Asuga Front camber different on each side

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Atomic Skull

Atomic Skull

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This is a new car, only been run once so far. I notice that the camber on one front tire is viably different than the other. But when I flip the car upside down the problem goes away. Any ideas what's causing this?

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Atomic Skull said:
This is a new car, only been run once so far. I notice that the camber on one front tire is viably different than the other. But when I flip the car upside down the problem goes away. Any ideas what's causing this?

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Answer: Gravity.

When the car is upside down, there is no load on the suspension which is at full droop.

Camber (and toe) will change as the suspension is in motion due to geometry.

Your rig from the pictures has more negative camber on its left front than on the right, so you can adjust this.

My rig out of the box had positive camber on one of the wheels and the upper pivot ball was all the way in, so consequently had to adjust the lower pivot ball out some. I had to go around the car and set everything as it should be, using a camber guage.

Obviously for racing, people use setup stations and dial in everything super precisely. But I think a camber guage at least is helpful. Bear in mind that pre-mounted tyres aren't always evenly mounted, so it's probably best to use unmounted wheels only.

Toe - I find a little toe out is preferable on 4wd rigs. 1° is about right.
 
Sorry if these are dumb questions but, shouldn't the camber be the same if the arms are the same? If the camber is the same when the suspension is unloaded doesn't that indicate the shocks and sway bars are to blame not the arms? If it's the shocks and sway and/or sway bars causing this then shouldn't that be adjusted not the arms?

Also if I screw out the ball won't that leave the red spacer loose on the end of the arm?
 
When you hold the steering hub and wiggle the wheel, do you feel play? If so, shims between the wheel hex and hub may solve your problem.
Also, if you screw out the ball, you can put shims to tighten and hold the red spacer in place.
It's always a good idea to go over a new car and check/adjust the setup.
Shimming for play. Tightening screws. Setting droop evenly right and left. Adjusting trim. Checking oil levels. And generally setting it up to your own preference.
 
Atomic Skull said:
Sorry if these are dumb questions but, shouldn't the camber be the same if the arms are the same? If the camber is the same when the suspension is unloaded doesn't that indicate the shocks and sway bars are to blame not the arms? If it's the shocks and sway and/or sway bars causing this then shouldn't that be adjusted not the arms?

Also if I screw out the ball won't that leave the red spacer loose on the end of the arm?
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The pivot balls adjust the camber on the front. Ideally with washers behind them between the pivot ball and the end of the arms.

Camber should be the same - but only if it was set right in the factory.

Increasing negative camber can be achieved by screwing the top pivot ball and/or screwing out the bottom pivot ball.

When you pick the car up (or put it on its roof) the suspension has no weight on it.

As the suspension droops, negative camber will normally increase, then as the arms are level, negative camber reduces (to where it would be when the rig is on its wheels) then increases negative camber as the suspension is compressed.

The shocks are not to blame. 👍
 
Sorry if I'm being dense but if all the balls are screwed in fully (which they are) and all the pivot balls have no slop (which they don't, I adjusted this) then why would the camber be different on both sides? What exactly is causing the camber to be different on each side? I'm trying to understand the underlying cause.
 
Atomic Skull said:
Sorry if I'm being dense but if all the balls are screwed in fully (which they are) and all the pivot balls have no slop (which they don't, I adjusted this) then why would the camber be different on both sides? What exactly is causing the camber to be different on each side? I'm trying to understand the underlying cause.
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Cumulative errors resulting from moulding tolerances (hubs/arms), hole diameters, tolerances in the shock tower where the pivot pins go through. It's likely a combination of more than 1 thing.

Either way, you adjust the camber with the pivot balls at the front, adjustable turn buckles at the rear (if you have them), track rods for toe, and spacers for caster.

1000031257.webp
 
My Kronos XTR had different camber with the balls done all the way up to the washers. I couldn't screw the upper pivot ball in to get the 2° negative camber I wanted, so I had to bring the bottom pillow ball out slightly, then add a shim.

Some people wondered if something was bent, but this was how the car came out of the box.

IMG_20211126_092625.webp

Difficult to see in this image, but the front left wheel had about 1° positive camber. I adjusted to ensure negative camber both sides.

When I later changed the upper arms to Kagama items, the camber was more even, so I suspect it's to do with the upper arms, how well they fit on the pins etc and how accurate the holes are in the moulding.

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It's bang on now. 👍
 
Rear camber is not adjustable on the Asuga unless you buy the turnbuckles, stock is fixed plastic camber links. The rear camber seems more like 3 degrees not the one degree in the picture but it is even on both sides at least

I needed to screw out the bottom ball 1.3mm and the top ball on the other side 0.5mm to get the camber about 1 degree on either side does that seem excessive?
 
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Atomic Skull said:
Rear camber is not adjustable on the Asuga unless you buy the turnbuckles, stock is fixed plastic camber links. The rear camber seems more like 3 degrees not the one degree in the picture but it is even on both sides at least

I needed to screw out the bottom ball 1.3mm and the top ball on the other side 0.5mm to get the camber about 1 degree on either side does that seem excessive?
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No, it seems reasonable. That's exactly how the Kronos was and I wasn't going to live with a positive camber on front left.

Most bashers probably won't bother tuning the camber and run it exactly as it fell out of the box!

However, it does make an appreciable difference to the rig's handling though, ensuring the tracking and camber are the same both sides. There's never really any circumstances where positive camber is desirable like there was on mine. 😅

It's really beneficial having a car that can track in a straight line and that has steering capable of centering properly.

PXL_20230810_184831870.webp


The higher the speeds you run your rig, the more critical this becomes - it's the key to stability.

Front Camber:

More negative camber =
More traction through turns
More aggressive steering

Less negative camber (more upright) =
More traction in straights
Less steering
Car feels easier to drive

Rear Camber:
More negative camber =

More cornering grip
Less straight-line traction
Less high-speed stability

Less negative camber (more upright) =

More straight-line traction
Less stability in turns
Less traction in turns
More high-speed stability
 
Atomic Skull said:
Also found these on Aliexpress, almost any size/thickness shim including the nearly unobtainium 6x8x1mm (I'm OCD and can't stand using e.g. two 0.5s and a 0.3 when my brain is screaming at me that I should be using a 1mm and 0.3)

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803848341089.html
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Nice find! 👌

The pivot ball threads are still deep into the arm, so there's very little chance of them getting ripped out, but it's a good idea to keep them seated against washers/shims.

OCD is good when it comes to RC cars. The devil is in the detail. 👍
 
Horatio said:
OCD is good when it comes to RC cars. The devil is in the detail. 👍
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I come from 700 size helis where OCD over an R/C vehicle is justified because it could literally kill you. That said any heli kit with this much tolerance would get savaged in that community. I'm used to tolerances being on the order of 0.05~0.2mm not a whole 1.3mm! With cars it's different I guess so it's being a learning experiance.
 
Atomic Skull said:
I come from 700 size helis where OCD over an R/C vehicle is justified because it could literally kill you. That said any heli kit with this much tolerance would get savaged in that community. I'm used to tolerances being on the order of 0.05~0.2mm not a whole 1.3mm! With cars it's different I guess so it's being a learning experiance.
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Helis are not the sort of things you want to be around if they're sloppy! 😬

Large scale planes are no joke either. Stuff has to be done right.

PXL_20230912_153840571.webp


RTR cars on the other hand are assembled on a line by workers, doused in sweat and tears, praying for Friday to arrive. That and the fact that they're produced to a cost.

Race rigs on the other hand are no compromise and have much greater precision. Then they are then lovingly built with passion - by you.

image.webp


PXL_20250103_235234925.MP~2.webp

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My venture into the world of Corally was due to the allure of Brushless raw power and a Black Friday deal where I picked up my Kronos XTR for about a third of the price of an equivalent race rig.

Corally back in the day were makers of European and World championship winning 1/12 cars in the hands of David Spashett between 1990-2006 and European Championship winning touring car in the hands of Andy Griffiths in 1996. Corally were without doubt one of the most race competitive brands during that era - in the world of on road and carpet cars.

Personally, despite the differences between RTR basher rigs and full blown racer kits, I feel that the Corally offerings are amazing value.

Literally the fastest car that I've ever owned is the humble Kronos - using stock electronics.

PXL_20241020_121200477.MP.webp


By modern standards, 69mph may seem rather tame compared to the 226mph speed runs achieved by people running purpose built speed machines at Rossa - but this is a 'monster' truggy that can go anywhere!

PXL_20240926_165835049.webp

Gradually modifying it into what it is today has been a blast.

For the money, it was excellent to start with.
IMG_20211126_090750.webp
 
Atomic Skull said:
Rear camber is not adjustable on the Asuga unless you buy the turnbuckles, stock is fixed plastic camber links. The rear camber seems more like 3 degrees not the one degree in the picture but it is even on both sides at least

I needed to screw out the bottom ball 1.3mm and the top ball on the other side 0.5mm to get the camber about 1 degree on either side does that seem excessive?
Click to expand...
Might help

 
Horatio said:
Helis are not the sort of things you want to be around if they're sloppy! 😬

Large scale planes are no joke either. Stuff has to be done right.

View attachment 8376

RTR cars on the other hand are assembled on a line by workers, doused in sweat and tears, praying for Friday to arrive. That and the fact that they're produced to a cost.

Race rigs on the other hand are no compromise and have much greater precision. Then they are then lovingly built with passion - by you.

View attachment 8369

View attachment 8370
View attachment 8371
My venture into the world of Corally was due to the allure of Brushless raw power and a Black Friday deal where I picked up my Kronos XTR for about a third of the price of an equivalent race rig.

Corally back in the day were makers of European and World championship winning 1/12 cars in the hands of David Spashett between 1990-2006 and European Championship winning touring car in the hands of Andy Griffiths in 1996. Corally were without doubt one of the most race competitive brands during that era - in the world of on road and carpet cars.

Personally, despite the differences between RTR basher rigs and full blown racer kits, I feel that the Corally offerings are amazing value.

Literally the fastest car that I've ever owned is the humble Kronos - using stock electronics.

View attachment 8372

By modern standards, 69mph may seem rather tame compared to the 226mph speed runs achieved by people running purpose built speed machines at Rossa - but this is a 'monster' truggy that can go anywhere!

View attachment 8373
Gradually modifying it into what it is today has been a blast.

For the money, it was excellent to start with.
View attachment 8374
Click to expand...
That is the cleanest used rig I have ever seen! I try to wash mine down after a park bash, but there is always some grass or dirt that I miss.
Nice rig!
 
samo975 said:
That is the cleanest used rig I have ever seen! I try to wash mine down after a park bash, but there is always some grass or dirt that I miss.
Nice rig!
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Thank you buddy! 😎 Yep - you could probably eat your dinner off my rig. 😅
 
My Asuga was the same the wheels point in all directions I have bought some turnbuckles to try and help but gave up and Prut it back in the box and left there since sept come back to uk in 8 weeks and will try again then
 
So I ended up having to undo the adjustments, after 10 or so packs it now has "correct" camber with the balls fully screwed in. Just needed to be "broken in" I guess.
 
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