Losi LOSB0102 - Manual (Page 17)

TM
Inboard Camber Location: The Desert Truck has three
different inner locations with vertical adjustment for the front
camber tie rod. In general, the lower or further out the inside
position is, relative to the outside, the more camber gain (total
camber change through the total throw of the suspension) is
present. This is an adjustment that is difficult to make a generic
statement for as it can have slightly different results on various
conditions. The following is a summary of how this adjustment
will usually impact the handling of the Desert Truck. A longer
front camber link will usually make the Desert Truck feel stiffer.
This will help keep the Desert Truck flatter with less roll, but can
make the Desert Truck handle worse in bumpy conditions, it
also will make the Desert Truck easier to drive. A shorter front
camber link will result in more front end roll, which will provide
more steering on tighter turns with the loss of some stability.
You will also lose some high speed steering but might gain
some more steering response. Too short of a front link may
make the Desert Truck feel “twitchy” or “wandery” meaning that
it may be difficult to drive straight at high speed.
Inboard Camber Vertical Adjustment: Washers are often
used under the inner ball stud mounting location; this is one
of the most important adjustments on the Desert Truck. You
should get a feel for how the number of washers affects the
handling. Adding washers will make the Desert Truck more
stable and keep the front end flatter. This works well on higher
traction surfaces. Removing washers will make the steering
more aggressive, which works well on lower traction surfaces.
This can be good in some conditions, but can also make the
Desert Truck difficult to drive in others. The best all-around
adjustment is with three washers as the vehicle comes built.
The washers that are used are included in an assortment
package of washers (LOSA6350).
Outboard Camber Location: In addition to the inboard
camber location, the Desert Truck also provides three outboard
mounting options. The middle location is the most used as it
provides the best and most consistent handling on different
surfaces. The outer location also helps the Desert Truck stay
tighter in turns with a more precise steering feel. Moving the
link to the inner hole will make the steering react slightly slower
and steer smoother. The advantage to the inner hole is that it
can increase on-power steering and help the Desert Truck get
through bumps better.
Toe-In/Out: This is the parallel relationship of the front tires to
one another. Toe-in/out adjustments are made by changing
the overall length of the steering tie rods. Toe-in (the front
of the tires point inward, to a point in front of the front axle)
will make the Desert Truck react a little slower, but have more
steering from the middle of the turn, out. The opposite is true
with toe-out (the front of the tires point outward, coming to a
point behind the front axle), the Desert Truck will turn into the
corner better but with a decrease in steering from the middle of
the turn, out. Toe-in will help the Desert Truck to track better on
long, straight, high-speed runs, where toe-out has a tendency
to make the Desert Truck wander. We recommend to run
between 0-degree of toe-in/out to 1 degree of toe-in.
Bump-In/Out: Bump-out (front of the front tires toe-outward
under suspension compression) will result in more off-power
steering and less consistent handling if you have too much
bump-out. This effect is obtained by adding washers under
the steering spindle ball stud. Bump-in (front of the front tires
toe-inward under suspension compression) will result in less
off-power steering and running. Too much bump-in can make
the steering feel very inconsistent. This effect is obtained by
installing a ball stud washer on the bottom of the spindle.
Testing has shown that running a little bit of bump-in (kit
setup) in the Desert Truck offers the best overall setup.
Caster: This is the angle of the kingpin from vertical when
viewed from the side of the Desert Truck. The Desert Truck
comes equipped with 30-degree spindle carriers and a 30-
degree kick-up angle. Total caster is determined by adding
the amount of kick-up (Desert Truck has 30 degrees) and the
kingpin angle of the front spindle carriers. Increasing total
caster will provide more steering entering a turn but less on
exit. Decreasing total caster will cause the steering to react
faster and increase on-power steering.