Front Camber Effects on handling?
 

After a recent thread on geo settings I thought I would have a bit of a play with mine, not just because of that but I have recently changed back to 17's and was getting a bit of uneven wear, front right wearing more than the left, which it turns out was un even toe settings, which are now much closer to being identical.

I opted to see if I could get a little more front camber which I have because I have a sprint day coming up in a couple of weeks, it's now at -2.02 on the left and -2.04 on the right. didn't touch the rear as -2.32 on the right and -2.17 on the left and last time I tried it was as far as it could go which is a bit odd as I have camber bolts all round.

So now to my new handling characteristics, fcuk me it's slippy slidy on the power, admittedly it's wet and bloody greasy out here at the min and the tarmac is shoit, and I was provoking it just to get a feel for it :D now fortunately the back is following it so it is still quite controllable but I have done this to try and make it a tad more grippy for the winter months and my impending sprint yet it seems at first try to have made it less grippy. :wonder:

Now I wouldn't normally try and provoke it too much due to the condition of most of the tarmac especially when it's wet and on the road, this was done in an almost derelict industrial area (old mine entrance road and car park) but bloody hell it's gone a bit wayward, which I don't actually mind too much on track but I think it might mean I have to tip toe around the roads even more so now, which is the opposite of what I was trying to achieve.

My thoughts are I need to get some more rear camber back, it seems to have weighted the steering up a little more though so that's a good thing.

Any ideas on how to get more rear camber or what I should be able to get with the camber bolts, was sure I had more before, would the change in wheel diameter have altered that :wonder: also my road is a ish 600m hard core based dirt track so the car does tend to get bounced around a bit on it.

Thoughts and suggestions appreciated.:)

35 views and still no balls.:( :lol1:

You need to take it to a proper place instead of trying your luck as if you mess with anything, all the rest needs compensating

I'm in Croatia mate so there's no chance of that, I did most of the work myself today as the guy that has the machine only knows to look at standard manufactures setting on his data base, all the gear and no Idea, but hey it was only £15 and I was there for 2hrs so i'm not complaining. ;)

Could just do with a few tips really, and it's standard bar the camber bolts and some bushes until I get back to UK buy a few more up rated parts. :thumb:

That's a fair amount of camber, I cant get anywhere near -2 even with bolts. mines at around -1.5 all round. Ive found a tiny amount of toe out really works well on the front. Whats your rear toe like? I find toe in a little on rear works well too

Rear toe is 0.08 left and 0.11 right
Front is 0.01 left and 0.04 right, right side was a real pita and got it down from 0.12 which was the cause of the un-even wear.

You've reduced your low speed contact patch, by increasing camber - so drive faster. Or, reduce camber for winter road speeds/conditions.

Yeah I sort of figured that having thought about it, I can be a bit of a numpty sometimes, bloody obvious really :lol1: doesn't help with it being so wet at the minute which meant it didn't load the suspension up when I was testing it. I think I'm going to see how I get on with it for a while or at least until I've done my sprint day, just have to take it easy when the weather is crap until then, which is something I do anyway, then I think I'll take it to -1 front and around -1.25 rear for the winter months as I generally pootle everywhere then.

I'm running -2.0 on the rears and -1.5 on the fronts. I've noticed an improvement in the dry but worse in the wet. Mince vastly depends on teh wheel/tyre combo too. With the 8.75" XXRs its certainly worse than the 7.5" ppf7's with the same 225 tyres.

I have camber bolts all round on mine and could have got up to -3 deg negative all round if required.

p.s. You out visiting fat-thomas? I believe he's in Croatia now so his avatar says! :)

Try: neg 1.2 front, neg 1 rear
HTH

Yours is about what mine was before and it's actually a really nice drive once loaded up, stupidly without really thinking it through, I was trying to have more of the same :nono: :freak3: :lol1:

It has improved the feel though and I love the way I seem to have more control when it does start to slide, it's starting to remind me of the Mazda MX5 I hired in Cyprus which can only be a good thing as it means I'm heading in the right direction, i'm just learning and experimenting at the minute at least out here it's only £15 a pop to go and use his geo kit, although I think he thinks I'm a bit mental as no one else turns up and starts using his tools and doing the job for him. :lol1:

P.S I think tubbs is in romania. :Suspiciou

ok will do, what do you think about toe in and out?

My toe front & rear is set neutral to Subaru guidelines, just the camber that is increased.

I know what you mean about feeling more stable. It does let go more easily but feels more planted at the same time.

I did the same at QuickSh1t. Turned up and helped them set my camber on all corners. lol. Cost me significantly more than £15 though.

Yeah the more I think about it the more it makes sense about the control it gives in a slide, as i'm gaining contact where I would be loosing it with less camber, makes for a more fun drive all be some what skittish at low to medium speeds, then it lets you power through the corners slightly sideways :D just learning to start driving it like my Type R keeping on the throttle and making sure there is always power at the wheels, I can see my monthly fuel bill going up.:lol1:

It's really adjust to taste.
But, I'd leave the front at 0, and the rear at 0 - unless your just plodding around, in which case I'd add a bit of toe-in at the rear, to get rid of numb steering in the straight ahead position.
Or a bit of rear toe-out, in the summer, you might like it? - I would not do this for winter driving.
Get as much caster as you can, within reason, 5-6 degrees - you won't get this much, without spacing the control arms.

Ok thanks.

Caster is my next goal, going to get some Classic STI arms and anti-lift kit to try and get somewhere around 6 degrees, that along with some wagon specific springs from Peter @PCA and a rear roll bar should see some improvement.

TBH this current set up isn't too brilliant in terms of making the car quicker but it is fun.