3

I observed a very strange car a few days ago when driving:

The rear wheels are mounted at an angle. Meaning, the plane of rotation is not vertical; rather, the distance between the wheels is wider at the bottom and narrower at the top. Here is an illustration of what I mean:

enter image description here

I was worried that the wheels might come off, but they did not. I also observed that the tire seems to be wider and larger in diameter than the standard tire. There is a chance that the larger wheel will not fit in the original space of the chassis but I am not sure.

The vehicle was a Lexus if that information is relevant. I was not able to drive close enough to note the model, but it appears otherwise to be an ordinary saloon.

Improve this question
0

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
2

Technically this is "negative camber" and there are a few things that could be going on. First, if the wheels were at an extreme angle, then there is a style called "stanced". It serves no purpose other than aesthetic. It quickly ruins tires and destroys the handling of the car and is really only for looks and normally includes the car being so low that it barely clears the ground.

Stanced car

If it was only a slight angle, and the car was lowered, certain DIY suspension modifications can lower the car and also result in the wheels being off camber. Of course, some suspension parts could just be worn or broken which can have the same result without necessarily lowering the car.

Bad rear tire camber from broken suspension

Improve this answer
2
  • I noted that the arrangement was symmetrical and the tires was definitely after-market made; the angle also appeared similar to the first picture. So I believe it is the first case. I did not recall an unusual low ground clearance, probably due to the roads of the city I am in I guess.
    – kevin
    Commented Jan 4, 2018 at 20:25
  • Some people are purist and will drop the car until it scrapes. Some are a little more "practical" and stance the wheels without dropping the car all the way so they can still actually get in and out of driveways, etc.
    – JPhi1618
    Commented Jan 4, 2018 at 20:28

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .