camber via eccentric bolts. Rear Camber: 3.5-degrees negative Registered. Many cars do not have a way of adjusting the rear camber from the factory. With all of this performance-alignment advice for different types of cars, I will leave you with this caution: All of these baseline setups are absolute tire killers if you drive your car daily on the road. “We run pretty much the same setup, a neutral setup for Spec Miata for cross-weights unless we are at Mid-Ohio,” said Jim. Without him, over half of the field in Southern California wouldn’t start a single race. We decided to talk to some seasoned racers who run different types of cars to find out what their baseline alignment specifications are. The inside wheel is additional eccentric. Craig Watkins was the engineer for Flying Lizard Motorsports and helped the team earn a pole position at LeMans. handling, by making it oversteer more than street settings would. substantially positive rear toe. So as you can see from the specs above, we suggest you start with about -2.75 degrees of front camber and about a degree less of rear camber. front camber, which can be useful as FWD cars often need all of the front Pfadt Race Engineering has provided alignment settings for your 2010-up Camaro and C5/C6 Corvette based upon their track testing and years of experience. toe via eccentric bolts. According to Craig, the fact the car is rear-wheel drive completely changes the rear toe settings from a front-wheel-drive setup. “When we go to Autoclub Speedway in Fontana, I take all of the toe settings out of the cars to streamline them for the high-speed banking.”, Front Caster: As much positive caster as possible To see empirically why this is so, consider toe out. ALIGNMENT SPECS David's Specs: WARNING, if you have manual steering, high positive caster will make the steering wheel harder to turn. the car to exit corners going straight under throttle rather than going into a Rear Toe: 1 millimeter on both sides (2 millimeters in total), Front Caster: 7 to 9-degrees positive Toe-in should be as close to … accelerate out of corners; an oversteering car will tend to enter a drift What You Can Adjust. under throttle (this would be power oversteer). degrees of camber, depending on driver skill and aggression as much as High power street car: minimally positive toe in on non-driven wheels, Test and find out! For a Spec Miata, which has independent suspension and rear-wheel drive, Jim agrees with Craig and runs toe-in in the rear. We contacted the suspension gurus at Hotchkis Performance to get the skinny on alignment and what the best settings are for a stock, street performance, and road-race car. “For a 911, static rear toe-in is very important,” said Craig. Adding camber will make the rear of the car more planted in the corners. a less significant consideration than tire wear due to camber. insufficiently, as the following picture demonstrates: In RWD cars, optimal camber setting for the front axle depends the tire contact patch size under all conditions, making the front camber in higher power RWD cars, and a car that is loose everywhere in lower power grip in the corners resistance to heat buildup, also come into play. Therefore it is a good idea to try to obtain the desired balance via Today, we will skip the alignment tutorial and get right down to the specifications you can dial into your car that can make you faster. effective way to change the balance of the car. Indeed, some cars like rear wheel drive Porsches and BMWs aftermarket adjustable ones, under power which will result in the driver lifting to keep the car For that, we looked to a guy who has won more NASA National Championship than anyone else, Dave Schotz, who has spent some time playing with Nissan GT-Rs. camber in a corner; the harder the car turns, the greater the camber gain. Camber values over -3 degrees are normally only found on the front axle. Other cars can have the front and rear initially turns in and when it is in the middle of a corner, the typical They prefer 3.25-degrees of negative camber in the front, with 3.75-degrees of negative camber in the rear. High power RWD/AWD track car: zero to minimally positive front toe, Unless you went to an off road shop where they work on modified vehicles on the daily where they know how to exactly set your alignment then you need to specify numbers. The reason for more front camber is that the front tires do a lot more work on a FWD car, since they’re being asked to both steer and put the power down, and we always want to maximize front grip in the corners and then balance the chassis with … on pavement. We use Smart Strings on the FordMuscle Fiesta ST project car to adjust toe settings so the car will be quicker around an autocross course. at a point forward of the car. He is a NASA Regional Champion and certainly knows his way around wrenching on front-wheel-drive cars. STREET SPECS * Caster: +2° to +3.5° Manual Steer +2.5° to +4.5° Power Steer. Rear Toe: 1/8-inch toe-in total. The idea is to replace a fixed length OEM link If I run any toe at all, I will add a millimeter of toe-out to the front.”, For Hondas, he just runs as much positive caster as possible. (1/32"-1/16" per side). or outward (positive camber), when viewed Camber. necessitating the replacement of OEM suspension arms with aftermarket What really makes a car actually turn is the tires’ distortion between the contact patch on the racing surface and the wheel. I have found reference online to the specs from the indie shop and the Goodyear shop but not what I got from the dealer. Caster only applies to the front (steered) axle. Rear Toe: 1/16-inch toe-in total. on handling: front toe out produces understeer and a car that resists Cars with double A-arm front suspensions like Miatas can also adjust the front toe Beginning with definitions of caster, camber and toe, McAmis then proceeds through the entire process of configuring each setting. He is a multi-national champion racing driver and is also the author of the novel, Cadet Blues. This understeering tendency however is very slight. “It is really driver dependent, said Marcel. Front Camber: 3-degrees negative For your review (and comment if you must ) my alignment specs. They like 1/16-inch of toe-out in the front, each side, and 1/8-inch of toe-out in the rear, each side. on track cars (to get more neutral handling). Caster 5 deg positive, or as much positive as you can achieve up to 5 deg, can use .5 deg additional positive on the passenger side to compensate for road crown. Video: This 1JZ-Swapped Lexus IS300 Is A Budget Track Beast. All rights reserved. Toe is whether the front points of the wheels on the same axle are closer together (positive toe) or further apart (negative toe) than the rear ... Camber. additional eccentric. Car Balance. However, a rear-wheel-drive car with an independent rear suspension and more articulation points and suspension bushings — like a Porsche 911 — will have some flex under power, which can change the rear toe angle. FM (24mm) or Racing Beat 1" (25.4mm) solid bars will work. to adjust camber on the front axle. He has won everything there is to win in Spec Miata, both in the SCCA and NASA. makes sense to run maximum caster possible. on how hard the driver corners vs how hard they brake. Jump to Latest Follow 1 - 14 of 14 Posts. This means the right wheels are always on the outside of a turn, so NASCAR ® mechanics use negative camber on them. For expertise on setting up a front-wheel-drive race car, who better than a Honda Challenge racer and mechanic? increase tire life. This is why rear-wheel-drive cars need static toe-in setup in the alignment. On a car with negative toe, or toe out, the lines Marcel DeKerpel of DK Racing is the master mechanic of the NASA SoCal Region Honda Challenge scene (a region that has more Honda Challenge National Championships than any other). "Spirited driving" street cars or dual duty street/track cars braking, especially when braking in curved paths. tires, and will push the front tires forward in a straight line. STREET PERFORMANCE SPECS * Caster: +2.0° to +3.5° Manual Steer +2.5° to +4.5° Power Steer. They like 1/16-inch of toe-out in the front, each side, and 1/8-inch of toe-out in the rear, each side. the rear points of the same wheels, when viewed from above. Obviously the high amount of camber will come at the expense of tire wear. That is an incredible racing resume. When he mentioned that, it made me realize why, when you put toe-out in the front of a car, it feels more responsive and has better initial turn-in. further into the corner and continuing to rotate the car. front camber fixed will make the car understeer more. to make the car understeer. Toe. pointing further into the corner than the car overall. throttle. In a NASCAR ® oval race, the race cars only make left turns. Oh and… from what I can tell it’s NOT due to wheel size. their unfavorable weight distribution. lift inside front wheel in the corners, thus not using it at all. Adjusting camber (the tilt of the wheel) is a quick way to ensure you will have more contact patch on the ground during hard cornering. braking and turning. Schwartz Performance’s “Skart” Rules All, SEMA 2020: Miller Electric Offers New Enthusiast-Friendly Welder. In cars where caster helps avoid positive camber gain in corners, it left and right tires. Dave Schotz is a 17-time NASA National Champion in road racing and a 3-time SCCA National Champion in autocross. car by reducing rear end grip. There is nothing to change in the back of those cars. Rear Camber: 2.5-degrees negative via eccentric bolts. Camber is maxed out all the way around with the simple mods made. than front camber on street cars (to maintain significant understeer) At the same time the weight is largely sitting on the outside front tire, A car with front toe out will initiate direction changes more easily than a small movement of the steering wheel will be sufficient to get the car to rotate. with inside edges wearing much quicker than the rest of the tire. High power drift car: negative toe front, minimally negative to However, mid corner This clean Honda Challenge race car is the workhorse of NASA racer Marcel DeKerpel. Allow me to introduce you to Marcel DeKerpel. On the track, tire wear due to toe is generally Marcel discussed what other drivers like with front-wheel drive, “Some people I set cars up for like a more aggressive setup. camber via eccentric bolts. braking performance metric with less camber it can be difficult to even realize Jim agreed with Marcel that alignment setups are sometimes track-dependent. the inside front wheel is unloaded and its contribution to the behavior of the If you set a static rear toe-out setting on a Porsche 911; under acceleration, the suspension moves, pointing those rear tires outward more than you would prefer, which makes the car extremely scary to drive. For a 911, you must run enough rear toe-in so that under hard braking or cornering (or both), if the wheels move into a zero or slightly toed-out condition, rear stability goes away. and more front camber than rear camber FFR MK4 7285 IRS 428FE PSPB TKO600 470 FWHP 514 FT*LB Torque Delivered 8/10/2010 Usually cars have positive caster, the question is only how much of it. Again, tire wear will probably provide the most clues as to what is drag on the straights. Less experienced drivers who do not corner as hard much power the car has. Front Camber: 1.5-degrees negative The following will produce a (more) oversteering car: Because nonzero toe scrubs speed on the straights, it is usually not desired. That car is … via the trailing arm link at the forward end of the trailing arm. But, Dave has owned two Nissan GT-Rs and knows a lot about car setup. in corners, making camber negative when the car is standing still Hence excessive negative camber normally first manifests in uneven tire wear, Always consider using your factory alignment settings for any daily driven vehicles. Alignment specs given by manufactures typically have a camber-error range of plus/minus 0.5 degrees, meaning if the camber is within 0.5 degrees of the desired value the car is considered to be within spec. “Sometimes, you are limited by what your car can do. Rear Toe: None (straight). If you want anything more than that, you need to install aftermarket upper control arms.”. Medium power RWD track car: zero front toe, minimally positive front control arms with Rob Krider will race absolutely anything. with one that has either an eccentric bolt This may call for less front camber than a similar RWD He spends his days at his race shop, East Street Racing (ESR) in Memphis, Tennessee, working on customer race cars and provides setup and track support for Spec Miata racers. If you wanted your car to understeer horribly and be unstable at … I just ran across thr form and thought it was interesting to read. A lesser effect of toe, whether front or rear, For example, on the GT-R I can only get around 2-degrees negative camber with the factory adjustments. Front Camber: 2-degrees negative rotate into turns - the rear end of the car will tend to swing out A positive rear toe Camber: What Is It And How Can It Make You Faster, The Pros And Cons Of A Sequential Gearbox, The Appeal of Pushrod Suspension: Why and Why Not. Rear Camber: 2-degrees negative When it comes to alignment specs on a Porsche, I trust no one else. its rear tires following the front tires; it wil tend to be stable under on the driven wheels would tend to spin them under throttle, Your camber all the way around looks good, 3-3.5 degrees negative up front is probably ideal as is 2-2.5 negative in the rear. That said, road course cars try to minimize toe in to reduce drag and In this in-depth video, Tim McAmis covers all aspects of front end alignment. Caster is whether the bottom of the suspension is forward of the top but with more nuances. Original Mustang alignment specs actually hovered in the +1 to -1 degree range. Cars with trailing arm rear suspensions like Civics can adjust the rear toe Front Caster: 5-degrees positive Hope this helps. As I mentioned before, how a car is driven will influence the camber angle required. all conditions, potentially resulting in power oversteer in corner exits Cars with double A-arm rear suspensions like Miatas can also adjust the rear The static setting you set on the setup pad is not what the alignment will be when the car is accelerating, cornering, or braking. Running a lot of rear camber would also heat up the rear tires more, Dave’s recommendation for an all-wheel-drive car was similar to that prescribed by Craig Watkins for a rear-wheel-drive Porsche — using static toe-in to keep the rear wheels pointed straight under hard acceleration. The Racing Beat 1.125 bar is too much for normal street tires (>240 treadwear). In contrast, virtually all street cars have more rear camber than front, Marcel owns DK Racing, which builds and maintains most of the Honda Challenge fleet racing in the SoCal Region of NASA. set for even tire wear. eccentric bolts, camber/caster plates, etc. Camber plates are not applicable to These specs may help you set up the car before your next track day. Rear toe has similar effects to the front toe except, in a rear wheel aftermarket control arms Track – These specs are by far just a baseline. These specs do not work and are not recommended for street use because of adverse tire wear. the size of tire contact patch is greatest when the car is not cornering exist which help in separating toe from camber adjustment by adding an Other machines don’t provide data at all. Cars with double A-arm rear suspensions like Miatas can adjust the rear toe We are going to break these different alignment specifications down into Front-Wheel Drive (FWD), Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) and All-Wheel Drive (AWD). car is minimal. Many cars require aftermarket camber plates to adjust front camber. on the front wheels. We've also found '64 Chevelle stock alignment specs as a point of reference. More rear toe-out for a loose feel? Same as with rear toe, this adjustment is added by installing aftermarket In cases when other suspension components are changed in None of these wheels are pointed straight, nor are they straight up and down. and smallest when the car is cornering. An extreme amount of toe can produce noticeable drag on the straights A car with zero toe has the wheels exactly parallel to each other. run -3 to -4 degrees of camber. This can be done by adjusting the caster, camber, and toe settings to help align the four tires on your car in a way that helps the car get around corners quickly and down the straights faster. Front toe is generally adjustable on all modern cars via tie rods. minimally positive toe rear depending on car balance and driving style. Front Toe: 1/16-inch toe-out total We will start things off with Front Wheel Drive. mid corner and may even cause oversteer under power in front wheel drive cars. will compromise all of its performance characteristics - acceleration, Front Toe: None (straight) There are three primary components that influence these areas: toe, camber and caster. Marcel said setups are not only driver-dependent but also track-dependent. car balance, power level and driving style; toe can easily be the most drive car, rear tires continue to be loaded unevenly through much of the The same eccentrics adjust camber and toe; Craig spent over a decade engineering Porsches in the American LeMans Series setting the cars up for tracks all over the country and beyond. Due to the multitude of differences in tires, track surfaces, suspension types, and driver styles, there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution for a set of performance alignment specifications. All 3 are using Hunter alignment racks and all three are different. A car with significant front toe out will feel "darty": The toe is what really differs with different driving styles. Understeer rather than oversteer is important so that the car can will tend to make the car understeer - the rear tires will follow the front to road course driving. Rear Toe: 1.5 millimeters on both sides (3 millimeters in total). control arms or Front Toe: 3/16-inch toe-out total Here, you can see the mechanic using a Smart Camber tool to measure how much camber the wheel possesses. MacPherson strut cars would generally install drag in terms of tire wear Pfadt Corvette Alignment Recommendations Performance Street Front min max Camber (deg) -0.7 -0.9 Caster (deg) 7.5 8.5 Total Toe -1/16" (0.17°) 0 (0°) Rear Camber (deg) -0.4 -0.6 Total Toe -1/16" (0.17°) 0 (0°) Notes These settings will provide good performance and good tire wear Performance Street - Track Use with Street Tires Front min max RWD cars. He mentioned cars like older generation Mustangs or Camaros with solid rear axles don’t have a toe adjustment. toe rear. For alignment specs with our CBR Rack/Pinion conversion the following specs should be targeted: CAMBER-1/2 to 0 Degrees CASTER +2 to +6 Degrees---NOTE---If you are using the CBR upper control arms you should NOT adjust any lower than +3.5 degrees so that there will be ample thread engagement in the lower arm adjuster/rod ends. or camber links. Camber controls the size of tire contact patch on the respective wheel. I'd like some input as to a decent street and road racing setup if you've got some experience. Those of you who race know alignment specs will … And the drivers don’t like that, which will affect lap times.”. When the car is in the middle of a corner, and the have a bit of positive front toe aligned into them. Since every different car in competition will be different, use the following basic guidelines for wheel alignment: Camber should be set at zero; you should try to keep the front wheels straight up and down. All-Wheel-Drive setup for a 911, static rear toe-in is very important ”. Static rear toe-in is very important, ” said Craig I 'd some... Show a range only a single race rear ( 1/32 '' -1/16 per... Help the car by reducing rear end grip how you use these alignment settings with lots of races all... Are frequently offered to allow adjustment of toe, McAmis then proceeds through the entire of. Configuring each setting of negative camber in the rear, each side for expertise on up... Exclusive updates from the power Automedia Network data to make better-informed alignment.. The right wheels are on the 5th for its BBG clutch, 3.90 gears and 3-time... Wearing much quicker than the rest of the turn, so NASCAR ® mechanics use negative camber with the adjustments... He mentioned cars like older generation Mustangs or Camaros with solid rear axles don t. Provides you with unlimited automotive alignment specifications for all non-commercial vehicles sold in North America from 1960 2019! Four corners and I run zero toe will initiate direction changes more easily than a car with negative toe this... Adjusted the same way front camber than a similar RWD car would use 3-3.5 negative! Come at the expense of tire contact patch on the front axle,. To make the rear, each side, and 1/8-inch of toe-out in the alignment settings on Jim ’. Can only get around 2-degrees negative camber with the content you love from Turnology wear will probably provide the clues. At all front ( steered ) axle in his baby blue Civic ) chases a DNN Acura. When it comes to rear camber difference to maintain the handling balance positive toe rear have found reference to! Unlimited automotive alignment specifications are “ for a 911, static rear toe-in very! The right wheels are pointed straight, with equal weight on left right! Need static toe-in setup in the front, to make the rear each! Especially when it comes to alignment specs on a car with front wheel is unloaded and its contribution the... On your car, who better than a similar RWD car would use seasoned racers who different! Camber in the end, the lines diverge forward of the car oversteer under throttle ( would. Baseline alignment specifications for all non-commercial vehicles sold in North America from 1960 – race car alignment specs toe-in!, this adjustment is added by installing aftermarket rear control arms or camber links very important, ” said.... How you use these alignment settings covered, it was interesting to read than front, each side straight and. 2-Degrees negative camber on the respective wheel is also the author of the car may be to! 1 '' ( 25.4mm ) solid bars will work side, and 1/8-inch of toe-out in rear... Wear due to toe is generally adjustable on all corners of a car works on the straights right.. Changes the rear Bonsai approach to corner entry to win in Spec,! What I got from the indie shop and the drivers don ’ t provide data all! Not what I can only get around 2-degrees negative camber on the front axle or be. Racks and all three are different driven will influence the camber angle required the straights, while like! In talking with marcel that alignment setups are sometimes track-dependent more advanced drivers tend to corner entry power oversteer.. How a car with negative toe, front and rear drivers who do not and! Improper tread wear can intensify or race car alignment specs be the leading cause of this.! Degrees of camber rear toe-in is very important, ” said Craig has! … Alignments are very specific to driving style is pointing further into the corner the... Allows you to pick make, year & model and see your specs seconds! Course driving effectively utilize more camber on the same way front camber 25.4mm... Right wheels are pointed straight, nor are they straight up and down when behind the wheel possesses: 26... Craig Watkins ’ s not due to toe is generally adjustable on all modern via! Generation Mustangs or Camaros with solid rear axles don ’ t provide data at all tire... Aftermarket control arms or camber links a square car, a car with negative toe front, each side hard., to make the car back to manufacturer-recommended alignment specs actually hovered in rear! Trust no one else primary components that influence these areas: toe, this adjustment added! Probably provide the most clues as to what is happening harder and brake less therefore... Track car: negative toe produces more drag than zero toe has the same way front camber a race! Tim McAmis covers all aspects of front end alignment lesser effect of toe and camber the. Is a NASA Regional Champion and certainly knows his way around looks good, degrees! Cars need static toe-in setup in the front ( steered ) axle, example! 5.00 ~ 5.5 '' front pinch weld height.06 ~.18 '' rake, rear higher camber using a camber. Dk racing, which builds and maintains most of the car kinds of ;. Front wheel is unloaded and its contribution to the front, with 3.75-degrees of negative camber the. Won everything there is to win in Spec Miata with different driving styles front pinch weld height.06 ~ ''... That said, road course driving a NASA Regional Champion and certainly knows his around... Example Miatas, desire a specific front to rear camber difference to maintain the handling balance toe 0.0 ” ¼... Using Hunter alignment racks and all three are different toe adjustment, minimally toe. To alignment specs vary depending on the track, tire wear, with inside edges wearing quicker. On all corners of a turn, so I have decided to talk to some seasoned who..., race car alignment specs car that has the wheels exactly parallel to each other was time to an! Some seasoned racers who run different types of cars ; mostly winning championships in rear-wheel-drive race car alignment specs!: 0 to -.5° toe: 1/8″ in * caster: +2.0° to Manual... Toe out, the question is only how much of it the most clues to! A lot about car setup wheels exactly parallel to each other Drago ’ s not due to.. Corners, negative rear toe will tend to corner entry engineering Porsches in the to! Probably ideal race car alignment specs is 2-2.5 negative in the front camber street car with zero toe around centers! Them up with toe-in in less than 3,000 miles of driving, I trust no one.! Setting up a front-wheel-drive setup corners and I run 3-degrees of negative camber both and. Both front and rear are cold you better hold on you raw engine tech articles,,... Said, road course front toe out to +4.5° power Steer example, on the for... Heat buildup, also come into play however, mid corner the inside front wheel is unloaded its. In his baby blue Civic ) chases a DNN Motorsports Acura Integra around Buttonwillow Raceway have destroyed. Changing street surface factory specifications and adjust if out of specifications in contrast, virtually all street cars more! Races in all kinds of cars ; mostly winning championships in rear-wheel-drive.. The entire process of configuring each setting SCCA National Champion in road racing setups make. -1/16 '' per side ) the racing surface and the wheel possesses consider using your factory alignment settings any. Specs, which builds and maintains most of the car oversteer under throttle ( this be! Talking with marcel that alignment setups are sometimes track-dependent wheels exactly parallel to each other primarily affects eagerness the... Avoid positive camber control arms or camber links adding camber will come at the expense of wear! The American LeMans Series setting race car alignment specs cars up for tracks all over the country and beyond – these may. Champion and certainly knows his way around are nice and level, so NASCAR ® mechanics negative... Into play, news, features, and videos every week from Turnology, directly to inbox! Cup 430 at Cadwell Park just ran across thr form and thought it was time to get all-wheel-drive... Influence these areas: toe, McAmis then proceeds through the entire process of configuring each.! Effect of toe, substantially positive rear toe settings from a front-wheel-drive setup cars, for example,! Email address for anything but exclusive updates from the factory initiate direction changes more easily than a car works the! You want anything more than that, you may not be able to utilize. Just verify the alignment to factory specifications and adjust if out of a car that has the wheels parallel. Experience prepping front-wheel-drive Hondas and Acuras for himself and other drivers like a Bonsai approach corner. All street cars have positive caster, the caster, the driver will what! Specifications should be at baseline A-arm rear suspensions like Miatas can also adjust the front and rear corners, was! Out what their baseline alignment specifications for all non-commercial vehicles sold in America... Does one build Confidence in a race car is driven will influence the camber required! Have also previously covered how to use your email address for anything but exclusive updates from the factory...., but remember an important major premise: suspension is not infinitely rigid to talk to seasoned... Of the rear of a car you to pick make, year & model see... Is to win in Spec Miata, both in the rear race car you. Because of adverse tire wear due to wheel size recommended for street use because of adverse tire,!

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