Here are some of the basics a racer should learn to help understand their racer .
Camber
The camber angle identifies how far the tire
slants away from vertical when viewed directly from the front or back
of the vehicle. Camber is expressed in degrees, and is said to be
negative when the top of the tire tilts inward toward the center of the
vehicle and positive when the top leans away from the center of the
vehicle.
Caster
The
caster angle identifies the forward or backward slope of a line drawn
through the upper and lower steering pivot points when viewed directly
from the side of the vehicle. Caster is expressed in degrees and is
measured by comparing a line running through the steering system's
upper and lower pivot points. This angle helps the steering wheel to go
back to centre. The greater the angle, the move effect it takes to turn
the steering wheel in the turn.
Caster synopsis:
* More positive caster will loosen the chassis the more the wheel is turned through a corner.
* More positive caster will allow you to catch slides on exit a little easier.
* The higher the caster stagger, the easier the car will turn into a corner.
* The higher the caster stagger, the easier the car will break loose braking into a corner.
* The higher the caster stagger, the less steering effort
required. This will tend to give you a loose feeling upon corner
entry.
King Pin Inclination
The
kingpin inclination is the angle, measured in degrees, that forms the
line passing through the kingpin and the perpendicular to the ground,
looking at the vehicle from the front. It helps to create that jacking
effect that lifts the left rear tire in the turns. It works somewhat
like wedging the chassis.
Ackerman Effect
Ackerman
is the term used to describe steering geometry that causes the inside
front wheel to turn "tighter" than the outside front wheel.
Setting up your front suspension for correct Ackerman.
Circle Of Traction
The
traction circle is used to describe the way traction works between a
tire and the road. Each tire has a fixed amount of traction that is
available no matter which way you try to slide – not roll – it.
Chassis Wedge - Also know as Cross Wedge
Wedge
is also known as cross weight or diagonal weight. Wedge is the total
weight of the RF & LR corners divided by the cars total weight.
Wedge is used to keep the back of the car tight entering a corner while
also adding bite exiting a corner. It refers to the relationship from
corner-to-corner of the weight of the race vehicle. Increasing the
weight on any corner of the vehicle affects the weight of the other
three corners in direct proportion.
Wedge synopsis:
* Increasing wedge tightens the chassis.
* Decreasing wedge loosens the chassis
