Once your toe and camber are set, it is possible to check that the caster is equal left to right on the kart.
With the provided magnet attach the rule to the center of the kart, towards the front. You may use a steel
washer or similar underneath the floor pan and attach the magnet directly to the floor pan. The rule needs
to be positioned in a place that when you turn the steering wheel, the laser dot from the Sniper unit
turning outwards crosses over the rule.
Turn the steering wheel one way until you see a laser dot on your rule. Record the distance and the proceed to turn
the steering wheel the other way. Record the distance of the opposing laser dot. If the two laser dots record the same
height, then your caster is equal on both sides. If there is a large difference recorded (over 2mm), check your
camber/castor adjusters are set correctly, otherwise you may wish to have your chassis checked by a professional.
The actual numbers on the rule do not refer to anything on the kart and are there purely for comparison.
NOTE:
1 degree of castor is approximately 4mm difference on the rule.
The chassis can also be checked for twist by placing a spare axle or straight edge on top of the Sniper
units, stand back and view the gap between the straight edge and the rear axle in the kart (a light
background may help), the gap should look the same. It is possible to see a twist as small as 2mm this
way. Minor twists can often be eliminated using the clearance in the bolt holes on the rear bearing
carriers.
Now fit the wheels on you kart with the units still on and place it on a flat, level surface. Place the driver in the kart,
this is the „dynamic‟ setting as it shows you what your alignment will look like while on the track.
The most accurate way the set up your kart is to measure, adjust and tighten your alignment and steering
components while the kart is in it‟s „dynamic‟ state, this give‟s you the true settings that you will run on the track
and take out any clearances in the steering components.
If you set up the kart on your stand, you will find the first time after the kart has been on the track, your settings will
have changed due to all the components moving slightly from being under load.
CHECKING YOUR WHEELBASE
Once your front end is aligned correctly you can check your wheelbase by measuring from the rear axle to the spindle on one side of the kart and then on the other side,
ideally the measurements are the same however Sniper suggest anything under 5mm difference is acceptable.
CHECKING YOUR KING PIN BOLTS
To check your king pin bolts are straight, loosen the bolt slightly and rotate it. If the bolt is bent you will see the camber readings on the opposing Sniper move, if they
are straight there will be no effect on the camber readings.
CHECKING YOUR SPINDLES
Place your units close to the shoulders on your spindles, start to slide one unit out towards the end of the spindle, if you see the toe or camber readings change, the
spindle is bent.
CHECKING YOUR SNIPERS
To check the calibration of your Snipers, fit the units as normal and record the toe and camber readings you have.
Now put the units on back to front, the forward arrows should point to the back of the kart. The toe and camber readings should be the same as before within 1mm.
OPERATING PRINCIPLES
The Sniper unit works by essentially re-creating the axis through the two front wheels. The laser in each unit is hand calibrated to be perfectly parallel to each spindle.
The reference axis formed by the laser beam is then projected on to a visual grid system to measure camber and toe simultaneously. Each horizontal line (the camber
plane) on the grid is equal to 2mm camber per side. Similarly, each vertical line (the toe plane) is equal to 2mm toe per side. We have included a dot in the middle of
each line as a visual aid to represent 1mm. Therefore, a movement of one full grid position on the camber plane on each side of the kart would give you what is com-
monly referred to as “4mm camber”. A movement of one full grid on the toe plane each side of the kart would equate to “4mm toe”. To keep your front end geometry
symmetrical, both units should have the same toe and camber reading on each side where possible.
Sniper Precision Technologies, A: 52 Country Drive, Oakford 6121 Western Australia. PH: +61 (0)8 9397 0022 WWW: sniper.com.au
