Originally Posted by
howardcano
I think this would be more accurately stated as the "line that passes through the center of the lower pivot ball and is perpendicular to the kingpin". It is horizontal on your drawing because the kingpin is vertical, but if the kingpin is leaning in (from a static camber adjustment made by changing the length of the upper suspension arm, for instance) then the line would no longer be horizontal, and the RC would be different. This is why some guys adjust camber by changing the steering knuckle instead of using the turnbuckle on the upper suspension arm.
Thanks for posting this, Rob. For some of us, the technical stuff is the FUN stuff!
Originally Posted by
MantisWorx
I was referring to the drawing, the explanation below is what im talking about. You would have to make some kind of GIF diagram to really get it right.
Good point!
I love the technical stuff too
Actually, Rob is correct in his assesment and illustration. The line of the lower arm is determined by the inner and outer pickup points (the inner arm mount and outer pivot ball) The static camber angle of the kingpin has no effect on this whatsoever.
The static camber angle can affect the center of the tire's contact patch as more negative static camber will move the point outward.
With a pan car style front end like that used by the FGX, F104, et al, the fixed lower arm is still determining the IC and RC even without moving. The primary adjustment with a fixed lower arm becomes the upper link for not only static camber, but also camber gain, and RC.
Changing the height of the knuckle in relation to the lower arm changes ride height unless the tire diameter is adjusted to keep the same value. If tire diameter is not changed, ride height as well as the IC changes due to the differing angle from the contact patch to the IC.
For better corner speed, try more caster. It has the effect of adding camber without increasing static camber and decreasing corner entry grip.