Troubleshooting guide

Caster/Camber Adjusters:

The adjusters at the front spindles should start at a II/II (top/bottom) setting. Refer to the CRG

caster/camber chart at the end of this manual for the effect of various settings. Generally, karts are

quire sensitive to caster adjustments and are not as sensitive to camber changes.

Caster has the greatest effect at corner entry and during the first third of the corner. Camber has the

greatest effect in the middle third of the corner. The final third of the corner is controlled largely by rear

axle setup. If changes in none of these areas net any real change on the track, it’s probable that your

seat position is not correct and you are out of the tuning “window”.

When caster and camber are both

set correctly, there will be even wear across the tire face.

Caster:

Caster affects the grip of both the front and rear of a kart. It does this by transferring weight to the

opposite rear wheel during cornering. Although it may seem complicated, there are a few simple rules

to follow concerning caster.

If the caster is decreased (less kingpin angle), the kart will be easier to steer. Some drivers have noted

that it adds “feel” to the kart and increases bite on the front end. It may be advisable to decrease the

caster setting if the track conditions are providing too much grip. The kart will free up and be more

drivable if the caster is removed in this scenario.

The driver may want to add caster if the conditions are cold or if the class requires hard compound

tires. This will offer more front grip, less rear grip and help eliminate understeer. For most applications,

use the II/II settings on the front end adjusters. Smaller drivers will tend to run decreased caster, while

larger drivers should run increased caster.

Many teams take caster out of the chassis for qualifying, when tires are fresh and not fighting for grip.

Caster also causes change of camber when the steering is turned, resulting in more negative camber

on the outside front wheel and more positive camber on the inside front wheel.

Importantly, increased caster also increases the jacking effect on the front wheels which helps unload

the rear axle (inside wheel) more on corner entry. If a soft rear axle is being used, it is possible that

increasing caster will alleviate an understeering condition by unloading the rear axle more and help

balance the chassis. Since the rear tire is lifting sooner in the corner, there is (in effect) less rear grip at

this point.

Generally, karts are fairly sensitive to caster changes. Therefore, it is quite effective as a primary

tuning tool.

Camber:

Camber is measured by how far the front tires are leaning in or out as viewed from the front of the kart.

If the tire is leaning “in”, the kart has negative camber. If the tire is leaning “out”, the kart has positive

camber.

Camber is usually adjusted when the track surface is wet. In these conditions, the driver can negatively

adjust the camber to find more grip. Camber is the setting mostly responsible for maintaining the

maximum outside front tire rubber on the road in the corners, particularly mid-corner. Setting camber to

zero will nearly always be the best starting point and can be fine tuned using tire wear as a guide (or

tire temperatures across the tread).