Toe & camber

[sukai]

We need a tech section.

Anyways I know this is a drift forum and yes, I drift but think of my car as a road racing car. I like to set it up that way and I road race a hell of a lot more than I drift. Ne ways

My toe is set at about .7 degrees out my camber is about -1.0 degree. I like the settings but I think they could be better. Steven recommended that I take my camber out to -2.0 degrees. (and that I also mess with my caster)

I did a pretty hot run down the dragons tongue the other night and my tires were a bit hotter on the outside. So I think I will be changing the camber quite soon. There was an article published in grassroots motorsports about camber and how basing your judgments just off tire temperature isn't the best thing to do. They ran the car at (i think) -2 degrees camber and the center was still not as hot as the rest of the tire. When they moved it up to -3 the tire temperature was "more ideal" yet the car didn't handle as well.

Here I go ranting about toe and camber lol. Ne ways I was wanting some ideas. What do you guys run? Do you change it when you go road race? (cuz drifting setups are different, right?)

[Saki Steve]

Drifters usally run a very agressive camber, almost so far that you are not getting a normal contact patch. Making it easier to break the tires loose. but every one has a driffrent setup on how they like to drive. but there are a bunch that run CRAZY caster +15 and thinks that it helps. kinda hard, to setup things without know what you really want and driving the car too. so..... when you gunna fly me out to cali? I'll also ask matt(zemus- A god when it comes to suspension) and see what he has to say about it.

[sukai]

I wish I could go test and tune but I don't do the whole string thing. I have a shop do it where they lazer it so you know it is exactly right. Its cheap for me to do so I would like to stick with that.

I have never messed with caster so I'm free to try it. I am free to try anything, If I don't like it I can just as easily have it changed back.

[thechimichunga]

dont fuck with your caster unless you have an alignment rack and fully adjustable caster arms (called T/C rods or Tension rods on the 240). if you get one side to be a little more castered than the other, you're gonna pull super hard to one side. its how i have to drive all the time cuz i havent had an alignment since i put on all my suspension arms.

[Saki Steve]

Castor is something you will have to use a rack to get right. Most people don;t mess with it intill everything else is set.

[jproduce]

You can measure caster without a rack. I did it this weekend with my BV tension rods. Measure the difference from the outter most point of the lower control arm to the mounting point of the tension rod and adjust both sides to be equall, In the need of more positive caster (lower section forward more) this will of course cause a toe in if more caster is run, to set toe at zero measure from the center of the front tires on the forward facing side and do the same on the rear ward facing side and compare the differnces, if they are the same that gives you 0 toe.

Negative camber is run aggresively due to the fact that when you lean on the car the outward facing tire lays flat on the contact patch giving you a more positive steering feel (in corners but compromises straight stability). depending on jounce rebound etc depends on how much negative camber you should run.

And yes I am running around a negative 5 camber in the front and some how my solid axle is running -.5 in the rear Toe is kept relatively neautral maybe a little negative and caster as about a 1/4 of an inch more positive then stock (for quicker steering return).

[az86]

i set my ae86 up w 3.5 degrees caster and -2 camber. rear end is perfectly square.

[smrotary]

How is the tire wear with that? My FD is my daily driver so I don't wanna kill it too bad. I have heard a few people say that -2 camber is the way to go but they are all race setups. I will be driving mostly on the street. The Falken rotary drift cars run -5 camber. When they would come in to Speedmachine and they were there for maintenance each spent tire looked very evenly burned (but again I am driving on the street mostly with this, geez I need to buy a Camary or something)

[az86]

i drove back and forth between illinois and wisconsin for a while on that setup. not too bad on tire wear, but im not too concerned w it cuz i burn tires up real fast anyways.