drifting alignments

RubHamusan · 09-12-2004, 11:36 AM

just curious about other setups. i've never had a fully adjustable suspention before,until now. so i a m at the point where i am curious about other peeps setups. camber i know,but what about caster and tow?

any input would be great....thanx.....scott

Drift For Food · 09-12-2004, 12:08 PM

Here's a handy little guide for ya:
http://www.drifting.com/forums/showt...&threadid=4943

There are other posts on the subject as well. Each aspect has its purpose.

For example, caster is basically for tracking strength. The most caster you have, the more the front tires will point in the direction of the motion of the car, reguardless of angle. The degrees of caster are normally quite small.

Toe in and toe out affect how the inside and outside wheels track around a corner but also produce other effects. In a basic sense, toe-in(both front and rear) will provide straight line stability at high speeds, but it would have a counter effect of some loss in cornering ability. Toe-out does the opposite, you gain cornering ability and the ability for the rear end to come around easier in corners, but you lose stability at high speeds, car may wander a bit. I personally like 0 toe for the most part just because you have no side effects.

I personally like to think of toe, camber, and caster settings as minor tweaks. I think of spring, swaybar, and dampening rates as the major adjustment components. If these are set right, the minor adjustments aren't needed to compensate for a less than perfect setup. Again this is just my opinion and how I look at car suspension.

Get the springs, swaybars, and shocks right, and then fine tune the small stuff. Camber is used to control tire contact surface(if it's flat or angled on its inner or outer edge in a corner). Caster controls the tracking force of the steering. Toe fine tunes how the front and rear inside and outside wheels follow each other around a corner. You can even look at tire pressures to fine to front/rear grip balance as well as some minor dampening adjustments. There are other factors that affect how the car handles and feels. These are basically the geometry of the suspension, something not easily changed.

_PG_ · 09-12-2004, 01:44 PM

I have 8/7 FLT-A2 coilovers, SPL TC rods, tie rods, RUCAs, subframe spacers.... camber like 2.5 front, little more than 2 or 2.25 rear, toe out front and rear a little bit. This is on S13 with S14 SR. I like it, the car likes to walk sideways. Great ofr long slides and keeping a drift in the straight away between 2 90 degree corners (linking them as if it were one big sweeper...) Its really responsive and great of feinting. But daily driving it is kinda a pain... especially if i get on the freeways. HAHA. It likes to follow lines in the road.

Brian · 09-12-2004, 02:08 PM

hahah L, dont you hate it when the lines in the highway are EXACTLY where one of your tires is.

i know on the 605 when i go to work every day, the deep lines are right in the track of my wheels, so it is quite scary sometimes.

09-12-2004, 11:36 AM	#1
RubHamusan Registered User Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: ATLANTA Posts: 89	drifting alignments just curious about other setups. i've never had a fully adjustable suspention before,until now. so i a m at the point where i am curious about other peeps setups. camber i know,but what about caster and tow? any input would be great....thanx.....scott

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09-12-2004, 12:08 PM	#2
Drift For Food OMG the ground's white! Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Minnesota Posts: 676	Here's a handy little guide for ya: http://www.drifting.com/forums/showt...&threadid=4943 There are other posts on the subject as well. Each aspect has its purpose. For example, caster is basically for tracking strength. The most caster you have, the more the front tires will point in the direction of the motion of the car, reguardless of angle. The degrees of caster are normally quite small. Toe in and toe out affect how the inside and outside wheels track around a corner but also produce other effects. In a basic sense, toe-in(both front and rear) will provide straight line stability at high speeds, but it would have a counter effect of some loss in cornering ability. Toe-out does the opposite, you gain cornering ability and the ability for the rear end to come around easier in corners, but you lose stability at high speeds, car may wander a bit. I personally like 0 toe for the most part just because you have no side effects. I personally like to think of toe, camber, and caster settings as minor tweaks. I think of spring, swaybar, and dampening rates as the major adjustment components. If these are set right, the minor adjustments aren't needed to compensate for a less than perfect setup. Again this is just my opinion and how I look at car suspension. Get the springs, swaybars, and shocks right, and then fine tune the small stuff. Camber is used to control tire contact surface(if it's flat or angled on its inner or outer edge in a corner). Caster controls the tracking force of the steering. Toe fine tunes how the front and rear inside and outside wheels follow each other around a corner. You can even look at tire pressures to fine to front/rear grip balance as well as some minor dampening adjustments. There are other factors that affect how the car handles and feels. These are basically the geometry of the suspension, something not easily changed.

09-12-2004, 01:44 PM	#3
_PG_ Got a date with Lady Luck Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: The sucky CA Posts: 427	I have 8/7 FLT-A2 coilovers, SPL TC rods, tie rods, RUCAs, subframe spacers.... camber like 2.5 front, little more than 2 or 2.25 rear, toe out front and rear a little bit. This is on S13 with S14 SR. I like it, the car likes to walk sideways. Great ofr long slides and keeping a drift in the straight away between 2 90 degree corners (linking them as if it were one big sweeper...) Its really responsive and great of feinting. But daily driving it is kinda a pain... especially if i get on the freeways. HAHA. It likes to follow lines in the road.

09-12-2004, 02:08 PM	#4
Brian Registered User Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 1,302	hahah L, dont you hate it when the lines in the highway are EXACTLY where one of your tires is. i know on the 605 when i go to work every day, the deep lines are right in the track of my wheels, so it is quite scary sometimes.