RC10Talk - The Net's Largest Vintage R/C Community

Camera position and optics really do play a huge roll. It depends on the camera (how much barrel distortion it has & how much the camera firmware corrects for it), how the car was framed in the shot and the angle of the camera lens vs. the plane of the car. For example, below is a pic in which the car looks like it has toe out in front because the camera isn't at quite the same angle as the car (it was propped vertically). I can assure you, however, that I set the car up for toe in.

In terms of ebay cars, there is also laziness to contend with!

For example you are selling a car you may have just rebuilt after cleaning it up. Do you
a) take your time and set it up perfectly
or
b) stick the turnbuckles on and think "that'll do, the buyer will just change the setting to suit themselves anyway"

I'll hold my hand up and say that as often as I've done a) then I've done b) too!!

Coelacanth wrote:

RichieRich wrote:

scr8p wrote:i'm sure some of it has to do with camera angle.

I think it's camera angle too. Since the camera is a single lens, it distorts, especially at close angles.

If that's the case, how come pictures I take of my own car from various angles show toe-in and not toe-out? And how come pictures taken from the front of some guys' cars show the rears toed-in and the fronts toed-out?

if i had to guess, your car would be a kyosho product. that's the problem right there.

Coelacanth wrote:Camera angle still?

like i said in my original post (the full one, not shortened), some of it could be camera angle, some could be geometry. one or the other, little bit of both....... either way, i could really care less.

A bit off subject but, on a "real car" what makes a car/truck's steering return to center? Is it alignment or the box/pump? I drove a used car that didn't return a while back and let me tell you it sure got my attention!

castor

scr8p wrote:castor

Winner, winner Hot Dog Dinner!

fastang wrote:A bit off subject but, on a "real car" what makes a car/truck's steering return to center? Is it alignment or the box/pump? I drove a used car that didn't return a while back and let me tell you it sure got my attention!

You have to let go of the steering wheel!

Reminds me of a joke that my dad use to tell me every time I drove his '81 Dodge Ram in 1991.
"It has power steering. Made by ARMSTRONG! Hah hah hah!

Also, every time I say excuse me he says "No excuse for you. You'll have to go to the governor and get a pardon."

I can't wait 'til my daughter is old enough to feel the humiliation of these jokes!

fastang wrote:A bit off subject but, on a "real car" what makes a car/truck's steering return to center? Is it alignment or the box/pump? I drove a used car that didn't return a while back and let me tell you it sure got my attention!

Sorry, again, not really on topic, but many years ago I tried running Mazda Miata wheels on my Honda CRX... Even though the bolt pattern was the same, I imagine the offset was quite a bit different. I don't know if that was what caused problems, but not only did the steering not want to return to center, but if you let go of the steering wheel while going strait, the steering wheel to snap all the way to the left or the right. Driving on the highway was one hell of a workout!

But on the toe subject, personally I like to run toe out on my race cars. (usually more so on my 2WD's than 4WD's.) 2WD I'll run 2º of toe out, 4WD I run any where from 0º to 2º. It definitely makes for snappier steering.