Rear Toe Problems
How many times have you seen or heard of someone who has set up his car, gone out and raced, done well, then one day, unfortunately get caught in a wreck? Everything in the car gets checked, measured, replaced, or rebuilt. He goes back to the track and something is way off.
I'm not saying you forgot to scale or check the chassis for straightness. The frontend is where it belongs, the rearend is centered where it belongs, the scales are the same, but the car is off. If you've ever been hit in the wheels or had a front impact, go back and check rear toe! That center section has enough mass to be thrown forward, in an impact, and bend the axle tubes.
I've seen many cars, as well as my own Mod, do this. It doesn't take that much of a hit to cause this. A toed out rear will be loose, as well as toe-in makes for tight. That center section is heavy enough to keep moving, even though the car has stopped, in an impact. Maybe you could show ways to fix this and help others to look for this. You show a lot of great setups don't miss this one. Thanks for a great magazine.
Carl Ballinger
Thanks for the tip Carl. Coincidentally, I just created a setup checklist this morning and then read your comments. I'm including in the checklist to check the rear toe. This can be done with simple toe plates which most teams have.