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MINI Adjustable Camber Plates DIY

I had been using Bavarian Autosport lowering springs for about a year.  I like the drop in ride height resulting in a lower center of gravity and less body roll, but the struts were overpowering the springs resulting in a harsh ride.  I had also been using Ireland Engineering fixed camber plates which gave 2.7 degrees of negative camber up front.  The problem with this combo was that the front air-dam was was only about 2 1/2 inches off the ground, and the driver’s side spring would bind at lock.

spring binding

So I figured it was time to rethink my entire suspension set-up.  I needed to dial back the negative camber slightly to prevent binding and improve tire wear; I wanted to increase ride height by about 10 mm to better clear speed-bumps and road debris; I wanted to better match my struts to the spring rate of the BavAuto springs to improve the ride quality; and I’m slowly adding Powerflex bushings to reduce deflection in the suspension.

rear shock

Starting in the rear, I added new Bilstein Sport Struts which have a lower spring perch resulting in a similar ride height as before, but longer suspension travel.  I topped them off with Powerflex rear strut top bushings.

front strut

The Bilstein Sport Struts in the front raise my ride height by about 10 mm when combined with the Eibach (SPC) camber plates.  This set-up is still about an inch lower than stock.

camber plates

Using the instructions that come with the Camber plates and your Bentley manual, the installation is pretty straight forward.  You can actually install them without removing the axle shafts from the transmission or separating the tie-rods.  Just lower the entire strut by removing the 3 nuts to the upper shock mount (it won’t pull out completely); compress the spring by using a spring compressor; put the upper shock mount back into the cavity; remove the upper shock mount; then the strut will pull out the side.  Finish removal as per the Bentley manual.

top plate

Installation is similar.  Attach the strut to the hub; place the spring on the strut while it is still compressed; and attach the lower plate.  At this point you can remove the spring compressors.  Slide the strut and top plate into the cavity and attach the top plate through the circular opening. Use a lever to stop the top plate from spinning on the shaft so you can tighten to torque spec.  Finish by attaching to the adjustable plate.

finished camber plate

When the whole thing is installed, you can adjust camber to maximize negative camber while avoiding spring binding.