How important is camber settings for track/drifting?

[livi]

Me and my brother was watching a few track videos, among them was the one posted in the Nurburgring thread on OT, where a Ruf Porsche is drifting threw long sweeping turns at high speed and total control.

I was very impressed by the driver (obviously). My brother who spends a lot of his spare time street racing and tracking, mentioned that it is paramount that you have the correct alignment - particularly camber setting. Wrong setting and even a pro would end up in the periphery, right setting and those brilliant long curves can be drifted threw at high speed and in good control.

I have read some on the subject and understand the importance of correct camber for keeping the the right amount of rubber on the ground, but I was not aware it was that important - meaning a large part of the difference between a grandious drift and losing it completely.

What´s the opinion of this panel ?

[Steve@Rennsport]

Markus:

Your brother is a sharp and enlightened person,...

Camber settings are absolutely critical toward keeping the tire treads flat on the ground in a corner and if allowed to go positive (tuck under), will contribute to snap oversteer and loss of control.

Actual camber settings depend on what kind of tires are used since DOT race tires and slicks need a LOT more camber than street tires do.

[livi]

Thanks, Steve!

It looks perfectly impossible for a newbie like me to keep the car drifting in complete control around a long high speed turn like in that video without losing the line.

I have yet to try the track. I think perhaps I am afraid I will damage both myself and my car. My brother keeps nagging about me coming with him to the Ring every summer. It is not that far a trip from here. Looks stupidly dangerous too me, with all that mixed traffic however.

[richde]

Originally Posted by livi

I have yet to try the track. I think perhaps I am afraid I will damage both myself and my car. My brother keeps nagging about me coming with him to the Ring every summer. It is not that far a trip from here. Looks stupidly dangerous too me, with all that mixed traffic however.

Mostly OT:
It's not that bad, just drive as fast as you feel comfortable with. There's some scary fast people out there, but keep to the right with your signal on and you'll be safe. For max enjoyment, have an experienced co-driver, this makes it much less stressful. The elevation changes are drastic and few turns are "obvious."

I'm amazed there isn't an annual gathering of Euro pelicans at the 'ring....

[Dantilla]

A friend is an engineer for a professional racing team. They have different alignment settings for different brands of race tires. I'd say it's pretty important.

[livi]

Thanks, guys.

Rich, there are a lot of annual gatherings, just not by Pelicans. Not surprisingly, because oddly enough we are pretty few. I mean, there are a few active British guys, one from Spain, a couple of Italians, one or two from Denmark, Norway and Finland, a couple of active Swedes besides me and then there is Stijn of course. A few Germans and maybe someone from France. Max ten really active members on this forum from outside US(not counting Australia) out of some 46 000 members. Peculiar. Maybe most Europeans are too intimidated by joining a big group of loud Yanks.. :-)

[ZOA NOM]

Markus, I would recommend you try an autocross. It will allow you to test the limits of the car at lower speeds, and without danger of running into anything but cones. It will give you much more confidence as a driver as well.

[livi]

What´s that, ZOANAS...?

Oh, yes...I was temporarily distracted by your avatar. Yes, thanks, I think that is exactly where I will start.