[Land-speed] Front suspension settings

[neil at dbelltech.com]

> Skip:  Not sure of the target speed but if you assume a dynamic down force
> of 500-600lbs a lot of things move in that front end sheet metal when it
> starts to squat. You definitely don't want it to move to a toe-out
> condition
> and the only way to prevent that it to crank in some static toe-in. My
> estimate would be about 1/8" toe. Also, you could test it in the garage by
> loading some sand bags and then measuring to see which way it moves. -Kirk
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than
> "Re: Contents of Land-speed digest..."
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> What should the alignment settings be? I would suggest:
> Toe............0
> Scrub radius +/- 1/4" with 0 being optimum.
> _______________________________________________
> Land-speed at autox.team.net
> Donate: http://www.team.net/donate.html
> Archive: http://www.team.net/archive
> Forums: http://www.team.net/forums
> Unsubscribe/Manage:
> http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/land-speed/neil@dbelltech.com
>
Skip;

The car I'm building is completely different from your Camaro so my front
suspension settings would not help you; however, the principles still
apply. You definitely want to see how your wheels move over the full range
of your suspension travel to make sure nothing bad is taking place. As an
alternative to the sandbag method, I'd suggest you get your Camaro up on
jack stands and remove the front springs. This way you can move the wheels
from full bump to full droop. I'd use a small jack to raise the a-arms up
in 1/2" increments and measure the toe, camber, and caster at each point.
Do both sides. Look especially for toe change in bump (above your normal
ride height ); zero toe change is the best but minimize it as best you
can. Normally the height of the steering box is moved changed to change
the toe curve but the steering arm/ball joint can be shimmed to do the
same thing. In your case the change in camber and caster is acedemic since
you are using (presumably) the factory geometry.

Regards, Neil  temporarily in Ouray, CO