The camber angle is the angle between the vertical axis of the wheel and the vertical axis of the car. One would think they would be exactly parallel but it is not so. Most cars will have a negative or a positive camber angle.
When the tops of the two front wheels are away car compared to the bottoms of the two front wheels it is called a positive camber angle. When the tops of the two front wheels are closer than the bottom of the two front wheels it is called a negative camber angle.
As you can imagine the camber angle affects how the tire interfaces with the road. It is relatively easy to visualize that both negative and positive camber reduce the contact area in a static situation. This unequal contact affects the wear and tear of the wheel. In normal driving condition therefore a zero camber angle is preferable.
As you increase the load that the car wheels bear the camber tends to change. Therefore some cars have a slight positive camber in unloaded configuration and when the car gets loaded, the load causes the camber angle to go towards zero from a positive camber angle.
However in a dynamic situation such as cornering a negative camber gives better grip and traction. This is very important in racing cars.
The camber of the car can be affected if you modify the car. Not all modifications will alter the camber angle for example installing body kits will not alter the camber angle. However some modifications will. For example if you raise or lower the suspension of your car its camber angle will change.
Camber kits allow you to adjust the camber angle of your car. Depending on your usage of the vehicle you can set the camber angle of you vehicle. Adjusting the camber angle using camber kits is a technical issue and you should consult a professional before making a decision.
Factory made cars have a camber setting that is nearest to the most popular requirement. Therefore if your usage is very different from the normal one you should consider using a camber kit to adjust the camber angle to suit your particular needs.
