Why Opposite Cant on Front Wheel - Rail Riding

[Patrick J Connolly]

This is my first post so I'm not fully up to speed with the acronyms and I apologize if this is a question that's been answered a million times already.

Why do you want the front wheel canted opposite of the rear for a rail rider? It seems with this reversed cant, you will be running the wheel into the body of the car rather than the head of the axle.

Thanks.

 

[Reecedad]

This is my first post so I'm not fully up to speed with the acronyms and I apologize if this is a question that's been answered a million times already.

Why do you want the front wheel canted opposite of the rear for a rail rider? It seems with this reversed cant, you will be running the wheel into the body of the car rather than the head of the axle.

Thanks.

You want it running into the rail

 

[Patrick J Connolly]

You want it running into the rail

I understand that, but why does it need to be canted downward instead of the same as the rear? You can still have toe with the axle canted up, but steered into the rail. See picture. I've exaggerated the cant here, but it's simply for discussion.

 

[Reecedad]

You should test it, maybe you are on to something

 

[Mojo Racing]

You are sliding downward when you have it canted up. When you have it canted down, you are at the bottom of the Apex where the wheel touches, causing less friction.

 

[Patrick J Connolly]

You are sliding downward when you have it canted up. When you have it canted down, you are at the bottom of the Apex where the wheel touches, causing less friction.

Okay. It took me a while to understand what you just wrote, but I think I get it. I realize you're saying it's less friction, but can you guarantee that the wheel won't rub the car body in this position? Are the two configurations tested and verified at this point?

 

[Mojo Racing]

Years ago... yes

 

[Racing358t]

What part of the wheel are you concerned about touching the body? The hub? The inner tread edge?

Scott

 

[Patrick J Connolly]

What part of the wheel are you concerned about touching the body? The hub? The inner tread edge?

Scott

I was just misunderstanding why you need to cant the front opposite from the rear when your goal of the rear is to keep the wheel off the car body.

 

[DerbyDad4Hire]

All the wheels hit the body regardless of direction of cant.

 

[Peregrine Racing]

I was just misunderstanding why you need to cant the front opposite from the rear when your goal of the rear is to keep the wheel off the car body.

If the car was running straight down the lane as opposed to riding the rail, your thinking would be correct and the wheel hub would rub the body. However, this doesn’t happen because the dominant front wheel is narrowed 1/16” and rubs the rail the whole way down.

 

[Racing358t]

Like stated already canted down is less friction against the rail overall. Canted down also plays a critical roll in centering the car on the track along with narrowing the body.

I do feel that the toe in (steer) and canting down of the front wheel cause the front wheel inner hub to rub the body. The inner front wheel hub is critical to a good steer wheel because of this. Also prepping the side of the body with a smooth slick surface is much more critical on the steer wheel.

Scott

 

[Pinewood Outlaw]

If the car was running straight down the lane as opposed to riding the rail, your thinking would be correct and the wheel hub would rub the body. However, this doesn’t happen because the dominant front wheel is narrowed 1/16” and rubs the rail the whole way down.

Think you meant to say the DFW side of the body is narrowed 1/16" not the wheel

 

[Eric]

The way I had it explained to me a few years ago. If your DFW is canted like this /==\ your DFW will be contacting the top edge of the center guide rail, which will act as a knife edge against the wheel. If you have a reverse cant \==/ your DFW will ride along the smother flat vertical section of the guide rail.