Alignment
Alignment settings are one of the most important factors when it comes to getting your drift car to handle properly. A properly set up drift car will generally require alignment settings outside of the factory adjustment threshold. For this reason it is important to make your settings adjustable. As drifting becomes more mainstream more and more companies are offering aftermarket support for popular drift chassis when it comes to adjustable suspension arms. The settings below are based on the popular S13 and S14 drift chassis however this is not an end all be all of alignment settings. These settings will give you a great baseline when setting up your car however some changes may need to be made to really tailer fit to your power levels or driving style.
Front Camber: Contrary to popular belief more camber is not always better. Front camber settings should be close to 3-4 degrees of negative camber in order to maintain a flat contact patch mid drift.
Front Castor: When setting up a car for drifting you want to run as much positive castor as possible. Caster helps a car “self Steer” allowing you to let the steering wheel feed through your hands after initiating. Caster also adds more negative camber when turning which helps add grip under drift making the car more stable. For an S-Chassis car this is usually around 7-8 degrees before you start getting into the factory front bumper. You may be able to run more depending on if you run an aftermarket front bumper or are ok with cutting your bumper wheel wells for more clearance.
Front Toe: Front toe should be set around 1/8″ total TOE-OUT. Running toe-out makes initiating easier as well as transitioning between drifts. Too much toe out can make a car very twitchy to steering inputs. It is not recommended to exceed more than 1/4″ total TOE-OUT.
Bump Steer: Bump steer is when your front wheels turn themselves without input form the steering wheel. This is caused by bumps in the road or track you are driving on and the angles of your suspension arms. Generally the more you lower a car the more noticeable bump steer becomes. A good rule of thumb to minimize bump steer is to keep the angle of your tie rod close to that of your lower control arm. This can be a deceiving angle to match because lower control arms are often times curved and not strait. You want to be looking at the imaginary line between the mounting point on the sub frame and lower ball joint, not the lower control arm itself. This angle can be adjusted using adjustable outer tie rod ends like these.
Rear Camber: Rear camber should be set to ZERO in order to maintain even tire wear. Running as close to ZERO rear camber as possible also helps with forward traction bite. If you find you need a little more side grip can can add a little negative camber but you should not exceed more than -1 degree. If you have an underpowered car you can increase your rear tire pressure to help the car feel looser.
Rear Toe: Rear to setting should be minimal TOE-IN or ZERO but never toe-out. Factory recommendation for S-Chassis cars is around 0 to 1/8″ total TOE-IN which is a good guideline to follow. Too much rear toe-in will make your car want to straighten when the the throttle is lifted which usually results in the most serious of accidents. You never want to run toe-out as this will make your car react very twitchy.
Tire Pressure: Tire pressure should be set to around 32-34 PSI during the alignment process. You also want to pay attention to your warm tire pressure while drifting, as you make more runs your tire pressures will increase. For this reason you may need to bleed off pressure after a few runs or try starting with a little lower cold tire pressure to start your track day. 32-34 PSI is a good baseline to start with. Once you get some seat time with your new settings you may find that you need to add or reduce tire pressure. Some instances may be adding rear tire pressure on underpowered cars to get the car looser and easier to keep sideways. On the other hand with a high hp car you may need to reduce rear tire pressure in order to add traction and more forward bite.
Summary: Below you will find recommended baseline settings you can start with and tune to your liking.
Front Toe: 1/8″ to 1/4″ Overall TOE OUT
Front Camber: -3 to -4 Degrees
Caster: 7-8 Degrees (As much as possible without the tire hitting the front bumper)
Rear Toe: 1/8″ to 1/4″ TOE IN
Rear Camber: As close to ZERO “0” as possible
Rear Traction Rod: On s-chassis cars it is recommended to leave this the same length as stock or run rear traction rods that are approximately 1/8″ shorter than stock. Shortening of the rear traction rod increases “toe in” under compression/roll adding more forward bite. If you want to run shorter arms simply measure the distance from the center of the mounting hole on the factory traction arm where it mounts to the knuckle and to the center of the mounting hole on the factory tractions arm where it mounts to the sub-frame, of the holes on the traction rod itself. Reduce this measurement by 1/8″ and you will have your ideal traction rod length. If you have aftermarket adjustable arms you can easily set this measurement, make sure you measure from center to center of mounting points on the arm when setting your length, this is the most accurate way to measure and make sure the length is correct. Some people will cut and shorten their factory arms and weld them back together. If you go this route be sure to take your measurement before you cut your OEM traction arms!!
Alignment Tools:
Digital caster/camber gauge can be purchased here.
Turning plates with degrees can be purchased here.
Compete string alignment system can be purchased here.
Aftermarket suspension arms for most popular makes and models can be found here.