Chassis Tuning Guide

PUSH IN (entering corner) PUSH Middle (Understeer) PUSH OUT (exiting corner)

To much Front Brake bias Increase Rear stagger - Wedge

- RF Tire psi - Wedge Increase Rear stagger
Decrease RF negative camber Rear Roll center too Low Rear Roll center too Low
or Decrease RF positive camber
(Make sure Tire Temps are Driver applying throttle to quick
even)
+ LR Spring Rate
Decrease toe-out + RF & or LF Shock Rebound
- Wedge + RR Spring Rate
Increase Rear Stagger - RF Spring Rate
Rear Roll center too Low
- RF Spring Rate
+ RR Spring Rate
+ LF Spring Rate – Stiffer LF
loosens car at turn entry &
corner exit, it subtracts CW
from chassis
Decrease Nose weight
- Front Sway Bar
- RF Shock Compression (Bump)

LOOSE IN (entering corner) LOOSE Middle (Oversteer) LOOSE OUT (exiting corner)

To much Rear Brake bias - RR Tire psi Excessive Rear stagger

Rear Roll center too High + Wedge + Wedge
Excessive Rear stagger Rear Roll center too High -RR Tire psi
+ Wedge Excessive Rear stagger Rear Roll center too High
- RR Tire psi - RR Spring Rate + LR Spring Rate
+ RF Spring Rate Driver purposely loosened up car - RR Spring Rate
to overcome initial corner
Understeer
- RR Spring Rate
- LF Spring Rate – Softer LF
tightens car at turn entry
+ RF Shock Compression
(Bump)
+ Front Sway Bar

Chassis Tuning With Shock Absorbers

Note: Shock Absorbers influence how quickly weight is transferred.

They have no affect on the amount of weight transferred.

Shocks influence handling during transitions – braking, accelerating and

cornering.

PUSH IN (entering PUSH Middle PUSH OUT (exiting

corner) (Understeer) corner)

Reduce rate of weight - LF Rebound Reduce rate of weight

transfer from transfer from

LR to RF RF to LR
+ LR Rebound + LR Compression
(Bump)
LR may need a 4/6 LR may need a 5/3 or 6/4

(Compression/Rebound) (Compression/Rebound)
Shock Shock

+ RF Rebound

LOOSE IN (entering LOOSE Middle LOOSE OUT (exiting

corner) (Oversteer) corner)

+ RF Compression (Bump) - LR Rebound Need to get weight to transfer

quicker from RF to LR
- LR Rebound - RR Compression - RF Rebound
This momentarily reduces - LR Compression (Bump)
weight transfer from LR to
RF
LR may need a 5/3 or 6/4

(Compression/Rebound)
Shock

Shock Tuning Tips

• Always start with 50/50 shocks and get the chassis sorted out
first. Fine tune with split shocks.
 • To get more weight transfer to the LR under acceleration, keep
the Rebound lighter on the RF compared to the LF.
• More Rebound on the LF and LR will LOOSEN car at corner entry.
• Less Rebound on LF and LR will TIGHTEN car at corner entry.
• Softer Rebound on LF and RF will create better TRACTION under
acceleration.
• If car skates across track when a bump is encountered the
shocks are too stiff.
• If hop occurs when a bump is encountered the shocks are too
soft.

Corner Transition
Loose at corner entry, push on exit
• Decreasing rear brake bias loosens up chassis at corner entry.
• Car maybe loose at corner entry and exit but driver uses early
apex which causes a push at mid-corner and exit.
• - LF Spring Rate to tighten at corner entry.
• If car is still tight at corner exit:
+ RR Tire psi (by 1 to 2 psi)
Take out small amount of cross weight at LR

Instability
• Car is darts on straightaway
Increase toe-out
• Car wanders on straightaway
Insufficient positive caster

Wedge (Cross weight)

• More makes car PUSH
• Less makes car LOOSE
• Changing stagger affects the amount of wedge in chassis.
Smaller circumference in RR will increase wedge.
 Front Suspension
Toe - Out
• Never use toe-in. Some toe-out is always needed.
• Range 1/40 (0.025”) to 3/16 (0.1875”) inches.
• Never use less than 1/40 (0.025”) inch.
• Adding more toe-out will add PUSH to corner entry and middle of
turn.
• Excessive toe-out will cause tire scrub on both the straightaway
and in cornering.

Camber
• -RF Spring Rate allows more wheel travel. The more body roll a
car experiences, the more negative camber gain that is required
in bump travel at RF.
• Uneven tire temperatures across the tire means the tire contact
patch is not flat on the track. This causes a PUSH (Understeer)
and reduces braking capability.
• Too much negative camber at RF causes excessive inside tire
heat and wear.
Short track RF generally 8 to 12 degrees warmer on the
inside edge.
More static negative camber the greater the inside tire
heat and wear.
• Too little negative camber at RF causes excessive outside tire
heat and wear.

Caster
• Increased positive caster enhances front steering stability.
• Larger positive caster angle increases steering effort.
• Negative caster is a destabilizing element. DO NOT USE.
• The amount of LF positive caster will dictate how much the
chassis loosens up at corner entry and middle of turn.
PUSH IN
+ LF caster

Rear Suspension
Track Bar (Panhard Bar)
• Start with it parallel to ground - Both sides equal.
• Lower bar lowers the Rear Roll center. This TIGHTENS chassis.
• Higher bar raises the Rear Roll center. This LOOSENS chassis.
Raising or lowering to adjust for the Roll center height, both ends of
the track bar should be moved equally to avoid changing bar angle.

• Angling of Track Bar

Right side higher - loosens chassis
decrease tightens chassis
Spring Rates

RF
Stiffer rate makes car tend to PUSH.
Softer rate makes car tend to LOOSEN.
LF
Softer rate makes car PUSH at corner entry.
Stiffer rate makes car LOOSE at corner entry.
RR
Stiffer rate makes car tend to LOOSEN.
Softer rate makes car tend to PUSH.
LR
Stiffer rate makes car tend to PUSH, also tightens car from middle of
turn through corner exit.
Softer rate makes car tend to LOOSEN.

Tire psi

1 lb increase in tire pressure = 15 lbs. in Spring Rate.

More air pressure

• Increases tire circumference.
• Reduces tire contact patch.
• Makes sidewall stiffer.
Less air pressure
• Reduces tire circumference.
• Increases tire contact patch.
• Makes sidewall more flexible.
+ RR psi - loosens chassis
- RR psi - Tightens chassis
+ RF psi - Tightens chassis
- RF psi - Loosens chassis
- LR psi - Tightens chassis

Always write down your tire temperatures after each run. Compare the
temperatures at the middle of backstretch while running to those when
in the garage.

Check temperatures after 8 to 10 hard runs. This will give more

positive feed back, how the chassis is handling than anything else.
Reading tire temperatures takes the guessing out of chassis tuning by
working with predictable values.
Tire Temperatures - LOW
• Stiffen shocks (Bump/Rebound) on tire in question.
• Lower tire psi on tires in question.

Tire Temperatures - HIGH

• Slower entry into corner (for RF Tire)
• Soften shocks (Bump/Rebound) on tires in question.
• Increase tire psi on tires in question. (Depending on problem see
TIRE WEAR).
Tire Wear
• Hot center - Lower tire psi
• Cool center - Increase tire psi
• Hot inside - Decrease camber
• Hot outside - Increase camber
• Hot RF Tire - slower entry into corner
• Lower wheel lock
• Smoother on gas and brake

Braking

• Keep brake bias under 60%

• Higher the valve = more brake pressure on the front.

FRONT Brakes Lock Up

• Decrease Brake Bias
• Soften Front Shocks (Bump)

REAR Brakes Lock Up

• Increase Brake Bias
• Soften Rear Shocks (Rebound)
• Stiffen Front Shocks (Bump)