I do unterstand how giving the wheels tilt can provide better grip/traction in racing. What i dont get are the cars i see on the road that look like they have been squashed down. The wheels look like they are almost 45° to the road. Is there a function for this extreme tilt? Is it just a style thing, like low riders that scrape the ground?
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Friction normally doesnt depend on area of contact. it is only a function of normal reaction and the coefficient of friction between the surfaces. But rubber doesnt grip the road with friction. It grips with adhesion. adhesion IS a function of area. (This is the reason why slicks are better gripping than treaded tyres on dry track).
Coming back to the question at hand, increasing the camber of wheels to the road definitely decreases the patch of area that is in contact with the road. Which means the forces you need to overcome to move reduce. But like I said, this also reduces grip. So there’s a trade off here.
All automobile wheels are cambered, however slightly. This is done for an entirely different reason. Giving a slight angle to wheels reduces the torque required to turn their direction immensely. This means theyre easier to turn. The car handles better.
Race cars are designed to be run at high speeds constantly, on track. They work best when theyre fast. Theyre also aerodynamically designed to have a lot of downforce on them at high speeds. (This force comes from air moving fast on top of the car.) This downforce helps them stick to the road better. wheels and suspension systems directly feel this downforce and this camber angle is reduced when the car is moving fast. To correct that, cars that are supposed to be moving fast more often are given more camber angle to begin with.
With all that being said, there’s some people who do it really just to show off and just because they can, without thinking too much. There’s a fine balance to all this with benefits and trade offs. Professionally race tuned cars are the go to standard here, not backyard enthusiast’s cars.
It’s a style thing and it severely damages the tires, lol. They do that so that they can get the car as low as possible to the ground, lower than the height of the tires, even. It’s as impractical as it sounds, but that’s called having the car “dumped” or “slammed”. You can find videos of these people getting their cars stuck on the smallest bump in the road.
Those are “stanced” vehicles and its purely for “form” rather than function.
Moderate increase to the camber angle do help performance on a track when you are driving at the limit. Stupidly extreme camber angles do not.
Yes, the extreme negative camber (at 45 degrees like you’re describing) is a looks/style thing. It’s absurdist and gets attention at the cost of any sort of safety /handling or practicality.
Sometimes when the wheel tilt is visible but not crazy (2 to 5 degrees or so), that’s helpful for track cars going around corners just because it makes highly stressed outer wheel flat to the ground while the car’s suspension is heavily loaded up on one side.
It’s so you can drag your car on the ground but not constantly have the wheels rubbing against the fenders, and still be able to turn. It’s for funsies.
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