what camber angle to run for xc?

[660bigdaddy]

i just got a set of caster/camber adjustable upper a arms for my yfz. can anyone tell me what degree my camber should be set at? and will an angle finder work with measuring the degree? as far as the caster. should my ball joints line up w/ each other?
thanks for the help...

[justdirt]

there is a pretty good thread in faq section, it should answer all your questions, or just get you more confused, good luck.

[660bigdaddy]

thank you for the reply. i was hoping for some suggestions from the "pros" that are on here, but this is what i fopund for those interested, posted by narlyR.

There is Caster, and Camber.

Camber is the amount of degrees that the tire and wheel is tilted in or out at the top in relation to the bottom of the tire. A tire that is tilted in at the top and out at the bottom is said to have negative camber. The farther it angles out at the bottom the greater the amount of negative camber.

For positive camber the top of the tire is farther out then the bottom. The reason for having camber in your front end is as fallows. An ATV's suspention is forced over in a corner and the suspention flexes. With everything in motion, all this force wants to flex the tire more upright, or reducing the amount of negative camber. As a bike enters a corner, the forces tend to bend everything over, adding positive camber.

Caster is the amount of angle the spindle has in relation to the vertical centerline of the wheel. If the upper ball joint is farther forward than the lower ball joint, it is said to have negative caster. If the upper ball joint is farther back than the lower ball joint it is said to have positive caster. The greater the amount of positive caster, the more stable thw ATV will be at speed. The less positive caster it has the eiser it will steer and the quicker it will turn. As the spindle is laid back, the tire has to lay over more when the front tires are turned. This adds stability. If there is not much angle, the wheel will turn more, making it quicker and easier to turn.


Recomended Caster: Positive

Moto cross 4.5 degrees
Cross country 4.5 degrees
Sand dunning 3-4.5 degrees
Desert racing 6.5 degrees
Recreational 3.5-4.5 degrees


Recomended Caster: Negative

Moto cross 4.5 degrees
Cross country 4.5 degrees
Sand dunning 2-4 degrees
Desert racing 2-4 degrees
Recreational 1-3 degrees

A bike should have about 1/4 inch of toe-in.

[gizmocor]

That post pretty much sums it up. I wouldn't say you want 1/4" of toe though, that is a pretty good starting point but you should measure your toe change before you set that. Unbolt the shocks and run the wheel through it's entire travel (only the normal travel the shock would allow) and see how much the toe changes from fully extended to bottomed. You never want the wheels to point out in the front (I think thats positive toe??). Find the point in the travel that has the front of the front tires out the furthest and make sure you are at least straight to 1/8" inward at that point. That may result in setting your toe (when the quad is at rest) anywhere from 1/4" to 5/8". Stock geometry tends to have a lot more toe change (bump steer) than aftermarket setups and will ride more predictably with more toe. I run 1/2" or more toe in on most stock quads. The Houser setup I had on the 250R could almost be set straight it worked so well......

[norcalatver]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 660bigdaddy


There is Caster, and Camber


Recomended Caster: Positive

Moto cross 4.5 degrees
Cross country 4.5 degrees
Sand dunning 3-4.5 degrees
Desert racing 6.5 degrees
Recreational 3.5-4.5 degrees


Recomended Caster: Negative

Moto cross 4.5 degrees
Cross country 4.5 degrees
Sand dunning 2-4 degrees
Desert racing 2-4 degrees
Recreational 1-3 degrees

Shouldn't that first one say camber? I run positive caster also. It helps take out the twitchy ness at high speeds.

[660bigdaddy]

thanks giz for the reply... my a arms came today. but they forgot to send the ball joints w/ it...