Camber Compensator = Faster Laps

[FJCamper]

20 Seconds A Lap Faster

I notice that sometimes forum posters question the effectiveness of the camber compensator.

Mercedes first used it on their swing axle 1957 300SL Roadsters, an evolution from the iconic (swing axle) gullwing coupes. The 300SL's had coil springs in the rear, and the camber compensator was mounted above the differential.

Porsche followed suit with the 1960 356B Super 90, in combination with slightly softer rear torsion bars. So modified, the Super 90 was 20 seconds quicker around the challenging Nurburg Ring. Not 2 seconds. 20 seconds.

Source: March 1960 Road & Track, Super 90 Road Test.

FJC

[Steve Arndt]

They make a huge difference in safety. When you push the early bugs into a fast corner and crank it, they get jacked up in the rear and do the swing axle "tuck". This takes you right from being on the verge of pulling a smooth steady corner, into all out of shape handling changes. The natural reaction by the driver is to "lift" since it feels so out of shape. This only makes it worse. Stay in it and drive through the eminent slide.

The camber compensator lets you push it up to the limit more easily, and also save and keep on your intended line and power out.\

s

[buildabiggerboxer]

Gentlemen, i think there are better ways nowadays, and im not talking about street users here, just racing.... i ran 26mm t/bars on my own and customers Beetle cup racers, this i kept as secret as i could, testing costs big money, why would i blow my advantage after all the hard work? my cars ran at the front, i had 3 or 4 cars in the front couple of rows for the races, we initaily ran the stock 22mm t/b with shimmed z bars which was a good set up, lots of others ran this set up, no one raced a camber compensator after tests showed no worthwhile gains and problems with low cars grounding etc, i have to say tho, most sold today are not worthy of the name, they only compensate the sellers wallet.
Then we moved to bigger t/b still with the z bar, then i found a time improvement on bumpy tracks by freeing up a few inches of z bar travel, this got 'forgotten about' at a smooth track but it was still finding time so we went testing with more z bar free play, it went quicker again, so we took it off, or at least dropped the links out in case we were wrong, the result apart from being quicker was a huge improvement in confidence, it was just plain easyer to race with, one negative was more inside wheel lifting, i concluded the z bar was helping inside wheel traction when working full time. the clincher came when my biggest rival arrived at the same conclusuions as i did, this became even more evident when others moved to big torsion bars, we ran so close on times it was uncanny, we had huge respect and any contact was purely just rubbin' .
some others ran 29mm, i know because i looked while i serviced and tuned, , i dont think it was all 'copycat' either, these where serious racers doing there own testing.
what happens is the big t/bars reduce travel both up and down, they cant jack, and as any serious racer will confirm, understeer is the racing s/a bugs biggest hurdle, and the big bars help with that also. we ran at the 40mm track clearance we are allowed so camber compensators would be ripped off, i had another customer car on a very tight budget, he kept the stock 22mm bars but i made him a bigger z bar at 19mm, shimmed with just 2" free play, this was a good car like that, i ran it while he was on holiday and got a third against the big t/b cars. so thats where i am now, no sway bars or compensators on the back whatsoever, and big t/bars, 26/27mm where the most common, try it, youll be as surprised as i was..

[FJCamper]

Hi BBB,

I agree with you all the way. My point was, all things being equal, a camber compensator helped. Especially back in the day, with the street and the racing configuration almost being the same.

Refinements such as lowering, the Z-bar, torsion bar tuning, etc., all surpass what a camber compensator alone can accomplish.

In homage to tradition, our 1965 swing axle Ghia is kept at factory ride height, with slight decambering at the rear, Konis, a camber compensator rigged to work, and a 19mm front anti-roll bar. We even keep it to 1600 Super or Super 90 engine specs. Sit in it and it is a time machine to 1965.

FJC

[buildabiggerboxer]

FJC, definitely, i think they have a say with the stock t/b and a high ride height, pity the modern offerings are built down to a price, tho Ive heard CSP now do a good one.
I have a friend replicating the Salzburg 1302 rallycar, when the times right, ill get a post up for it, its a serious build in detail, lots of genuine period stuff on it,. factory d/s set up, the lot...
In your case, Porsche would have used a proper engineered cc i guess, how we all (those still with red blood) miss those 'low budget' tight regulation days' altho' the front guys still find ways to spend, we had a control tyre we shaved from new to 2.5mm, but they lasted half a season barring spins anyway, they only cost about 25£ ps each!. the swing axle never ceases to amaze me with what it can do with not a lot of changes. I tried the same tricks (short 26mm t/b) on IRS two joint and it was like a drift car,
IRS does not like to be too stiff ive found. I'm in the middle of flipping the diag' arms on mine this w/end , i'm not using the rear tyre outside edges at all, and need still higher tyre pressures to bring the temps up making it even worse, plus a plan to run fatter rears soon, its never boring is it ... regards. BBB.