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SPRING SPOTTERS GUIDE
We get requests from customers and dealers every single day for camber plates that we know they specified incorrectly, so we have to reach out to verify the options they chose, or worse - we send them what they asked for then have do a supplemental invoice to be able to send them the right parts they really need.
If you need camber plates for your struts, but don't know the diameter of your coilover kits' springs, please CALL or EMAIL to ask us. Sometimes we will know, other times you will have to use your eyes and look. We cannot "see" your springs from afar and we often need your help to build camber plates correctly, when the shock maker makes "both kinds" of coilover.
WTH IS A "TAPERED" SPRING?
Most people can tell an OEM diameter spring from a coilover spring. This isn't rocket science, and if they know one or the other we can usually help narrow down the camber plate option.
What trips people up is a TAPERED spring - one that has the large diameter at the top (to work with the OEM upper perch and top mount) but a coilover diameter at the bottom).
There are many manufacturers that offered "coilover" damper kits with tapered springs: Bilstein, KW, Ohlins, and H&R are the most prominent of these, but there are other smaller name brands that do this also. And the confusing thing is... these same brands also offer the same coilovers for other car models with "straight" coilover springs...
Sometimes the manufacturer once sold a kit with a straight coilover spring for a particular car model, but then switched to a tapered spring - KW is the worst about this (they also change shaft diameters and top nut specifications in random ways). The two images above are of a "straight" coilover spring, which has the same diameter top and bottom.
As a reminder, "straight" coilover springs tend to come in only three diameters: 2.25", 60mm, or 2.5". If you can see that it is the same diameter top and bottom, but don't know which of the 3 diameters you have, we have a pretty good idea of what it is if you know the brand of damper and they are the original springs that came with the kit.
Most shock companies that supply their kits with springs will have their brand logo and some markings that tend to be a "smart part number", and with this info we can help decipher what the inner diameter is (and even often spring rate and length). The image above gives a guide for Eibach and Hyperco springs.
Why does it matter? Well if you are ordering camber plates from us we always supply upper spring perches, and the cost is different from our coilover to OEM perch versions.
If you look at the images above it might be clear why there is a cost delta. The material and machining costs are much higher for the coilover vs OEM upper perches we supply.
Our coilover upper perches are made from 3.25" to 3.5" diameter aluminum material, the blanks are relatively thin, and are machined in two CNC lathe operations.
Our OEM style diameter upper perches are made from 5.5" to 6" diameter aluminum material, the blanks are relatively thick, and are machined in two CNC lathe operations plus often a time consuming third operation on a CNC mill. These cost significantly more to make from both material costs and machining time.
We sincerely want to sell you the right camber plates THE FIRST TIME and not hassle you with having your car apart only to realize you ordered the wrong perches, then have to deal with a return and secondary purchase to get the correct parts.
Sometimes a "tapered" spring is obvious and hard to miss, like this Bilstein that goes from 60mm ID at the bottom to 120mm ID at the top (we don't care about the Outer Diameter, as the customer showed us here).
This H&R coilover spring above is harder to spot the taper in, because the smaller diameter is hidden in the last winding.
There are a select few H&R models that come with these tapered springs where we offer a "straight coilover spring" upgrade, but that is a whole other story.
MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE
In short - if you don't know what you have, go take a peek. We would rather help you get the right parts the first time rather than have you order additional parts to make the springs you have fit the camber plates.
We get requests from customers and dealers every single day for camber plates that we know they specified incorrectly, so we have to reach out to verify the options they chose, or worse - we send them what they asked for then have do a supplemental invoice to be able to send them the right parts they really need.
If you need camber plates for your struts, but don't know the diameter of your coilover kits' springs, please CALL or EMAIL to ask us. Sometimes we will know, other times you will have to use your eyes and look. We cannot "see" your springs from afar and we often need your help to build camber plates correctly, when the shock maker makes "both kinds" of coilover.
WTH IS A "TAPERED" SPRING?
Most people can tell an OEM diameter spring from a coilover spring. This isn't rocket science, and if they know one or the other we can usually help narrow down the camber plate option.
What trips people up is a TAPERED spring - one that has the large diameter at the top (to work with the OEM upper perch and top mount) but a coilover diameter at the bottom).
There are many manufacturers that offered "coilover" damper kits with tapered springs: Bilstein, KW, Ohlins, and H&R are the most prominent of these, but there are other smaller name brands that do this also. And the confusing thing is... these same brands also offer the same coilovers for other car models with "straight" coilover springs...
Sometimes the manufacturer once sold a kit with a straight coilover spring for a particular car model, but then switched to a tapered spring - KW is the worst about this (they also change shaft diameters and top nut specifications in random ways). The two images above are of a "straight" coilover spring, which has the same diameter top and bottom.
As a reminder, "straight" coilover springs tend to come in only three diameters: 2.25", 60mm, or 2.5". If you can see that it is the same diameter top and bottom, but don't know which of the 3 diameters you have, we have a pretty good idea of what it is if you know the brand of damper and they are the original springs that came with the kit.
Most shock companies that supply their kits with springs will have their brand logo and some markings that tend to be a "smart part number", and with this info we can help decipher what the inner diameter is (and even often spring rate and length). The image above gives a guide for Eibach and Hyperco springs.
Why does it matter? Well if you are ordering camber plates from us we always supply upper spring perches, and the cost is different from our coilover to OEM perch versions.
If you look at the images above it might be clear why there is a cost delta. The material and machining costs are much higher for the coilover vs OEM upper perches we supply.
Our coilover upper perches are made from 3.25" to 3.5" diameter aluminum material, the blanks are relatively thin, and are machined in two CNC lathe operations.
Our OEM style diameter upper perches are made from 5.5" to 6" diameter aluminum material, the blanks are relatively thick, and are machined in two CNC lathe operations plus often a time consuming third operation on a CNC mill. These cost significantly more to make from both material costs and machining time.
We sincerely want to sell you the right camber plates THE FIRST TIME and not hassle you with having your car apart only to realize you ordered the wrong perches, then have to deal with a return and secondary purchase to get the correct parts.
Sometimes a "tapered" spring is obvious and hard to miss, like this Bilstein that goes from 60mm ID at the bottom to 120mm ID at the top (we don't care about the Outer Diameter, as the customer showed us here).
This H&R coilover spring above is harder to spot the taper in, because the smaller diameter is hidden in the last winding.
There are a select few H&R models that come with these tapered springs where we offer a "straight coilover spring" upgrade, but that is a whole other story.
MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE
In short - if you don't know what you have, go take a peek. We would rather help you get the right parts the first time rather than have you order additional parts to make the springs you have fit the camber plates.