i decided i didn't like the ireland engineering fixed camber plates. they have too much negative camber for my preference. i prioritize tire life with good wear patterns over a slightly different feel when turning at high speeds. however, i still wanted a different mount than the problematic OEM designs. i strongly considered the ECS upgraded mounts, but i wasn't sure if it would align properly within the factory holes. my car had some front end damage when i bought it, and i wasn't sure if that was causing some of the issues i had getting the camber dialed in. in hindsight, it may have been related to a couple bolts in the suspension that had worked loose after i did a bunch of front end work.

so, i may still check out the ECS mounts, but for now...this is what i have.

i found some ebay camber plates that looked like knockoffs of the SPC kit #67620 and eibach reboxes it under p/n 5.67620K.

i just couldn't bring myself to buy a $450 camber kit that i couldn't find any reviews on. spc and eibach are good brands that i would trust, but i don't think they actually make them anymore. searching their websites comes up empty, although somehow they're still available for purchase from places like jegs. so...i dunno.

here are my $150 ebay camber plates. no instructions included.

machining is good. they're solid aluminum and the strut plate is steel.

the bearings have no markings on them.

also, i received 2x the bolts needed and 3x the circle plates.






the studs are long enough to mount a strut brace, which was good.

and you can see how these mounts work. the strut mounts to the aluminum piece with the bearing, then the other aluminum caps it together. and then the aluminum piece attaches to the steel strut plate.

and the aluminum has holes that are offset so you can go for max negative camber, if desired.







to install the on the strut, i just packed the bearings good with grease and put it together. it went together no problem. i put a little bit of locktite on these, but the button head bolts, if they came loose, would press up against the steel plate, so they couldn't back out.

also, if these fail, i think they'll fail with the red rubber piece separating from either the bearing or the housing. if that happened, the strut would only travel a few mm up until it hit the mount. so, i do feel a little better knowing they won't shoot through the top and cause a crash...or at least it's unlikely.





now here's where the fun starts....a couple of the studs pulled out when i tightened them in place.




since my other vehicle is in the middle of an engine rebuild, this is my only vehicle. my wife was gone so i couldn't take her car. sooo...i improvised and welded the studs in place.




and then painted it with bedliner.



well...no pictures but one still popped loose again. by this time, my wife made it home so i took her car to the parts store for some hardened bolts.



now these bad boys ain't going nowhere.





and then i did a quick and dirty camber setting exercise before driving to get aligned properly.








final verdict so far: they're good. they ride smoother than the IE plates. certainly smoother than the ECS tuning mounts would be. alignment was a breeze.
i was a little nervous trying to tighten down everything into the aluminum, but nothing stripped. it's only been a week and a couple hundred miles, but so far so good.

 

Interesting - can you provide a link?

 

FWIW, the SPC plates are known to fail as you described - with the bushing separating from the metal. I’ve got a set of the SPC plates kicking around in a box somewhere that I swapped out for Vorshlags a few years ago.

 

I bought the SPC Performance tools linked below for my DIY alignment (after most-local MINI dealer failed to get it right with my Helix adjustable camber plates). I actually didn't use the toe gauge, since that MINI dealer got that part done OK per the alignment results sheet. Yikes, their pricing has increased big time since December 2021, with the camber tool then $150.99 and toe tool at $71.99 less 5% coupon code with free shipping and no tax for $211.83 total paid. The camber gauge tool worked well, with new Mich PS4S tires installed at that same time wearing evenly a few thousand miles later (I didn't want excessive negative camber for my strictly street usage). Watch their YouTube video on how this works...

SPC 91000 - FASTRAX CAMB/CAS GAUGE 13-17"

SPC 99374 - TOE MEASURING GAUGE (39"-60")

 

Post back for sure please. Personally debated BC coils for a long time and went that route. Solid coils with the same setup.

I want to know your opinion, and input based on your route.

 

i looked at the vorshlag plates. do they ride as stiff as they look like they'd ride? from what i can see, there is no rubber anywhere on them.

i came across some plates from the silver project, but they also seemed to have no bushing at all.

 

I expect they contribute some to NVH. As far as “stiffness”… ehh, it’s hard to say there’s any difference, but I’m also running Swift Spec-R springs.

 

haha yea, my car is the definition of NVH, and that's fine with me. but, changing from the IE plates to these chinese mounts made a noticeable improvement in the way the car rides. it's an unexpected benefit that i'll happily take.