Being an alignment specialist i know all about these angles, so i am curious why people are stating 0 degrees camber is good for karts.
I am sure optimal camber would be different depending if the kart is on road/offroad as well as if it has suspension or not.
For example, during suspension travel on a kart like mine the angles are going to change, so having a less negative camber degree would compensate for the change in camber during suspension travel.
On a kart like my brothers which has no front suspension, you would want more negative camber for cornering since as you corner the force is going to try and bring the wheels camber more positive.
Make any sense?
As I'm sure you're aware, the truth of the matter is that entire books have been written on properly setting up frontends on wheeled things. It is also truth that much of it goes well above most people's heads. A further truth still, is that the vast majority of those incredible volumes of formulae, calculations and measurements, are completely wasted on the common yard kart and its variants. So why get into it all, when the information that is here is sufficient for all but the most critical applications.
Case in point- my go kart (before most recent mods). Rigid frame (NO suspension). 18" rear and 15" front turf tires. 310+lbs empty. Capable of 72 km/hr (46MPH), and primarily used on gravel, hard pack dirt, and grass. Live axle (NO differential). Steers exceptionally well, like the proverbial cat on a carpet, even tested on asphalt. And what was my setup?
10* Positive Caster (kingpin tilted
back at the top.)
0* Camber (Steering straight ahead, wheels are perpendicular to the road surface).
0*KPI (Kingpins are
not tilted left or right)
Full and proper application of the Ackermann Principle (In a turn, inside tire follows tighter radius than outside tire).
Yes, that's right- NO KPI or Camber. Now, for as much as I've gone on about the positive benefits of a proper KPI angle, I did not build these spindles or knuckles. I always intended to correct that, but frankly it handled so well that there was no need. Now that these knuckles are going on the Weed Warrior, I WILL be cutting them apart and building in an appropriate KPI angle for racing.