At the high-banked racetracks we get more chassis dive and less chassis roll. Excess camber change is a factor, but less obvious as to traction loss because of the high amount of downforce and available traction caused by more load being exerted on each of the four tires. Here are the changes that we would make to the setup to make the car balanced for a 14 degree track:
1.Reduce the front spring split to: LR = 275, RF = 300.
2.Even up the rear springs: LR = 200, RR = 200 for more conventional setups, or keep the stiffer RR spring that is popular on the BBSS setups.
3.Raise the right side Panhard bar to 11.50 (which raises the rear MC and increases the split in the two ends of the bar to compensate for the increased travel on the RR corner due to the added downforce.
4.Change static cambers on the front; increase the LF positive camber and decrease the RF negative camber. Try to design a front suspension that will have less upper control arm angle while still maintaining a decent MC location.
5.Use the lower cross weight range (from about 50 to 53 percent depending on the front to rear percent. More rear percent = more cross weight).
Example 8 shows where we would want to be if the track banking angle was much higher, at say 26 degrees. The car will have a lot of traction due to the high amounts of downforce and therefore the cornering speeds will be high. The resultant force, a combination of gravity and the lateral cornering force called centrifugal force, will be in a direction that lies between the front tires. This results in a lot of vertical chassis travel and little chassis roll. Traction is never a problem unless the setup is very unbalanced. Here is an example of a balanced setup for a very highly banked race track for an Asphalt Late Model.
Note that the front spring rates are much higher and the rear spring rates are both higher and split to a greater extent. Both of these could be even higher if the radius of the turns is smaller. The front MC is farther to the right, the average Panhard bar height (rear MC height) is higher, and the g-forces are up considerably to 2.2 gs. The front suspension travel will average in excess of 4 inches and the rear suspension will travel upwards of 4 to 5 inches or more. If your car normally has a 4 inch ride height, then the car must be raised or it will make contact with the track surface.
The starting cambers might well be: LF = +4.5, RF = (-) 1.0. That is because of the high amount of chassis dive the car will experience that will reduce the positive LF camber (become less positive) by 3 or more degrees and increase the (add to the negative amount) RF camber by about the same amount.
Again let me say that the changes we have made to these sample cars are the same as we have made to real cars in actual competition. That is not to say that you need to run out to your shop and put these setups in your car. Rather, remember the direction we have gone and trends we have described related to the different types of racecars. The hot tire temperatures as well as the tire wear will be an indication of how close you come to a balanced setup.
The differences between these cars and yours that might cause these setups not to work for you include: a) center of gravity height, b) front moment center (roll center) location, c) front end motion ratios for spring mounting, d) weight distribution, e) and front and rear spring location and spring angles.
All race teams need to know certain basic information about their cars. Learn the tendencies that make a car's suspension want to roll more or less and try to match the ends for a more balanced setup. Know your front geometry settings, especially the moment center location and camber change characteristics. If you fine tune all of these, finding that sweet spot related to a winning chassis setup will be a much easier process. Above all, be willing to take control of your chassis and do not be afraid to make changes to improve the geometry, the alignment, and the balance of your setup.