SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED Tuning Tips: Alignment

Submitted by NFSCoulter on Wed, 2011-05-04 12:33

Note: This blog is intended to be helpful to those that want to get into tuning in SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED but aren't sure where to start. It will get more advanced as it progresses. If you would like to see certain features in the blog, or have questions you'd like answered, please add them in the comments.

Usually when you hear about alignment, it’s because you’re at the body shop and they’re explaining to why your car is pulling to the left. In racing, changing your alignment can mean better acceleration, steering, or braking.

Steering lock is one of the more interesting changes you can make to your car in SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED. By lowering it completely to 0.00, you have essentially eliminated any chance of turning whatsoever. In the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, doing this turned the car into a freight train, plowing me straight into the tire wall.

That being said, if you don’t like the twitchy, over-responsive feeling you get when trying to make small steering adjustments on straights, trim your steering lock down to 19.00. If you go lower than that, you won’t be able to maneuver on highly technical tracks. The steering lock is certainly one I would recommend tuning to your taste.

The caster angle is one that I found really didn’t have that much of an effect unless your car is pushing 200+ mph down the backstretch. Even then, the differences are minimal. Caster angle ultimately aids in straight line driving, but it wasn’t really that noticeable in the Veyron. That being said, somewhere in the 8.00 to 10.00 range is where I would keep it.

The heart of adjusting your alignment lies with the toe angle and the camber. They both play a crucial role in your handling, acceleration and braking. Tweaking the front and rear toe angle changes the horizontal angle of the wheels, essentially setting the front part of the tires closer or further apart. Toe-out will increase responsiveness, but as always, do it in moderation. The Bugatti feels natural with toe angles of 19.00 in the front and 21.00 in the rear.

Front and rear camber adjusts the vertical angle of the wheel, with negative camber increasing cornering ability. This is because if you tilt the top of the wheel inward (negative), when the car turns and the weight rolls to that side, more rubber will meet the road.

On the other hand, positive camber will improve your acceleration and braking. I don’t have exact figures as it’s tough to measure a 0-60 in a Bugatti, but after maxing-out both Front and Rear camber to 36.00, the increased acceleration was definitely noticeable. Keep your cambers a touch on the higher side, with the rear always about 5-10 higher than the front. It’s important to keep traction in the front wheels!

The next Tuning Tips blog will be the final one, but stay tuned (get it?) because we’ve got something great planned to follow it up!

General Rules:

Steering Lock:
-Adjust to your own comfort
-Lower - No response
-Higher - More response

Caster Angle:
-For higher speed cars
-Aids in high speeds, set lower for more control

Toe Angle:
-Adjusts distance between the front of the tires
-Toe-In - Better straight line
-Toe-Out - Improves responsiveness
-Keep somewhere in the middle, 19.00-21.00

Camber:
-Adjusts vertical angle of wheel
-Negative camber leads to better cornering
-Postive camber leads to better acceleration 
-Keep rear angle 5.00-10.00 higher than front

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