In the VIP scene running negative camber is definitely part of the norm. I however have never been a huge fan of excessive negative camber, bumpy rides or the uncertainty of when your tire might give running only two inches of contact patch with the road. I think the VIP look can be achieved with suspension and body work rendering a much smoother, safer ride and definitely wont kill your wallet in tire changes.
This is where Figs Engineering came in. Figs Engineering started out with one guy working out of his garage designing, creating and test fitting parts for his car back then which was the Lexus IS300. He offered a solution when options were limited. Today his products are still Lexus based but encompasses a wider array of vehicles. 1st & 2nd Gen IS including the ISF, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Gen GS, LS400/430 and a lot more parts undergoing testing.
Almost two years ago I contacted Figs Engineering to get some of their lower control arms, toe links etc needed to address my negative camber issue. We talked about what I was trying to achieve and he suggested trying the Mega Arms. At the time my offset's on my wheels were far from VIPish and the regular Mega Arm coupled with my Tein CS coilovers worked great. A couple of months later I decided to change things around a bit, ordered wheels that were a little more aggressive, got D2 air ride setup decided to get it painted etc. With the new setup I wanted more of a positive correction of camber and I wanted to be able to run more pressure in my bag so I can drive lower. Contacted Figs again and after explaining the scenario he said he would work with me on getting the issues addressed.
Well after some more test fits, measurements & alignments the final version of the arm that I used. The bottom arm is the final version and so was powder coated. The arm on top was just painted black previously.
Not very clear in the picture but the arm is shorter and is angled as well to accommodate another 1/2 inch of drop with a little more of shock travel without changing coilover settings.
The camber here is only at -2.3. Ended up going a little lower, with the rim edge almost in line with the wheel arch and the tire tucking I was running -2.6 degrees.
The lower control arms coupled with the toe links in the front and back definitely helped save my tires. Ran a set of tires for almost a year, approximately 18 to 20,000 miles. The tires were flipped every three months to get an even wear.
Figs engineering has a new design out which offers an increased drop and I think is an absolute must have for running air or static if your coilover doesn't have any more adjustment. An increased drop and camber adjustment !
