Just to expand on what Derek said in the video for viewers...be very careful when putting the snipers directly on the stub axle...the OTK karts its possible because the stub axle is straight/even but on some other chassis the stub axles have reducing/changing diameter and the snipers wont sit evenly side to side and give erroneous readings. To cater for this, on those chassis you need to remove the hubs and place the snipers directly on the spindles since they are level
Hey Chris, thanks for that. yes that is correct 100%, i have fixed a few 'bent' karts with crazy positive camber on one side by making sure the sniper wasn't sitting incorrectly on the taper or weld of the stub. Thanks mate
Thanks so much for the content you put up, we are new to karting with a 9yr old in cadets and your videos are a bloody godsend!! Really informative and explained in a way that I find easy to pick up!! Thanks again Derek👌
Hey Darren, welcome to karting and thanks heaps for tuning and liking the videos. IF you need anything for your racing machine, call the factory and we can send it out
Great vid! It's the little things that make such as difference. For me in this vids, I now know that the little notches indicate with nut is left-hand thread! It's probably stupid that I didn't already know this but I've and spent hours tightening the crap outta nuts when I had thought that I was loosening it. Also, I'm the rookie putting my lasers in backwards. Brilliant!
@@PowerRepublic I'm going through some health stuff so my personal racing is on hiatus but I still hope to pull wrenches on my four kids' micros. Thanks for everything.
Great video! If you don't already you'll need to make this a habit even on the days you've had no contact on the track. On the days you do however its important to make sure before doing this everything on the front end is strait (I've had kingpins bend after hitting a curb to hard) I've had it now with a few customer karts. Like I said great video mate 👍
Hey Dan, yeah that’s the aim, to help all the new guys get the basics under control so you can get out there and concentrate on your driving skills and learning the craft of racing.
This is something thats a bit beyond the scope of diy. You need specialized equipment to do it properly. Mainly a frame table and precision measurement tools. The best thing to do is take the chassis to a shop that has the correct tools/equipment
Hey Cam, thanks for the feedback. Chassis straightening is something that you really need some specialised equipment that most people wont have at home. Best bet if you tweeked your kart, take it to the best tech support shop you know and get them to make it right for you. We do have a video on how to check it for bend th-cam.com/video/vRS4mir167M/w-d-xo.html and then if you find it is out, take to a specialist.
@@PowerRepublic we are starting in x30 junior. We had a cadet kart last year to start but racing never really got going with Covid. Plenty of practice though.
@@PowerRepublic they are full beans thankfully. Taking delivery this week of the kart. Im sure ill be looking for some more advice 😂😂. Hope ye are racing down under
@@PowerRepublic thank you for the quick response. no not really. haven't been karting that long. have the kart since the beginning of last year and am currently studying all the knowledge about the kart and hopefully get back on track soon to gain experience
Thank you for sharing all of this information. Your videos have been extremely helpful. I am racing a Tony Kart with a Iame X30 in the US - Road Racing series. These are typically long tracks with very long straightaways. Getting the kart perfectly square is very important to maximize that long straight speed. Have you any suggestions on how to ensure the rear axle is perfectly square with the kart and with the front spindles?
@@PowerRepublic it would take a little Dremel tool to slot the holes just a little bit. Just curious if you have ever seen a gage that measures the squareness.
As always great video! You showed how to change camber and toe, but the missing part is about when/why to change this values - eg. you said that mostly 0 toe or 1deg toe out is the good idea but when 1deg out is the better option? On tracks with many tight corners?
Hi Matt, great question. I almost always run '1 line' tow out. the only time I reduce it to neutral is if I'm chewing out the inside edge of the tyres or if I am at a curcuit with super long straights and big open corners, which isn't very common here locally.
Maybe do the W/A with the kart loaded would be a good idea., I have never understood why everyone expects the settings not to change when the driver gets into the kart especially when using a wide scrub radius which reduces steered camber change when less caster is used.
agreed, the wheels will bump for sure once in the kart. The W A is relative to the amount of bump and is constant, so if your problems is excessive front steer for example, adding more positive camber is still not the solution weather you sit in the kart or not for the W A
@@PowerRepublic What is bump & excessive front steer? I must declare here that it was my initial design of separate caster camber adjustment that morphed into what became the Sniper adjuster and I have been out of karting for some years. A new system I have developed has me looking at the latest thinking and ways of doing things.
Hello, I would like to be able to ask you what effect the positive camber \ _ / has on curves. That is, more open at the top. I suppose the front end grips more. It is right? Thank you so much! greetings from Argentina!
Hello Diego, thanks for tuning in from Argentina. Yes, more positive camber will help the kart turn into the corners (track and tyre depending) mostly used when the track is slippery/cold/dusty/tyres are getting old........basically when there isn't much grip around so you have to ask the kart to help with some positive camber. hope that helps
yeah most of the times. but it isn't essential. you can chang e it to what ever you want. mostly with brand new tyres on a brand new kart, some negative camber will helps. use neutral camber and positive as the tyres wear
thanks for the advice what are the universal output caster and camber settings for Rotax Max senior for otk frames. driver about 80 kilograms dry track
I’ve got an Arrow x4. I just can’t get the camber and castor adjusted how I want it. I pretty much have to play with caster and camber top and bottom nuts to get just the camber indicating correctly. Caster is kinda whatever it ends up being. What’s the trick and how do the top and bottom adjusters relate to each other? Where should they be positioned prior to starting the process? Sorry for so many questions Love your vids mate, use them regularly! Keep it up please! Maybe how to rebuild a Dent brake? You’ve got the bleed vid already .... 😬
that is always a compromise, maybe retro fit some sniper castor/camber adjusters? dpekartsuperstore.com/collections/kart-tools/products/sniper-linear-camber-castor-adjuster-kit-1-side-only
Sorry for the rookie question, but wouldn’t adjusting the tie rods to adjust toe in and out also effect how you aligned the steering in the beginning of the video?
Hey George, good question, yes when ever you move the tie rods, you need to go back and double check again the steering and then the toe again. its a bit of a back and forth episode until you are familiar with it all.
Hi Guys, when I’m going to measure the figure with the ruler leaning against the steering column the laser point goes even behind the steering column before it turns back. What do I have to change in order to check/setup these figures? Many thanks in advance and best regards from the Black Forest in Germany!
Hello, 👋 Yes that happens on some chassis. You can use a sharpie to try and mark the spot it goes too. Use the centre line of the steering column as a reference point i.e on centre, above centre or below centre. Then compare both sides and try to make them equal
It’s relative to the karts performance and not worth considering IMO. Just set it on the trolley always and make the changes to suit the on track performance you are after and be done with it
can you give me the length of the tie rods have an issue with the left side and tie rod does not have jamb nuts. bought kart used and trying to get back to where it needs to be. Thank you
Hey Chris, I was almost at the end of the range of steering and then the laser starts going back the other way. So I think in the video the laser's bottom out point was 22mm. This is the lowest reading you can get, then the laser goes back up the ruler. So the Sniper guys tell me that this is the measurement that you want to centralise the steering side to side. Once you have equalised that, then you can adjust your toe in or out, then double check the sweep to make sure you are perfect to go! Hope that helps, I do sometime miss the little extra explanations like this in the videos when filming.
@@PowerRepublic interesting... I've always done it by turning 100% lock side to side and getting the measurement on the ruler even side to side this way
@@PowerRepublic I'll definitely try your way and see if there's any difference. But yea, what I'm doing is letting the laser change direction and go the max on full lock and then adjusting the tie rods side to side to get them even. One thing with my way is (and I don't know if this is the reason sniper says it should be done your way) is if the measurements are uneven and you want to get them even, you can't adjust to the absolute measurement required from the other side.... it'll have you chasing your tail and you wont be able to get them even. What you need to do is sort of split the difference...so if one is at 25mm and the other 20mm.... I'd set one to 22.5mm and check and keep splitting the difference little by little until eventually its 100% even
@@PowerRepublic Chris and I work together on his Kart, we will definitely look into this when checking/adjusting the alignment. ...On a side note, some Tie-rods are hexagonal, and depending on if the Hex is on the flat or the point when contacting the Steering Column, this can cause some additional variation when taking measurements.
Hi! Really good video. A question. My 401R has a 2.5mm variasion in left compared to right in that ruler test. There is also about 0.5 degrees variation in camber and the camber is around 1 degree negative even though the caster pills are set to be neutral camber. (Arrow straight ahead). is this a minor bend or should i look at a straightning job?
Love you videos Derek!! Has helped me learn all sorts of things with just starting out. Quick one that is probably obvious but wen I hav my kart on the stand it is slightly higher at the front. Should I be levelling out the kart flat before doing any checks/changes to toe-camber etc??
Hey Sam, thanks bro, glad to help. are you talking about the very front chassis rail? that is normally about 10mm higher than the main chassis rails BTW
@@PowerRepublic hey Derek cheers for reply. Sorry, I meant the kart in general is higher at the front just sitting on the trolley on a flat level ground. I’m sure the trolley is causing it but wanted to make sure that I should have it sitting level and then check/change
Don't ever swap the snipers side to side or you will go crazy. Found the worst set in the pit is a box off. Best was 1/4 box. Do they offer a calibration service? I split the difference when I have a known set that is off.
Hey tony. I don’t level the kart, I just level the lasers. I mean you don’t want it on a hill or something strange, but the kart trolley should be fine.
Hey! I never played with the front geometry of my kart, unfortunately it slowly started to chew the inside edge of my front tires, so much that I see rubber pieces flying off while driving, I honestly don’t know what adjustments I need for my local track, which is 750meters and composed mostly of tight hairpins and few fast bends and one short straight. a really tight track. I bought my 2021 birel DD2 super clean from a racing team it came perfectly set up but now as I don’t understand your video on how to align it i’m kinda losing how perfect the kart was when I got it, if you know what I mean :( I just don’t get where the red dots are supposed to be on the snipers.
Power Republic so should I be taking that in to consideration when aligning the kart, or should I try it on the ground with the driver added to get the desired results? If I do this once I would/ could have a reference point going forward.
@@darronglasgow7411 the snipers are a static measurement so it is relative to the karts performance as a reference mostly. work out the zone (POS or NEG) that makes you the fastest and use that more often than not. the deflection should be pretty constant so if you checked it once for you own interest that would be enough in my opinion. For reference, we only do wheel alignments on a kart when it is on the kart stand.
What do you think of running those dot 5 adjusters on top and bottom?? It means i can adjust caster&camber seperatly. I need a vid on how to work with that set up, as ive finally managed to source them including 10mm kingpin. My kart came with 8mm, which isnt compatable. I wanted the double adjustment because the front brakes on my kart will change how its driven so want to try to set it up perfectly.
Hey Chris, dot 5 are you referring to the OTK castor camber adjusters? Yes they are excellent on the top and bottom. These ones are 8mm on the 2020 Nordix Chassis and 10mm on the HST front end set up of the 401R/801R
@@PowerRepublicyes otk, im told its running dot 3 with 8mm kingpin currently, and requires 10mm kingpin to add the otk front brake hubs. Im upgrading from 1 dot 3 which is it has to dot 5 on top and bottom for the extra.
If you have a relatively new otk chassis it should have come with adjusters top and bottom. The OEM OTK pills are each 1.5 degrees of adjustment. The "dot" pills are aftermarket not original OTK. The dot 3 pill is equivalent to the OEM OTK pill that comes standard in the karts. If you bought dot 5 top and bottom it means you now have 2.5 degrees of adjustment per pill. This is extremely aggressive, when you turn one hole position on the pill it will be a very big adjustment
@@PowerRepublic hey Derek, no I've had no cause to use anything more than the OEM dot 3 equivalent. It'd take some really slippery conditions to have to resort to them from my experience. In fact I've backed down from the OTK OEM setup which is 1.5 degree per pill so 3 degrees per side when you consider both pills. I am currently running the 1.5 (OEM OTK/dot 3) on the top and aftermarket dot 1/0.5 degree on the bottom
Derek. I have an issue with the accuracy of my lasers. How can I check the units and adjust if it is out. ( I think they have been dropped) my answer was use a rear axel to check neutral measurements. Would this work in your opinion?
Tony Zambos do you mean while on the rear axle as I suggested or on the front in normal use? This was the issue in reality. It showed the same fault when swapping from side to side, but the fault shifted when swapped. Really I’m checking my work because a supplier suggested I couldn’t check them and should replace.
Hi David, yeah check them on the rear axle facing each other. I guess they should be exactly on the lasers dot side to side. Also check the mounting faces for some damage. And double check your stub axle for imperfections.
Hi, your videos are great. I have a 2020 praga monster evo 3 cadet kart for my son , the caster alignement is done with pils and a sniper similar system for camber. The kart has no acccident and i got the laser beams aligned perfect(paper) both sides show equal adjustement. Also what I do, when all set toe and camber I measuere the distance from the front axle end center to the rear axle on both sides, so I check that what I measured or adjusted in the front is there when the wheels are in parralel with the rear axle. But my question when I measure the caster with the tape ruler like you showed( ruler with magnet ) I get about 2mm difference, when I measure the swep then the diference is even bigger some 6mm? What does the swep measure actually show you??
Sweep is for getting the tie rods equal length so when you move the steering the tyres move the same in both directions. As for the castor variations you have, 2mm is not major but hopefully it comes closer with your tie rod adjustments
@@PowerRepublic actually I went to check it the way you suggested before midnight , couldnt sleep and it helped I got the sweep to 0,5mm and the caster was after that in under 1mm, everything checked and double checked. What I think getting sweep right does even more to the strightness of the kart then we think. It makes the front axles, start to do their work as they are supposed and the correct amount. If you have them out , you can align the front end but the cornering would start already croocked. A friend told me that they were missing top speed , doing evertything then they checked sweep and the found 3km/h top speed???
@@PowerRepublic thats why I never sleep well on race weekends, actually I only fall to sleep for seconds then I wake up and think everyting over and over
@@PowerRepublic can I ask you just something more. Lets assume you get a new kart( rotax grand finals)and you have to check the sweep fast and accurate. Would you first make the to out zero and then going to check sweep? The second questiob I always have is , when you have a sweep difference how do you know what is better. Going from both sides 1/2 of the missalignement or just one side? Or is it also good to pull al ball joints out and give them the same amount of thread ?
Yeah not sure. There is an awesome kit you can buy aftermarket that has various castor adjustments kartshop.com/shop/search-1.html?keyword=Castor+kit&CookieConsentChanged=1
So, the scenario is that we've hit something and one or both of the track rods are bent. And we've got only 20 minutes before the next heat. Any tips on replacing the rods and ends quickly so they're at least in the ball-park so we don't miss the next heat? Cheers.
chuck the snipers on and do a quick wheelie. or you could have a spare Tie Rod already dialled in with the rod-ends tight and in position. Then you could just bolt the new Tie Rod in and the wheel alignment was already set.
great question. It means that you have a slight variation in the chassis's settings or the chassis might be bent. you can just adjust the castor/camber adjusters independently to get it perfect.
If you have a front tortion/tension bar, try loosening it or setting to its softest point. To go further, purchase a super soft one. Or do what I did and run without one haha😅
It is sitting flat in both cases.. By saying as far as possible from the stub axle bolt I am referring to the far end area where the hub spacers are placed.. From what I see there is a difference in the readings.. In any way during alignment I try to position the snipers as close to the wheel rim position as possible
Hi Derek, at the beginning, where you have the piece of paper to check if the steering wheel is centered, with mine the 2 dots are above each other BUT not covering each other ( don't know if this makes sense), So they are both on the Y-axis to say, but I see 2 dots (one above the other) instead of that they are covering each other.. Eccentrics are on the same setting both sides, does this mean something is bent..? (Like it seems I have 1mm neg camber one one side and 0 on the other..) Thanks for your super video's
Hey Damien. Thanks for tuning in and sharing the videos. I know what you mean. It might be bent, or the C section might be slightly different across the chassis. Have you tried to move the castor pils one hole difference on either side? Some times this will fix any laser miss alignment and the kart will perform like a dream. Try settings the adjusters and see if the dots align
@@PowerRepublic Hi Derek, is it not a problem that the caster is not the same at both sides then..? (When U change it at 1 side to level out the camber difference..?)
I have this exact same issue on a brand new Tony Kart STV 450. One side reads zero camber and the other reads 2mm (1 grid space). All castor pils are zeroed out and facing forward. Is it an issue if one side has more camber applied to get an even reading?
@@Chef_602 I don't worry so much. its best to balance out both sides and then double check the castor/sweep is the same accross the kart, than the exact dots on the castor pils the same IMO
Just to expand on what Derek said in the video for viewers...be very careful when putting the snipers directly on the stub axle...the OTK karts its possible because the stub axle is straight/even but on some other chassis the stub axles have reducing/changing diameter and the snipers wont sit evenly side to side and give erroneous readings. To cater for this, on those chassis you need to remove the hubs and place the snipers directly on the spindles since they are level
Hey Chris, thanks for that. yes that is correct 100%, i have fixed a few 'bent' karts with crazy positive camber on one side by making sure the sniper wasn't sitting incorrectly on the taper or weld of the stub. Thanks mate
Thanks so much for the content you put up, we are new to karting with a 9yr old in cadets and your videos are a bloody godsend!! Really informative and explained in a way that I find easy to pick up!! Thanks again Derek👌
Hey Darren, welcome to karting and thanks heaps for tuning and liking the videos. IF you need anything for your racing machine, call the factory and we can send it out
Great vid! It's the little things that make such as difference. For me in this vids, I now know that the little notches indicate with nut is left-hand thread! It's probably stupid that I didn't already know this but I've and spent hours tightening the crap outta nuts when I had thought that I was loosening it. Also, I'm the rookie putting my lasers in backwards. Brilliant!
Hey Cody, yeah no problems my friend, did you get the DD2 sorted?
@@PowerRepublic I'm going through some health stuff so my personal racing is on hiatus but I still hope to pull wrenches on my four kids' micros. Thanks for everything.
Great video! If you don't already you'll need to make this a habit even on the days you've had no contact on the track. On the days you do however its important to make sure before doing this everything on the front end is strait (I've had kingpins bend after hitting a curb to hard) I've had it now with a few customer karts. Like I said great video mate 👍
Good point!
Good video! By accident I am trying to align my kart this weekend, so this vid is for sure very helpful! Thanks a lot!
No worries mate. Glad to help out 🤛
Who ever gave this a thumbs down needs to get there head checked
Great work bro
Haters be hatin' yo😊
Another great video mate, really appreciate all of these they've helped me hugely with my OTK/Rotax setup as I'm new to the sport.
Hey Dan, yeah that’s the aim, to help all the new guys get the basics under control so you can get out there and concentrate on your driving skills and learning the craft of racing.
Good stuff!! Thanks for making this simple to understand!
Glad it was helpful!
Great Channel! Can you do a video on chassis straightening for a better understanding of how to do it the right way?
This is something thats a bit beyond the scope of diy. You need specialized equipment to do it properly. Mainly a frame table and precision measurement tools. The best thing to do is take the chassis to a shop that has the correct tools/equipment
Hey Cam, thanks for the feedback. Chassis straightening is something that you really need some specialised equipment that most people wont have at home. Best bet if you tweeked your kart, take it to the best tech support shop you know and get them to make it right for you. We do have a video on how to check it for bend th-cam.com/video/vRS4mir167M/w-d-xo.html and then if you find it is out, take to a specialist.
Excellent and simplified. Thanks for the all these videos. New to karting and so much to learn. From Ireland 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪
Very welcome Kieran, and welcome to Karting. What type of karting are you racing in?
@@PowerRepublic we are starting in x30 junior. We had a cadet kart last year to start but racing never really got going with Covid. Plenty of practice though.
@@kierancrowley1930 the X30 are a wicked engine, do they knock the power back for the juniors, or run them full hammer?
@@PowerRepublic they are full beans thankfully. Taking delivery this week of the kart. Im sure ill be looking for some more advice 😂😂. Hope ye are racing down under
Realy nice instruction video (again). Greetz from the Netherlands!
Hey Gerard, thank you. hope you guys are safe over there and at the track soon
Estou amando seus vídeos e fico ansiosa esperando por eles. Parabéns por mais um maravilhoso trabalho ☺️
Suh Nascimento obrigado pelas vibrações positivas. sintonize esta semana para o Sniper 2.0
Power Republic ansiosa 🤩
Thanks Derek!!!
I have a question, Could you make a video about adjusting the row width on the front of the kart and what effect the adjustments have?
Sure can my friend, have you played around with your kart setting much before?
@@PowerRepublic thank you for the quick response. no not really. haven't been karting that long. have the kart since the beginning of last year and am currently studying all the knowledge about the kart and hopefully get back on track soon to gain experience
Thank you for sharing all of this information. Your videos have been extremely helpful. I am racing a Tony Kart with a Iame X30 in the US - Road Racing series. These are typically long tracks with very long straightaways. Getting the kart perfectly square is very important to maximize that long straight speed. Have you any suggestions on how to ensure the rear axle is perfectly square with the kart and with the front spindles?
Hey Arian, great question. it would be difficult to change other than grinding out the holes in the bearing hangers?
@@PowerRepublic it would take a little Dremel tool to slot the holes just a little bit. Just curious if you have ever seen a gage that measures the squareness.
As always great video! You showed how to change camber and toe, but the missing part is about when/why to change this values - eg. you said that mostly 0 toe or 1deg toe out is the good idea but when 1deg out is the better option? On tracks with many tight corners?
That depends on track, weather and driver. It best when you go fastest. Trial and error will be the best way to figure out what suits you.
Hi Matt, great question. I almost always run '1 line' tow out. the only time I reduce it to neutral is if I'm chewing out the inside edge of the tyres or if I am at a curcuit with super long straights and big open corners, which isn't very common here locally.
spot on !
Power Republic thank you! Make sense!
Awesome work
Thank you! Cheers!
Maybe do the W/A with the kart loaded would be a good idea., I have never understood why everyone expects the settings not to change when the driver gets into the kart especially when using a wide scrub radius which reduces steered camber change when less caster is used.
agreed, the wheels will bump for sure once in the kart. The W A is relative to the amount of bump and is constant, so if your problems is excessive front steer for example, adding more positive camber is still not the solution weather you sit in the kart or not for the W A
@@PowerRepublic What is bump & excessive front steer? I must declare here that it was my initial design of separate caster camber adjustment that morphed into what became the Sniper adjuster and I have been out of karting for some years. A new system I have developed has me looking at the latest thinking and ways of doing things.
Great video mate.. Keep up the good work
Thanks BK
At the track someone mentioned getting a lock for the steering wheel when doing this?
dpekartsuperstore.com/products/kartech-steering-shaft-guide-bush?_pos=5&_sid=7cdb5322b&_ss=r
love the videos man
Thanks broski
Hello, I would like to be able to ask you what effect the positive camber \ _ / has on curves. That is, more open at the top. I suppose the front end grips more. It is right? Thank you so much! greetings from Argentina!
Hello Diego, thanks for tuning in from Argentina. Yes, more positive camber will help the kart turn into the corners (track and tyre depending) mostly used when the track is slippery/cold/dusty/tyres are getting old........basically when there isn't much grip around so you have to ask the kart to help with some positive camber. hope that helps
I see stock toe on a tony kart is about 1 line of toe out. Would would be the stock level of camber/caster?? Should it be one line up?
yeah most of the times. but it isn't essential. you can chang e it to what ever you want. mostly with brand new tyres on a brand new kart, some negative camber will helps. use neutral camber and positive as the tyres wear
thanks for the advice what are the universal output caster and camber settings for Rotax Max senior for otk frames. driver about 80 kilograms dry track
Normall start with new tyres and Meg camber 2-4 mm. Then neutral as the tyres wear.
I’ve got an Arrow x4. I just can’t get the camber and castor adjusted how I want it. I pretty much have to play with caster and camber top and bottom nuts to get just the camber indicating correctly. Caster is kinda whatever it ends up being. What’s the trick and how do the top and bottom adjusters relate to each other? Where should they be positioned prior to starting the process? Sorry for so many questions
Love your vids mate, use them regularly! Keep it up please! Maybe how to rebuild a Dent brake? You’ve got the bleed vid already .... 😬
that is always a compromise, maybe retro fit some sniper castor/camber adjusters?
dpekartsuperstore.com/collections/kart-tools/products/sniper-linear-camber-castor-adjuster-kit-1-side-only
Sorry for the rookie question, but wouldn’t adjusting the tie rods to adjust toe in and out also effect how you aligned the steering in the beginning of the video?
Hey George, good question, yes when ever you move the tie rods, you need to go back and double check again the steering and then the toe again. its a bit of a back and forth episode until you are familiar with it all.
Hi Guys, when I’m going to measure the figure with the ruler leaning against the steering column the laser point goes even behind the steering column before it turns back. What do I have to change in order to check/setup these figures? Many thanks in advance and best regards from the Black Forest in Germany!
Hello, 👋
Yes that happens on some chassis. You can use a sharpie to try and mark the spot it goes too. Use the centre line of the steering column as a reference point i.e on centre, above centre or below centre. Then compare both sides and try to make them equal
@@PowerRepublic thanks a lot for getting back to me on this. Understood so far. I’ll give it a try!
Thanks for the support. I got it. Keep on making these videos. They are very helpful as the explanations are really good. Good job!
How much does an alignment on a kart trolley differs from the measurements when the kart is on the ground?
It’s relative to the karts performance and not worth considering IMO. Just set it on the trolley always and make the changes to suit the on track performance you are after and be done with it
can you give me the length of the tie rods have an issue with the left side and tie rod does not have jamb nuts. bought kart used and trying to get back to where it needs to be. Thank you
220 mm for the cadet and junior kart
270 mm for the senior kart
Derek one question, why when you were doing the sweep side to side you didn't let the wheel lock over all the way 100% each side?
Hey Chris, I was almost at the end of the range of steering and then the laser starts going back the other way. So I think in the video the laser's bottom out point was 22mm. This is the lowest reading you can get, then the laser goes back up the ruler. So the Sniper guys tell me that this is the measurement that you want to centralise the steering side to side. Once you have equalised that, then you can adjust your toe in or out, then double check the sweep to make sure you are perfect to go! Hope that helps, I do sometime miss the little extra explanations like this in the videos when filming.
@@PowerRepublic interesting... I've always done it by turning 100% lock side to side and getting the measurement on the ruler even side to side this way
@@IggySport1388 Sweet as I'll give it a rip and see what up. Maybe try it like the video for me and see if there is a variation on your chassis?
@@PowerRepublic I'll definitely try your way and see if there's any difference. But yea, what I'm doing is letting the laser change direction and go the max on full lock and then adjusting the tie rods side to side to get them even. One thing with my way is (and I don't know if this is the reason sniper says it should be done your way) is if the measurements are uneven and you want to get them even, you can't adjust to the absolute measurement required from the other side.... it'll have you chasing your tail and you wont be able to get them even. What you need to do is sort of split the difference...so if one is at 25mm and the other 20mm.... I'd set one to 22.5mm and check and keep splitting the difference little by little until eventually its 100% even
@@PowerRepublic Chris and I work together on his Kart, we will definitely look into this when checking/adjusting the alignment.
...On a side note, some Tie-rods are hexagonal, and depending on if the Hex is on the flat or the point when contacting the Steering Column, this can cause some additional variation when taking measurements.
Hi! Really good video. A question. My 401R has a 2.5mm variasion in left compared to right in that ruler test. There is also about 0.5 degrees variation in camber and the camber is around 1 degree negative even though the caster pills are set to be neutral camber. (Arrow straight ahead). is this a minor bend or should i look at a straightning job?
Love you videos Derek!! Has helped me learn all sorts of things with just starting out.
Quick one that is probably obvious but wen I hav my kart on the stand it is slightly higher at the front.
Should I be levelling out the kart flat before doing any checks/changes to toe-camber etc??
Hey Sam, thanks bro, glad to help.
are you talking about the very front chassis rail? that is normally about 10mm higher than the main chassis rails BTW
@@PowerRepublic hey Derek cheers for reply.
Sorry, I meant the kart in general is higher at the front just sitting on the trolley on a flat level ground. I’m sure the trolley is causing it but wanted to make sure that I should have it sitting level and then check/change
how do you feel about doing the alignment on the ground with driver weight?
you can to get an idea how much deflection you have. but once you have completed that, you might as well do them ion the stand as its way easier
watt kind off track you need to use one weel in negative and the wother one in positive camber !
Maybe one with long fast sweepers one way, and short sharp corners the others.
Don't ever swap the snipers side to side or you will go crazy. Found the worst set in the pit is a box off. Best was 1/4 box. Do they offer a calibration service? I split the difference when I have a known set that is off.
Thanks for the info
Does the kart have to be level front-to-back as well as side-to-side? And thanks for all the great videos.
Hey tony. I don’t level the kart, I just level the lasers. I mean you don’t want it on a hill or something strange, but the kart trolley should be fine.
@@PowerRepublic I usually set all alignment in the same area of my workshop(which has some variation of gentle slopes)
@@danielcgomez thanks for the feedback
You need to make sure the kart is level before levelling the snipers otherwise the camber and tow numbers you’re measuring are not correct
@@mrnismo75 thanks for that Mr Nismo
Hey! I never played with the front geometry of my kart, unfortunately it slowly started to chew the inside edge of my front tires, so much that I see rubber pieces flying off while driving, I honestly don’t know what adjustments I need for my local track, which is 750meters and composed mostly of tight hairpins and few fast bends and one short straight. a really tight track. I bought my 2021 birel DD2 super clean from a racing team it came perfectly set up but now as I don’t understand your video on how to align it i’m kinda losing how perfect the kart was when I got it, if you know what I mean :( I just don’t get where the red dots are supposed to be on the snipers.
What difference would it make to the alignment when adding the driver to the kart?
the steering normally bumps about 1 full line of Toe In and 2 full lines of camber in the Neg direction.
Depending on the chassis stiffness and the weight of the driver
Power Republic so should I be taking that in to consideration when aligning the kart, or should I try it on the ground with the driver added to get the desired results? If I do this once I would/ could have a reference point going forward.
@@darronglasgow7411 the snipers are a static measurement so it is relative to the karts performance as a reference mostly. work out the zone (POS or NEG) that makes you the fastest and use that more often than not. the deflection should be pretty constant so if you checked it once for you own interest that would be enough in my opinion. For reference, we only do wheel alignments on a kart when it is on the kart stand.
Power Republic thanks for speedy response. This should help me if we ever get back to karting here in Canada.
What do you think of running those dot 5 adjusters on top and bottom?? It means i can adjust caster&camber seperatly. I need a vid on how to work with that set up, as ive finally managed to source them including 10mm kingpin. My kart came with 8mm, which isnt compatable. I wanted the double adjustment because the front brakes on my kart will change how its driven so want to try to set it up perfectly.
Hey Chris, dot 5 are you referring to the OTK castor camber adjusters? Yes they are excellent on the top and bottom. These ones are 8mm on the 2020 Nordix Chassis and 10mm on the HST front end set up of the 401R/801R
@@PowerRepublicyes otk, im told its running dot 3 with 8mm kingpin currently, and requires 10mm kingpin to add the otk front brake hubs. Im upgrading from 1 dot 3 which is it has to dot 5 on top and bottom for the extra.
If you have a relatively new otk chassis it should have come with adjusters top and bottom. The OEM OTK pills are each 1.5 degrees of adjustment. The "dot" pills are aftermarket not original OTK. The dot 3 pill is equivalent to the OEM OTK pill that comes standard in the karts. If you bought dot 5 top and bottom it means you now have 2.5 degrees of adjustment per pill. This is extremely aggressive, when you turn one hole position on the pill it will be a very big adjustment
@@IggySport1388 thanks for that, great information. Have you used the DOT 5's ? I have only used the standard OTK versions.
@@PowerRepublic hey Derek, no I've had no cause to use anything more than the OEM dot 3 equivalent. It'd take some really slippery conditions to have to resort to them from my experience. In fact I've backed down from the OTK OEM setup which is 1.5 degree per pill so 3 degrees per side when you consider both pills. I am currently running the 1.5 (OEM OTK/dot 3) on the top and aftermarket dot 1/0.5 degree on the bottom
Aquiles vai fazer um programa ainda
Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!
😊
Derek. I have an issue with the accuracy of my lasers. How can I check the units and adjust if it is out. ( I think they have been dropped) my answer was use a rear axel to check neutral measurements. Would this work in your opinion?
swapped them from side-to-side. The should be the same both ways.
Tony Zambos do you mean while on the rear axle as I suggested or on the front in normal use? This was the issue in reality. It showed the same fault when swapping from side to side, but the fault shifted when swapped. Really I’m checking my work because a supplier suggested I couldn’t check them and should replace.
Thanks Tony
Hi David, yeah check them on the rear axle facing each other. I guess they should be exactly on the lasers dot side to side. Also check the mounting faces for some damage. And double check your stub axle for imperfections.
@@PowerRepublic Thank you
When are you making the snipers are level? When wheel is stright right? or am i missing something?
Great question my friend, we are doing a version 2.0 to address a couple of key points I may have brushed over a little to fast, so stay tuned.....
@@PowerRepublic yep was thinking the same thing, is there a new video yet?
@@anthonysaad7551 a new sniper video?
@@PowerRepublic yeah was in relation to your comment
Hi, your videos are great. I have a 2020 praga monster evo 3 cadet kart for my son , the caster alignement is done with pils and a sniper similar system for camber. The kart has no acccident and i got the laser beams aligned perfect(paper) both sides show equal adjustement. Also what I do, when all set toe and camber I measuere the distance from the front axle end center to the rear axle on both sides, so I check that what I measured or adjusted in the front is there when the wheels are in parralel with the rear axle. But my question when I measure the caster with the tape ruler like you showed( ruler with magnet ) I get about 2mm difference, when I measure the swep then the diference is even bigger some 6mm? What does the swep measure actually show you??
Sweep is for getting the tie rods equal length so when you move the steering the tyres move the same in both directions. As for the castor variations you have, 2mm is not major but hopefully it comes closer with your tie rod adjustments
@@PowerRepublic actually I went to check it the way you suggested before midnight , couldnt sleep and it helped
I got the sweep to 0,5mm and the caster was after that in under 1mm, everything checked and double checked.
What I think getting sweep right does even more to the strightness of the kart then we think. It makes the front axles, start to do their work as they are supposed and the correct amount. If you have them out , you can align the front end but the cornering would start already croocked. A friend told me that they were missing top speed , doing evertything then they checked sweep and the found 3km/h top speed???
@@bernardplanko6780 bad kart prep = bad night sleep 😂
@@PowerRepublic thats why I never sleep well on race weekends, actually I only fall to sleep for seconds then I wake up and think everyting over and
over
@@PowerRepublic can I ask you just something more. Lets assume you get a new kart( rotax grand finals)and you have to check the sweep fast and accurate. Would you first make the to out zero and then going to check sweep? The second questiob I always have is , when you have a sweep difference how do you know what is better. Going from both sides 1/2 of the missalignement or just one side? Or is it also good to pull al ball joints out and give them the same amount of thread ?
How to measure caster same as toe and camber? caster equal left/right only possible?
Yeah not sure. There is an awesome kit you can buy aftermarket that has various castor adjustments
kartshop.com/shop/search-1.html?keyword=Castor+kit&CookieConsentChanged=1
So, the scenario is that we've hit something and one or both of the track rods are bent. And we've got only 20 minutes before the next heat. Any tips on replacing the rods and ends quickly so they're at least in the ball-park so we don't miss the next heat? Cheers.
chuck the snipers on and do a quick wheelie. or you could have a spare Tie Rod already dialled in with the rod-ends tight and in position. Then you could just bolt the new Tie Rod in and the wheel alignment was already set.
What does it mean if when doing the sweep angle check the laser only goes down until your at full lock? There is never a dip?
Hey mate, is this on an X5? if so it might have a steering shaft limiter in the bottom steering bell. if so its a range of motion I would imagine
@@PowerRepublic No, it's my old X4 Arrow.
vc o mais que passa conhecimento
Preciso de um alinhador igual este aí
Sou do Brasil como faço pra comprar
www.internationalkarting.com.au/shop/item/sniper-v2---wheel-align
What do I do if the lasers don't line up on that piece of paper?
great question. It means that you have a slight variation in the chassis's settings or the chassis might be bent. you can just adjust the castor/camber adjusters independently to get it perfect.
@@PowerRepublic thank you so much! It was my first time doing this and I really appreciate your videos to help a fellow karter! Much thanks!!
greeting. what is the problem when the front wheel lifts up after exiting the curve?
birel chassis, tm125 ccm
Thank you.
If you have a front tortion/tension bar, try loosening it or setting to its softest point. To go further, purchase a super soft one. Or do what I did and run without one haha😅
What is the best position to place the sniper laser aligners? As close to the stub axle bolt or as far to the stub axle bolt? Is there a difference?
only if it iis not sitting flat on the axle. best is to take off the wheel hub if in doubt
It is sitting flat in both cases.. By saying as far as possible from the stub axle bolt I am referring to the far end area where the hub spacers are placed.. From what I see there is a difference in the readings.. In any way during alignment I try to position the snipers as close to the wheel rim position as possible
video anda sangat bagus dan mempunyai mesej yang luas terima kasih
Mesa de chão resolve o peso , fica preciso
Hi Derek, at the beginning, where you have the piece of paper to check if the steering wheel is centered, with mine the 2 dots are above each other BUT not covering each other ( don't know if this makes sense), So they are both on the Y-axis to say, but I see 2 dots (one above the other) instead of that they are covering each other.. Eccentrics are on the same setting both sides, does this mean something is bent..? (Like it seems I have 1mm neg camber one one side and 0 on the other..)
Thanks for your super video's
Hey Damien. Thanks for tuning in and sharing the videos. I know what you mean. It might be bent, or the C section might be slightly different across the chassis. Have you tried to move the castor pils one hole difference on either side? Some times this will fix any laser miss alignment and the kart will perform like a dream. Try settings the adjusters and see if the dots align
@@PowerRepublic Hi Derek, is it not a problem that the caster is not the same at both sides then..? (When U change it at 1 side to level out the camber difference..?)
I have this exact same issue on a brand new Tony Kart STV 450. One side reads zero camber and the other reads 2mm (1 grid space). All castor pils are zeroed out and facing forward. Is it an issue if one side has more camber applied to get an even reading?
@@Chef_602 I don't worry so much. its best to balance out both sides and then double check the castor/sweep is the same accross the kart, than the exact dots on the castor pils the same IMO
how much??
$415 AUD my friend
why not put subtitles in French ??
Coming right up ⬆️
Sou tão anormal que não consiguir aprender isso