Editing Camber angle (section)

== Effect on handling ==
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[[File:Kunmadaras Motorsport 2021. szeptember 19. JM (147).jpg|thumb|Negative front wheel camber is used in drift cars to improve their handling]]

Camber angle alters the [[Automobile handling|handling]] qualities of some suspension designs; in particular, negative camber improves grip in corners especially with a [[Double wishbone suspension#Short long arms suspension|short long arms suspension]]. This is because it places the [[tire]] at a better angle to the road, transmitting the [[Centrifugal force#Examples|centrifugal forces]] through the vertical plane of the tire rather than through a [[Shear strength|shear]] force across it. The centrifugal (outwards) force is compensated for by applying negative camber, which turns the contact surface of the tire outwards to match, maximizing the contact patch area. Note that this is only true for the outside tire during the turn; the inside tire would benefit most from positive camber{{px2}}{{mdash}}{{spcs|2|hair}}again, only with a short long arms system. However, due to the [[weight transfer]] inherent while turning, the outside wheels bear more of the force of turning and negative camber will improve handling overall. [[Caster angle]] will also compensate for this to a degree, as the top of the outside tire will tilt slightly inward, and the inner tire will respectively tilt outward. However, any camber affects the contact patch of the tire while driving in a straight line. Zero camber gives the best [[Traction (engineering)|traction]] as it maximises the contact patch between the road and the tires and puts the [[tire tread]] flat on the road. Therefore excessive camber impairs straight driving in rain and snow and when accelerating hard. 

Proper management of camber angle is a major factor in suspension design, and must incorporate not only idealized geometric models, but also real-life behavior of the components; flex, distortion, elasticity, etc. What was once an art has become much more scientific with the use of computers, which can optimize all of the variables mathematically instead of relying on the designer's intuition and experience. As a result, the handling of even low-priced automobiles has improved dramatically. Heavy-duty vehicles, such as tractors, trucks, etc., tend to have more positive camber angle, so that when they are loaded and the whole vehicle lowers, the wheels are almost vertical.