Race car setup geometry / check my trig please!

Race car setup geometry / check my trig please!

Author
Discussion

HustleRussell

Original Poster:

24,733 posts

161 months

Friday 3rd March 2017
quotequote all
I’ve bought a racing car which appears to handle well with around;
  • 10 minutes per side toe out front
  • 7 minutes per side toe in rear
This is measured on a Hunter laser alignment system and these are around the settings my dad and I have been using on these cars for years

However the chap who set up the car which won one of last year’s championships has recommended the following settings;
  • 3mm per side toe out front
  • 1.7mm per side toe in rear
Assuming he uses the string method and is measuring from the 13” wheel rim (which has an outer rim diameter of ~358mm (1.)) I can use TAN rule to convert his measurements to degrees and then minutes;
  • 29 minutes per side toe out front (-0.48 degrees)
  • 16 minutes per side toe in rear (0.27 degrees)
Firstly, does my maths look correct?

Secondly, note how massive his angles are! Given that the proportions of front toe out to rear toe in are similar between the two setups, what would the effect be of me duplicating his much more extreme angles on my car? I would expect more rolling resistance so what is upside of increasing front toe out and rear toe in equally?

1. Googled figure, I have not yet measured a wheel

HustleRussell

Original Poster:

24,733 posts

161 months

Friday 3rd March 2017
quotequote all
E-bmw said:
Don't assume anything, ask him, if he uses rear rim to front rim instead they will be similar to yours if not the same.
I will, just out of interest how does measuring rear rim to front rim work? I have assumed he has set up his strings and the given dimensions are the difference between the distance from the string and the trailing edge of the wheel and the string and the leading edge of the wheel.