Hey guys,

I need some help finding some camber plates to fit a set of Ohlins Road & Track struts. My right side plate (that came with the strut) is not serviceable.

I am looking for a set with adjustable camber, of course. But I am also trying to find a set that either has additional caster built-in, or have the adjustability to dial-in more caster. I know that there are a few manufacturers out there such as KSport, Ciro Design, Ground Control, etc., but I don’t have experience with fitting them to the Ohlins. (Nor do I have experience with their durability.)

The only other stipulation is that they have to be readily available – i.e. I can get them in less than a couple weeks. So there is probably some time for custom machining/bearings, but not much. I am hoping to find some that fit off-the-shelf.

Is anyone running one of the above brands of camber plates with a set of Ohlins R&T’s? If so, were they off-the-shelf, or was there a custom bearing required to fit the top shank of the strut?

Any assistance is appreciated!

Thanks.

 

I have a couple questions for you as well as some feedback. first of all what do you mean that the plate is not serviceable? There has got to be a way to replace the spherical in the bearing pack...

I'm using a set of Ciro Design Racing Camber/Caster plates on my Ohlins R&T. There isnt anything special that you need in order to accommodate them. IIRC I used the top strut nut that came with the Ohlins but I believe they are the same thread and pitch as the stock struts.

I really like Rick's plates and would certainly recommend them. Between his plates and a Perrin PSRS I'm able to achieve 6.1 degrees of caster relative to around 3.5 from the factory.

 

I suppose a certain amount of explanation is warranted to define unserviceable…


I had what you would call an “off track event” by engaging a curb with the right front tire. This event resulted in an involuntary and highly undesirable modification to the front wheel, strut, and camber plate rendering all three components unserviceable.


The cylindrical bearing receptacle in the camber plate became elongated in both the axial and radial directions. Hence, it did not grip the ball joint and there was slop.


The strut was sent back to Ohlins for repair with the camber plate still attached. However, it had bent internals, and I had to purchase a new one. It is interesting to note that in the exorbitant fee that Ohlins charges for a single replacement strut fresh from the factory, the ball joint is included with the new strut, but the camber plate is not. When the strut assembly return from Ohlins, I noticed the ball joint receptacle still had the undesirable modification. I sanded the plate down a little to decrease the depth and shimmed the radial gap. This fix lasted about as long as you would expect. So ends the confessional. The Road & Track's are aptly named and should never be called Off-Road & Track's.


Since my event, I have been trying to decide which replacement camber plates to get. I would like to add more caster, as well. I currently have the Whiteline lower control arm bushings. Right now, my caster is 4.1 on both sides. The Whiteline LCA bushings don’t add as much caster (if any) as the Perrin version. It is interesting that you are increasing the caster at both the top and bottom. I have the suspicion that I may have to do the same in order to achieve 4.5-6 without rubbing the tires on the fender liners. I am not sure exactly where I will end up with the caster, but I think that it will be within that range.
If you don’t mind disclosing, how do the bearings hold up on the Ciro plates? Do you have to change them very often?

Thanks for the feedback.

 

I have nothing to add here, other than that your description was quite humorous

 

I'm sorry to hear about your off track experience. Glad you made it out OK. It sounds like the only thing hurting right now is your wallet so I guess it could be worse.

So I'm a little confused as to the terminology that you are using to describe certain pieces. When you say ball joint receptacle are you referring to the spherical bearing pack/ carrier housing i.e the enclosure that the bearing sits inside?

The camber plates that came with the Ohlins are nothing to brag about. The actual plates are rather thin. Color aside they closely resemble basic camber plates from Tein or Cusco, granted the Cusco ones come with what I believe to be a superior spherical made by NMB.

Regardless, I prefer the Ciro Design Racing plates for a couple reasons. Most importantly you can add caster with them. I don't remember the exact values but I think I achieved an additional 1.5 degrees just from the plates. I cant comment on longevity yet as I put them on last year with a Bilstein setup. At the end of the season I picked up my Ohlins but only had them only very shortly until the season was over and I threw back on some stuck struts to preserve my coils.

Fast forward to this year I'm now rocking the Ohlins with the CDR plates. I've only made it to 2 autocrosses so far thanks to a headgasket failure followed by a clutch that needed replacement.

Im getting off topic slightly here but at the end of the day what I like about the CDR plates is the additional caster as well as the fact that the plates are a little thicker which I think should yield some additional strength.

The caster is adjustable which should be seen as a good thing but I just set them to max caster and called it a day. Part of me wishes they weren't adjustable but it doesn't really matter.

Depending on your wheel and tire setup you may run into clearance issues trying to add caster solely from the top or the bottom. By doing it at both the top and bottom they both sorta cancel each other out as the plates move the top of the strut towards the firewall and the LCA bushing pushes the bottom of the strut towards the front of the car.

I can't comment on the other plates available on the market as I have never used them. If I didn't get the CDR plates I would have went with the Vorshlag ones as they too look like they are well made. I think the CDR plates give you more caster but please don't hold me to it.

Give Rick a call and just talk to him. He's super friendly and quite knowledgeable so I'm sure he'd love to chat and help you out.

Let me know if you have any other questions

 

I have some unused ohlins r and t camber plates if anyone needs them. Pm me if interested