely different suspension design that will have toe in/out much more affected by camber bolts. Those bolts have a different design and adjust control arms. These bolts also adjust steering axis inclination (often incorrectly called caster) as a pair.

[@fachinetto]

Thanks man! I have a Renault Sandero RS here in Brazil, it’s a popular car that many people use in trackdays here... and I’m looking for this camber upgrade. I use my car on a daily basis on street and intend to install it to use in a race weekend... but would like to do not change the toe. Thanks bro!!! Amazing explanation

[@fireup9224]

I just turned into my driveway and the bolts that hold the wheel to the suspension strut had fallen out, therefore the wheel was loose and the car veered the opposite way to where I was turning. I looked at the work that had been done earlier in the year on my car and a few things relating to the suspension were replaced and this means the wheel would have been taken off. No other work has been done to this area of the car since then. It seems to me the bolts were not screwed on properly when they reattached the wheel. How else would the nuts and bolts have come loose and undone completely?

[@CarsSimplified]

That sounds intense, I hope no one got hurt! That could have easily have gone wrong in a much more dangerous situation! That seems like the most likely reason, but it's just surprising they took that long to come off. If that is indeed the reason and it took that long to come off, you'll probably see some wear in the hole where the bolts should go in. Rust: Possible but unlikely and easy to tell that's the case. Defective or reused nut: second most likely reason. The nut is usually a one-time-use nut, and the thing that wears out after the first use is what keeps it from backing off the bolt. I don't have any experience with wheels coming off in that particular manner, so there could be a potential cause I'm overlooking, too.

[@fireup9224]

​@@CarsSimplified hi, thanks for the reply. I don't do a massive amount of miles so this can be a reason as to why it would take this period of time for the nuts to screw themselves off. I do maybe 2 miles a day on average and only on very very rare occasions drive more than 5 miles in a day. Some people have said to me the nuts may have never been put back on at all... saying "The suspension geometry is such that it tends to "sit" the wheel-hub in, due to car's weight pushing between the two resting points (the tyres)". So basically the forces that play on the bolts are enough to keep them in place, according to this response. I have no nuts to check if they were defective, they are long gone, only found the bolt that came out.

[@chevyhs]

I guess my question is do you install these at the desired adjustment or do you adjust this during your alignment and torque the fastener to spec once desire angle is achieved

[@CarsSimplified]

You can estimate what kind of adjustment will be needed for a general improvement but it definitely needs to be adjusted as part of an alignment to get it right.

[@chevyhs]

@@CarsSimplified I get that. Trying to determine either to get camber plates or just these bolts. I assume have to jack the vehicle up to make the adjustments and then put back on the rack or can you adjust while performing the alignment. I hope you know what I mean

[@CarsSimplified]

On a fair amount of cars these bolts should be accessible from under an alignment rack and they can be adjusted while watching the camber readout on the screen. Adjusting them with vehicle weight on the wheels will show immediate changes as they will appear on the road, unless there's slop elsewhere in the suspension. If you're trying to get a wide range of adjustment, ease of access to the adjustments, or generally building anything with performance in mind, camber plates are the way to go. These bolts typically just correct collision damage, slight lowering/lifting... generally just small adjustments the factory didn't build in elsewhere.

[@lonnielane8471]

Where do I get them

[@patrickbaitman8336]

No mention of Camber plates at the top of the strut?

[@thatredcam]

If my car is pulling left (towards driver side) when driving, do I adjust the driver or passenger side camber bolt ? What degree should each side be so it doesn’t pull left ?

[@CarsSimplified]

Has the toe in/out already been corrected? That's a bigger contributor to pulling one way or the other and usually doesn't require the purchase of any parts. If the pulling is actually camber related, you will have to determine which wheel has the camber issue and correct it. The intended camber angle will differ based on what the car is.

[@thatredcam]

@@CarsSimplified yes I took it to get aligned but there is a very slight pull towards the driver side that has been driving me crazy. I already put camber bolts and maxed (-) on both sides but it still pulls left..

[@HetsAndTails]

So if the cam lobe of the bolt is pointing straight up or straight down that would be 0° camber correct?

[@CarsSimplified]

The cam lobe would have to face the direction of the internal tab (away from the external tab) to make the bolt have no effect, but that doesn't automatically mean 0 degrees of camber, even on a brand new vehicle. Some camber is built into the vehicle from the factory; there can even be minor differences between two otherwise identical cars. Camber always has to be measured.

[@HetsAndTails]

Yes I worded that wrong I meant I thought it would have Zero Effect if the lobe is pointing up or down because from what I understand the cam bolt is actually thinner than the original bolt so the internal tab is just making the bolt basically the same thickness as the original Bolt. But that is why I asked the question so thank you for the information

[@Thatjewnick]

I’ve watched 20 videos on camber bolts and still have no idea how they work. Always had low cars but currently have a slammed car and need some camber bolts but don’t understand lol

[@prozac1127]

I just don't get what the role of the tabs on the washer is. Cause the bolt is all that adjusts the camber. T It should work without the washer??? Please help with this

[@CarsSimplified]

I probably should have explained the "why" of that part a little better in the video, but here's what is going on: Because the opening for the bolt is just big enough for an OEM bolt, unless the hole was drilled larger, the maximum diameter that could possibly fit inside is fixed. The camber adjusting bolt is actually smaller in diameter than the OEM bolt, except where the cammed section is. There is a gap around the entire bolt except for that cammed section, so the inner tab on the washer is needed to fill the gap. It fills the gap on one side, instead of uniformly around the entire bolt. This means that the location of the inner tab decides where the rotation center of the bolt is. If the bolt is already biased towards the direction of the adjustment that needs to be made, then when the cammed lobe is rotated that way, too, it gives the maximum available adjustment. Without a washer with this spacer, the clamping force of the bolt will need to keep it in place, and with all the slop/gap of the main section of the bolt, it will likely make zero adjustment compared to the factory bolt.

[@lilmobster_710bot3]

My son bent my s front strut I took it to an alignment place he suggested cam bolts would be cheaper the a strut my passenger front tire is wearing about ever 5 months do you think this would work I really can’t afford new struts

[@CarsSimplified]

It would reduce the wear a bit but most likely won't fix the alignment issue completely. I don't know how damaged the strut is, but if they are comfortable with the liability for that sort of fix, it is definitely the sort of thing that would work as a bandage to reduce the tire wear issue.

[@hendrixtarantado2114]

Bought camber bolt for my dodge magnum but im hesitant to install it since the original bolt look thicker than the camber bolt i purchased. Im paranoid that they might not be durable enough due to the size difference.

[@kp-qr6hy]

They r a lot thiner,other wise u would not get them in the hole,the small tab on the washer fits into the hole along with the none threaded end of the bolt,this pushes the bolt again the front of the hole for more positive ,if u put the tab to the front ,it pushes the bolt back, it's the cam on the middle of the bolt that pushes the hub back or forward,u cam rotate the cam for less or more,, of course theres other ways to do it , take the top bolt out and file the the front or back of the hole 2or 3mm ,just use the original bolt ,does the same thing ,there's bolts aren't really for suspension mods, they r more to true the suspension to original spec if the car or something has been damage,hope this helps

[@infernalGotYou]

The top hole of my suspension is not round, so it can be adjusted but not finetuned unfortunately..does a cam bolt also work on mine you reckon?

[@gabrielakin3674]

If the top hole is oval your car has stock cam bolts that already give it adjustment. Talk to a dealer for OEM parts.

[@infernalGotYou]

@@gabrielakin3674 well it’s an aftermarket set so I’d had to use the stock round bolts

[@gabrielakin3674]

@@infernalGotYou Stock camber bolts should be oval on part of the shaft. Did you try those?

[@michaeljulian5958]

Anybody have a video with animation? I dont really understand it

[@waenlora7768]

How safe is it using camber bolts top and bottom for more of a negative degree?

[@CarsSimplified]

It will depend on a few factors, but I doubled them up on the front struts of a lowered front wheel drive car with stiffer springs. Although they are a stronger metal, they are thinner, and I bet something abnormal like a pothole could damage them. I would have to look into their shear strength and compare them to the original bolts.

[@waenlora7768]

@@CarsSimplified Okay thank you, yes that's exactly what I'm fearing

[@davidcayll3296]

Should say to orient washer tab in direction you want to move the tire.

[@ethanbenn]

Thanks for the explanation but I’m left with a question. Does the original bolt tends to wear out and needs to be replaced with a cam bolt for camber adjustment after years of usage? I’m from Malaysia and over here, we have contradicting opinions on this matter. Some would say that original suspension doesn’t need a cam bolt while some would say after years of driving, the original camber angle will go off and needs to be addressed by installing a cam bolt so that it can be adjusted. The latter opinion often made by tyremen when we send our car for tyre service, was widely accused as their way of milking money out of the customers hence why I’m asking this to get a detailed explanation. Thanks!

[@CarsSimplified]

Both are kind of right; I'll explain; The original bolts may rust a little, but it would have to get pretty bad to throw off the camber angle. Years of wear can throw off alignment but usually in other parts like the rubber bushings from general use, or bent metal parts from more rough situations. While it is much better to fix the alignment by replacing the worn part, the bolts tend to be less expensive and offer adjustability. Sometimes, even brand new cars end up with unforseen alignment issues after just a few thousand kilometers of settling, and sometimes end up with these bolts under warranty.

[@luckyduckydrivingschool3615]

Any wear that causes damage or distortion to the suspension components or the frame they are mounted to will put the alignment out of spec. So you can use "camber kits" or bolts like these to straighten it out. Just check the alignment and if you can't get it back into factory spec, then use these.

[@jeromea1659]

How about them 1 bolt German Strut into Knuckle 1 bolt holds it all

[@kd3942]

Nice tanks appreciate the video bruh

[@gonerums13]

How much negative camber will these add ?

[@CarsSimplified]

It's going to differ from car to car, mostly dependent on how far apart the two bolts are spaced, as well as some other part spacing. It will only be a few degrees at most, either way.

[@vaunvandermerwe5303]

Hi i have a jetta a4 2002 model mk4 the tyre is getting worn on the inside so that tells me that i have a camber problem..... Now in order for me to fix the problem like you showed on your video i can do it at home

[@amaterasu4748]

Slotted strut

[@TokyoDripp]

I lowered my car and the rear wheels ended up with some negative camber so I'm trying to make my front wheels match them, it's not too bad, I'd say around -5° of camber in the rear, but my car looks like a dog sitting lmao

[@knobstonestickbows4962]

Ok how the hell do you remove these damn things????? Im trying to change my cv axle and can't get these stupid things out

[@patrickbaitman8336]

BFH.

[@mrsmayulie]

Te ou ça

[@corey9763]

lol you don’t want positive camber 😂😂

[@gabrielakin3674]

Dude... you say "make sure this tab sticks upward" and then show it sticking out sideways... Sooo which is it?

[@CarsSimplified]

When holding the bolt (head side up, thread side down) with the washer on it, the inside tab points down, 90 degrees relative to the washer. The outside tab points up and outward, about 45 degrees out from the washer. The sideways placement on the strut is explained just after that, since that part will vary based on adjustment.

[@gabrielakin3674]

@@CarsSimplified Again, you are talking about two opposite planes as if they are the same....?? There is absolutely no question as to what Direction the outside tab is supposed to face... how on earth could it face any way but away from the strut??? And of course we will have variance in the final adjustment... but a starting point ffs??? I'm honestly pissed right now, you explained all the stuff that needs no explanation and left out what I and it seems others actually needed so I watched your, and 10 other videos and still had to puzzle it out on my own...

[@user-du6op6qx5s]

Or, even simpler, just elongate the upper hole of the strut and be done with it.

[@no-eb2xx]

So... Weaker bolts, the end.