Top Speed Auto Rear Camber Arms (Review and Install)

[size=+2]Top Speed Auto Rear Camber Arms (Review and Install)[/size]

Top Speed Auto Rear Camber Arms Unboxing Threads: Mazdas247 HondaSwap



Read the unboxing thread for more info about Top Speed and the construction of these camber arms.

Read my suspension install thread to get to the point where your rear lower control arm and trailing arm are disconnected, and the shock and spring are loose. It makes the install much easier. Mazdas247 thread, Hondaswap thread. If you don't want to slog through all that text, these diagrams will help you get things apart:









Most of these pictures are from the driver side of the car, because that side is a little more difficult and has a few extra steps.

When you get underneath the car and try to take out the inner bolt on the upper control arm, you'll find that there's an exhaust hanger in the way.





The few installs I've seen so far recommend that the entire rear suspension cradle be loosened to make enough clearance for the bolt, but I chose a different path. The rear exhaust section seems to have a hanger about every foot, so I figured losing one wouldn't be that big of a deal...



Forty bucks well spent. I needed a cutoff tool anyway. Fire the sucker up and chop that hanger off. Try not to do this outside after 10pm. Your neighbors might not like it. Wow, look at that clearance! Grind off all your sharp points.





Get your 17mm and back the bolts out. You already know where the inboard bolt is; the outer is at the top of the trailing arm just behind the wheel.





Once you have one of the OEM upper control arms out, lay the new adjustable on top and run the bolts through both arms. Adjust the length until the arms match. With the Top Speed camber arms, you use the large nuts to adjust the length of the arm, then use the lock nut to clamp the adjustment into place.





To lock down the adjustment you'll need a 5.5mm hex wrench and a 13mm socket. Before doing so though, extend the length out a few turns. I took a guess and made the control arm longer by 4 complete turns of the outer mount point. This got me out to -1.5 degrees of camber with a 1.75 inch drop, and -1.7 degrees of camber when the rear suspension settled another half inch or so. Use these measurements as a guideline to set your camber arms up before you hit the alignment bay- the adjuster is near impossible to get to once the control arm is bolted into place, so if you can nail an acceptable camber spec during the installation, you'll never have to touch it again. If you're running the H&R Sport springs (1.4 inch lower in the back) my same settings will probably get you to about -1.2 degrees of camber. Maybe. Cross your fingers. Making the control arm longer will reduce your negative camber.





Bolt the arms back in. Torque to 79 lbft (spec 66.53-90.35). 17mm socket/wrench.







Reassemble your suspension per my suspension install guide linked earlier.

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Ride impressions:

There's really nothing to tell. The suspension works, there are no funny noises, and the alignment has held its camber settings over the last 5k miles without any issues. I don't notice their presence, and for something that's meant to control the location of your suspension, not being noticed is a very good thing. Would I buy again? Absolutely.

Awesome write up! All how-to's should be this detailed.

Thanks to your unboxing thread, I wanted this brand based on the revised bushings but it seems Top Speed stopped manufacturing/selling these.

Thanks! And are you sure? When I bought the arms earlier this year they said they were a completely new design/product. They're not listed on the web site, but they should still be able to get them. Give them a call!

This is great! Thanks.

Is it absolutely necessary to have a rear alignment done after changing camber arms? I had my mechanic install Beck/Arnley's recently and I don't think he did a rear alignment.

tech_az said:

This is great! Thanks.

Is it absolutely necessary to have a rear alignment done after changing camber arms? I had my mechanic install Beck/Arnley's recently and I don't think he did a rear alignment.

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If those are stock-sized you're probably ok, but if they're longer and meant for camber correction, you definitely need to at least have your alignment checked. When you change one setting in your suspension, everything else is affected- so when you change the geometry by adding some positive camber, your toe will change- and excessive toe is what kills tires. It also affects how your car will track/feel in pretty much every driving situation- straight line tracking, initial turn-in, and behavior at the limit. If you end up with a lot of toe-out in the rear, your car could also be unsafe to drive.

those look nice

mazda's actual procedure for replacing the camber arms involves lowering the whole subframe. that's why the exhaust hanger is in the way. the way its built means they can assemble the subframe on the ground, then lift the whole suspension assembly into the car.

njaremka said:

those look nice

mazda's actual procedure for replacing the camber arms involves lowering the whole subframe. that's why the exhaust hanger is in the way. the way its built means they can assemble the subframe on the ground, then lift the whole suspension assembly into the car.

Click to expand...

Thanks! I ran through the factory service manual and saw that- just didn't want to do it. I wasn't sure if the rear subframe would twist going back into the car, so that was one concern- plus if I had to take the control arms back out again or just to adjust them, I didn't want to have to drop the subframe again. I plan on putting my own exhaust on there later anyway, so the stock hangers won't matter that much. As is, there's no additional movement in that part of the exhaust, and the tailpipe location didn't change. I'll probably take the rest of the stock hanger off (that I cut) when I get the chance to have the car up on a lift instead of laying underneath it on my driveway.

When I replaced mine. (to stop it from eating the inside edge of the rears) A friend got brutal on the drivers side bolt and managed to get it to pop out. The real issue is the bolt it 3/4 longer than it needs to be. ( (they where hitting the cheap parts bin again). I cut 1/2 inch off the SOB. It has not been an issue and after a complete season my 07 no longer eats tires!!!

Hmm, I guess I was too tired to beat the bolt out- there was just way too much interference! If I was going to cut anything, I'd rather it be the hanger instead of the bolt- don't want to screw up the threads!

I am curious if those Heim jointed links transmit more road noise into the car or if you have noticed any clunking noises from them?

Nope, they're not solid joints- there's still some rubber in there- just not as much as OEM. All the other joint are still stock too, so there's still plenty of compliance in the system overall.