Camber Brace
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,490
Likes: 2
From: Oviedo FL
Not a true test but I picked up 6 seconds at Sebring (from 2:38 to 2:32), but had also picked up 6 seconds the time before as well. The seconds will be tougher to come by now but there is still a little bit left in her.
However, the car definitely feels tighter with the camber brace. I like it alot.
Mike
However, the car definitely feels tighter with the camber brace. I like it alot.
Mike
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 11,672
Likes: 20
From: Lake Wylie SC
I wish I could show you the difference in the tire patch in a hard turn before and after the camber-brace install. Somebody on here has a few pictures showing exactly what it does for you. I can say it gives you a more precise feel of your Vette in a turn. This with the cross-bar, has made my vert as stiff or stiffer as any coupe with the top in.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 6,204
Likes: 9
From: St. louis, MO
No real test, but, I ran an autox without it, then the next weekend ran the same track layout and had better times. I suppose a number of things could have changed to make improved times. But, the car felt better in the turns.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 6,694
Likes: 3
From: Less Talk, More WOT | Houston TX
Did you read Dave's reply in the other thread you posted in? It explains exactly how it helps your performance.
The flex he is talking about affects camber. The upper control arms flex in and the top of the tire will flex in with it a bit as a result. To much camber and you lose part of your contact patch on the road under hard cornering. Need I explain what happens when you reduce your contact patch as well? 
If you look at the frame of your car, you’ll see that the frame rails forward of the firewall are smaller than they are going toward the rear. The Upper control arms mount to the front cross member which drops over a foot before going to the other side. The fact that the frame members are so small; they do not support the weight without flexing. When the cross member flexes, your alignment settings change which gives the car it’s darty feeling going down the road. The Camber-brace boxes in the cross member and prevents this flex, allowing the alignment settings to be maintained. If you would like to perform a simple test to prove this to yourself, you can measure the distance between the frame horns, then place a jack in the middle of the cross member and jack up the car. Then re-measure the distance again. I've seen C4's that will flex close to an 1/2" by doing this.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 2,801
Likes: 2
From: Amarillo TX
Originally Posted by Wheelman
Did you read Dave's reply in the other thread you posted in? It explains exactly how it helps your performance.
The flex he is talking about affects camber. The upper control arms flex in and the top of the tire will flex in with it a bit as a result. To much camber and you lose part of your contact patch on the road under hard cornering. Need I explain what happens when you reduce your contact patch as well?
The flex he is talking about affects camber. The upper control arms flex in and the top of the tire will flex in with it a bit as a result. To much camber and you lose part of your contact patch on the road under hard cornering. Need I explain what happens when you reduce your contact patch as well?
Even worse, they flex outward and you loose the negative camber that your trying to achieve for harder cornering. If you’ve ever gotten into a corner and felt your tires chattering, you will know what I’m talking about. The chattering is the result of frame flex and your camber going positive. With the Camber-brace, your tires will never chatter again.
Dave
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Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 3,490
Likes: 68
From: Hewitt NJ
Originally Posted by R-D Racing
... If you’ve ever gotten into a corner and felt your tires chattering, you will know what I’m talking about. The chattering is the result of frame flex and your camber going positive. With the Camber-brace, your tires will never chatter again.
Dave
Dave
Team Owner
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 24,337
Likes: 25
From: San Diego , CA Double Yellow DirtBags 1985..Z51..6-speed
Yeah, i don't like these butt-dyno measurements either.
I think a good way to measure it, would be to install something like a camberbrace, but split into 2 pieces. Have the 2 pieces set up rub or etch eachother when the chassis bulges in or spreads out. Drive the stink out of it, bottom it out, hard cornering, etc.
The etch marks will tell you how much flex the camberbrace is eliminating. You can calculate the camber change with that to get some hard numbers.
Either that or ratchet the front end down and measure the camber difference with and without the brace.
I think a good way to measure it, would be to install something like a camberbrace, but split into 2 pieces. Have the 2 pieces set up rub or etch eachother when the chassis bulges in or spreads out. Drive the stink out of it, bottom it out, hard cornering, etc.
The etch marks will tell you how much flex the camberbrace is eliminating. You can calculate the camber change with that to get some hard numbers.
Either that or ratchet the front end down and measure the camber difference with and without the brace.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 21,510
Likes: 0
From: On a Wisconsin Death Trip
Originally Posted by CentralCoaster
Yeah, i don't like these butt-dyno measurements either.
I think a good way to measure it, would be to install something like a camberbrace, but split into 2 pieces. Have the 2 pieces set up rub or etch eachother when the chassis bulges in or spreads out. Drive the stink out of it, bottom it out, hard cornering, etc.
The etch marks will tell you how much flex the camberbrace is eliminating. You can calculate the camber change with that to get some hard numbers.
Either that or ratchet the front end down and measure the camber difference with and without the brace.
I think a good way to measure it, would be to install something like a camberbrace, but split into 2 pieces. Have the 2 pieces set up rub or etch eachother when the chassis bulges in or spreads out. Drive the stink out of it, bottom it out, hard cornering, etc.
The etch marks will tell you how much flex the camberbrace is eliminating. You can calculate the camber change with that to get some hard numbers.
Either that or ratchet the front end down and measure the camber difference with and without the brace.
Or maybe a potentiometer such as those used to measure shock shaft speed/travel could be hooked between the upper a-arm mounts to measure the amount of deflection between them when under stress?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,238
Likes: 0
From: walled lake MI
Originally Posted by loiq
In the snowmobile world the OEMs sometimes measure chassis stiffness by putting a bare chassis on a machine that tests for torsional stiffness. I wonder if someone could perform such a test on the front of a Corvette?....
by measuring the deflection of the free corner at the suspension pickup points on the frame, you can estimate the chassis stiffness since you know the torque applied to it (T=weight*G*moment arm length measured from center of vehicle). a little trigonometry will yield a close enough ft-lbs/degree number, but it will not be exact since the car is not twisting exactly on its roll axis.
doing this for chassis+suspension stiffness is a little trickier since you need to support the car on the uprights.
Originally Posted by loiq
Or maybe a potentiometer such as those used to measure shock shaft speed/travel could be hooked between the upper a-arm mounts to measure the amount of deflection between them when under stress?