Special camber for drag cars? Few questions
06-13-2013, 01:07 PM
#1
Melting Slicks
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Special camber for drag cars? Few questions
I am good about alignments and tire pressure etc. and have recently had an alignment done. I always look at the papers to see the results and that a perfectly completed job gets done. Also, my street tires are wearing evenly. So I know the alignment is good on the car.
I do know that on race days, with the drag pack on and lunching, the car obviously squats down in the rear and effects the camber and toe. But I never knew how much! I am seeing on the inside of the tires where it is clearly roasting off a lot more tread.
So would I be correct to say that on launch, the squatting creates negative camber, and setting the camber a couple degrees positive would help make the camber even out on launch?
I do use this car as a daily driver, so it would not be practical to set camber positive just for the one or two times a month I hit the strip... But I am wondering if drag racers use this technique on all out drag cars? And also, do "camber kits" make camber adjustments easy? Like I could set it at the strip easily, and reset it for the drive home? If so, I would be able to make the needed adjustments, and get back to a correct alignment (assuming the camber kit was very accurate in its adjustments). I think this would be a worth while upgrade. Not only to increase effectiveness of the launch, but to preserve my drag tires!
Any thoughts or experience?
Also, I do have a complete set of poly control arm bushings on the way from Pfadt racing to help aid in this. But I would like to really do things right. Im not even sure if a camber kit is meant for minor adjustments or is easy to use... or if its just meant to get a car that is far from stock setting to be able to actually align right.
I do know that on race days, with the drag pack on and lunching, the car obviously squats down in the rear and effects the camber and toe. But I never knew how much! I am seeing on the inside of the tires where it is clearly roasting off a lot more tread.
So would I be correct to say that on launch, the squatting creates negative camber, and setting the camber a couple degrees positive would help make the camber even out on launch?
I do use this car as a daily driver, so it would not be practical to set camber positive just for the one or two times a month I hit the strip... But I am wondering if drag racers use this technique on all out drag cars? And also, do "camber kits" make camber adjustments easy? Like I could set it at the strip easily, and reset it for the drive home? If so, I would be able to make the needed adjustments, and get back to a correct alignment (assuming the camber kit was very accurate in its adjustments). I think this would be a worth while upgrade. Not only to increase effectiveness of the launch, but to preserve my drag tires!
Any thoughts or experience?
Also, I do have a complete set of poly control arm bushings on the way from Pfadt racing to help aid in this. But I would like to really do things right. Im not even sure if a camber kit is meant for minor adjustments or is easy to use... or if its just meant to get a car that is far from stock setting to be able to actually align right.
06-13-2013, 03:24 PM
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hmmm .... in Auto Cross we add toe-in at back to compensate for toe-out cause by squat coming out of corners (accelerating). In fact as our R tires wear, we keep adding more toe-in, until we end up with as much as 3/8th in. With fresh tires we keep it at around 1/8th.
Since forward motion creates a bit of front toe-out, you could start with a tiny bit of front toe in ... say a 1/16th in.
In Auto Cross, a lot of folks like to add a decent about of toe-out in front for better turn in, but I find on our lowered C5 Z06 with Penske's and poly bushings, we don't need it.
Poly bushings are PITA ... so noisy and squeaky. Best to go with spherical bushings.
Since forward motion creates a bit of front toe-out, you could start with a tiny bit of front toe in ... say a 1/16th in.
In Auto Cross, a lot of folks like to add a decent about of toe-out in front for better turn in, but I find on our lowered C5 Z06 with Penske's and poly bushings, we don't need it.
Poly bushings are PITA ... so noisy and squeaky. Best to go with spherical bushings.
06-13-2013, 08:28 PM
#3
Melting Slicks
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hmmm .... in Auto Cross we add toe-in at back to compensate for toe-out cause by squat coming out of corners (accelerating). In fact as our R tires wear, we keep adding more toe-in, until we end up with as much as 3/8th in. With fresh tires we keep it at around 1/8th.
Since forward motion creates a bit of front toe-out, you could start with a tiny bit of front toe in ... say a 1/16th in.
In Auto Cross, a lot of folks like to add a decent about of toe-out in front for better turn in, but I find on our lowered C5 Z06 with Penske's and poly bushings, we don't need it.
Poly bushings are PITA ... so noisy and squeaky. Best to go with spherical bushings.
Since forward motion creates a bit of front toe-out, you could start with a tiny bit of front toe in ... say a 1/16th in.
In Auto Cross, a lot of folks like to add a decent about of toe-out in front for better turn in, but I find on our lowered C5 Z06 with Penske's and poly bushings, we don't need it.
Poly bushings are PITA ... so noisy and squeaky. Best to go with spherical bushings.
And thanks for the insight on toe adjustments. Not sure if I want to mess with that on my daily driver, but its great info!