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Negative Camber 900 1995

Wife's 94 944 has had negative camber ever since I purchased it 21 months ago (I purchased the car with 57K miles; it now has about 75K). I just replaced the tires (purchased car with three different tires; two Goodyear, one Michilen and one Dunlop) and did not notice any odd wear (that might be attributed to the negative camber). The car drives fine. Will have to go to the dealer (big $) to get the cammber fixed as none of the local tire centers will can fix it (nor would I trust them to drill the strut plate) and my normal, independent mechanic does not do alignments. Here's question: can I ignor this (as I have for almost 2 years) or am I placing my wife in harm's way? I've been researching this on the web and it seems (like anything) there are pros and cons to negative camber but few negative comments regarding safety.








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    A little known fact: 900 1995

    A little know fact:
    Caster is the only front end angle where it realy dosen't make that much difference whether it is positive or negative. It is not a wear angle like toe in or camber. Most alignment people think that you can only have negative camber but don't know their front end geometry very well. An alignment guy that has been in the busness a long time and realy knows what they are doing other than setting the car to what the book says will know. A lot of control arms have been replaced or bent over the years because most alignment guys don't know this.








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      A little known fact: 900 1995

      I can see that the wheels are canted in (i.e., tops are closer to the engine than the bottems relative to a vertical axis). The alignment folks at a tire center says that the camber is -2+ degrees both front wheels. I just need to know if it's dangerous.








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        Danger with driving 900 1995

        As long as your tires are wearing good and the steering dosn't act funny(it tracks good and dosen't wander on you) then there is no danger with driving like this. As another member stated the measurements might be in doubt. Tire wear and tracking are the first indications of steering angle problems. If the gearbox dosn't have excessive play and all the links and such are good and without play, there is no danger driving the car.
        Dennis








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    Negative Camber 900 1995

    Does your 944 have regular suspension or Multilink? Steve's reply below may have more to do with regularly sprung cars than those with MLRS and Nivomats. Just a thought, anyway.
    JD








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    Negative Camber 900 1995

    Very coincidental that you should post this question at this time, as I was going to post a message on this topic myself.
    I just got in the door from spending over 600 bucks (Cdn) at the alignment shop on our 92 960 with Multilink Rear Suspension. At the shops' insistence I had the 4 bushings for the lower inner track link mountings replaed after being told that they were shot and that there was no more adjustment left in them. I also replaced one track rod as it was slightly bent. The result? The rear end still has almost twice the camber it is supposed to have.
    The car rides like a dream, and ther is no unusual steering effct or tire wear. It has been like this for a couple of years, so wear should be evident. ther are new Nivomats on teh rear, and they work well.
    The only reason I want to get this fixed is because it looks like crap from the back, with the rear wheels cranked out like a micturating female hound.
    There must be something else bent, but I can't find it and neither can the shop. the closest Volvo dealer is over 8 hours drive away.
    The final specs tonight were: rear total toe 0.29 (specified range is -0.3 to 0.17), left rear camber -2.7, right rear camber -1.3 (JUST in spec).
    I have no clue what to do next, but this is getting expensive.
    J Dymond
    Fort St. John BC
    84 240GLE
    89 760 GLE
    92 960 (the culprit)
    65 1800S








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      Negative Camber 900 1995

      Stop worrying; the worst that can happen is the car will have a little more understeer than it was designed for(which was A LOT!!!).
      As long as there's no untoward tire wear, you're fine, and I'd have my doubts about the measurers.








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    Negative Camber 900 1995

    Spring sag can cause negative camber and this is common on 940s. Before you start drilling and hacking, check the ride height per FAQ instructions. You may just need new springs.







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