Originally Posted by
Chris C.
Thanks for the reply. I do understand what you are saying, but I think I just have a different opinion still. For instance, camber curves are only consistant to a certain point, and it seems the arm length directly effects the amount of time that they stay that consistant. So like I said, the shorter arm will bring the compressed wheel's camber in further than what seems desireable, and before you know it, you have two totally unrelated wheel/suspension angles in that hard corner. If I have a longer arm, I will be able to keep a more specific camber angle throughout the entire turn (it will take longer for the camber to change under compression/lift)...
p.s. - I know what i'm thinking, but i had a really hard time putting it into words, or at least typing them. sorry if I'm still unclear, haha.
I think I know what you're saying, and the theory is basically true. I just don't think your perception is right. Yes, in unequal length a-arm suspensions (technically the Ruca and Trac arm together make the top A-arm), the shorter the upper arm relative to the lower arm, the quicker the camber angle increases.
Again, your problem is that you keep referencing the angle between the tire and car's vertical; camber. That's not what matters. It's the tire's angle with the ground that is the important part. The difference is body roll. And the effect that makes up for body roll is camber gain. Therefore it's feasible to build/tune a system to keep the tire at a fixed angle with the ground at all rolls/compressions. Now the rest of the misperception is the assumption that you don't need more camber gain. And you can't say that without measurements. And yes I have them. But then you can get into a debate about increasing loads and proper camber angles, so it really don't progress the topic much.
Basically, at a ride height of -2", the stock length traction arm and RUCA length set to -2.25* camber will gain 1* of camber per 1" of compression. If you shorten the traction arm by 1/4", the camber will gain 1.5" per 1" of compression. All measurements done in my garage.