# Camber gain: how fast the wheel cambers with travel

> Camber gain is the change in camber per unit of wheel travel, set by the front-view swing arm length. Formula, a worked example (-0.317 degrees per 10 mm), and how body roll and camber gain combine.

Camber gain is how much the wheel's camber changes per millimetre of wheel travel relative to the body, usually quoted in degrees per 10 mm or per inch. Negative camber gain means the wheel tips its top inward as it moves up into bump, which is what keeps the outside tire upright as the body rolls in a corner.

## Formula

At any instant the upright rotates about its front-view [instant center](/docs/roll-center/). A wheel moving up by \(ds\) rotates by \(ds\) divided by the front-view swing arm length (FVSA), the horizontal distance from the instant center to the contact patch:

$$\frac{d\gamma}{ds} = -\frac{1}{\text{FVSA}}\ \ \text{rad/mm}$$

So **a shorter swing arm gives more camber gain**. Parallel, equal-length arms put the instant center at infinity and give none.

## Worked example

The [docs example double wishbone](/docs/double-wishbone/) has an FVSA of 1806.4 mm (worked out on the [roll center](/docs/roll-center/) page):

$$\frac{d\gamma}{ds} = -\frac{1}{1806.4} = -5.536 \times 10^{-4}\ \text{rad/mm} = -0.0317^\circ/\text{mm}$$

That is **-0.317° per 10 mm** of bump. opensus gives the same: camber goes from 0° at ride height to -0.162° at 5 mm of bump and +0.156° at 5 mm of droop. Because the swing arm length changes as the wheel moves, the gain is not quite constant: 25 mm of bump gives -0.87°, slightly more than 2.5 × 0.317.

## Camber in a corner

What the tire feels is camber **relative to the road**. When the body rolls by \(\phi\), the outside wheel compresses by roughly \(\phi\) times half the track, and the body itself tips the wheel by \(\phi\). For a 1.2 m track and 1° of roll, the outside wheel compresses about 10.5 mm; with -0.317°/10 mm it gains about -0.33° from the linkage while the body tips it +1°, so it still loses about 0.67° of negative camber relative to the road. Full compensation would need about -0.95°/10 mm, which brings large camber changes in heave and pitch; real designs choose a balance.

The **Kinematics → Roll** tab shows camber to the road directly as the body rolls, and **Cornering and braking** shows it at a given lateral acceleration, including tire deflection and the car's real roll.

## Related

- [Roll center](/docs/roll-center/): set by the same instant center
- [Double wishbone](/docs/double-wishbone/): how arm lengths set the swing arm
- [Setting roll center height](/docs/how-to/set-roll-center-height/): moving pivots changes camber gain as well

[Open in opensus](https://opensus.app/app/?design=%7B%22name%22%3A%22Docs%20example%3A%20double%20wishbone%22%2C%22front%22%3A%7B%22type%22%3A%22doubleWishbone%22%2C%22camber%22%3A0%2C%22toe%22%3A0%2C%22points%22%3A%7B%22ucaFront%22%3A%5B100%2C280%2C330%5D%2C%22ucaRear%22%3A%5B-100%2C280%2C330%5D%2C%22ucaOuter%22%3A%5B-15%2C530%2C340%5D%2C%22lcaFront%22%3A%5B100%2C200%2C150%5D%2C%22lcaRear%22%3A%5B-100%2C200%2C150%5D%2C%22lcaOuter%22%3A%5B5%2C550%2C120%5D%2C%22tieInner%22%3A%5B-70%2C200%2C150%5D%2C%22tieOuter%22%3A%5B-70%2C550%2C120%5D%2C%22wheelCentre%22%3A%5B0%2C600%2C228%5D%7D%7D%7D)

Source: https://opensus.app/docs/camber-gain/ (last updated 2026-11-07)