Why RACECUBE^TM?

Why RACECUBE^TM?

Though beneficial to any road-going wheeled vehicle, RACECUBE™ is especially relevant to all forms of 4-wheeled motorsport: circuit, road or oval racing; single-seater or sports saloon cars; endurance racing or drift racers - all categories and series have the potential to improve competitive performance by using RACECUBE™.

RACECUBE™ differs from all other alignment systems in that it first calculates the 'effective Chassis centreline' reference frame, based on the physical position of the wheels and tyres on the ground. This effective centreline is not necessarily the same as the vehicle's body centreline which, being dependent on suspension mountings and physical chassis structural alignment, may be skewed to it. The effective Chassis centreline is the true 'car dynamics' centreline – the reference for how the wheels are actually aligned with respect to each other - and it therefore determines how the vehicle is aligned on the road. This is a critical reference frame to find, as any inherent thrust angle at the rear wheels will be relative to it. The thrust angle will determine the true direction of travel of the car, whether front or rear wheel drive, and the closer it is to being zero relative to the effective Chassis centreline the better for vehicle dynamics, aerodynamics and for the designed elasto-kinematics. For precise vehicle dynamics calculations, this subtle relationship is all too important, as with target toe angles often being very small, small inaccuracies have big consequences for vehicle performance.

One of the revolutionary features of RACECUBE™ is, as we have coined it, the ‘CUBE Vector Output’ method. This very clear display of the front and rear alignment condition tells you at a glance whether adjustments may be necessary. The simple-to-interpret method uses the same results as the individual wheel alignment method but presents the results as a function of the total toe and resultant steer vector across the front and rear axles. The CUBE Vector Output method provides a traffic light ‘go or no-go’ indication of whether the alignment is acceptable or may require adjustment. Should adjustment be deemed necessary, as with the individual wheel alignment method, the same ‘Toe Adjust’ function in the software is used to easily adjust wheels to a desired target setup.

The simplicity of the CUBE Vector Output ensures all the essential alignment information is displayed very clearly - the total toe (whether toe-in or toe-out) and the steer vector for each axle. Such information that is all that is needed to be known for many users. This information will indicate whether the car is set up with the intended total toe, giving the desired vehicle dynamic behaviour, and whether the wheels are properly aligned for the car to drive straight.

Traditional wheel alignment methods still used for many race car setups utilise wires, or 'string', mounted from frames attached to fixed points at the front and rear of a chassis and/or transmission. This method has the potential for a parallax error, where there is a dependence on the user's ability to read the measurement on a steel rule with sufficient accuracy. Typically, this occurs when comparing the fore and aft lateral distances between rim and wire. Even on a relatively large wheel rim, or setup wheel, a parallax error of 0.5mm can result in a 8 minutes of a degree error in single toe angle.

For example, with the string method, it is possible to have the car adjusted to, say, an intended +10 minutes total toe-in but in reality, due to the parallax errors, have something like +20 minutes toe-in set. That will make the tyres ‘drag’ more on the road as the contact patches deform and produce a higher rolling resistance. In addition to influencing rolling resistance, more accurate wheel alignment has the ability to reduce aerodynamic drag, improve straight-line speed, and as a result offer a true competitive advantage.

In addition, traditional methods cannot readily or accurately measure thrust angle at the rear axle and therefore setup changes cannot be relied upon to correct for it. With an uncorrected thrust angle, even a 5 minute misalignment of the steered wheels to the driving direction (determined by the thrust angle), will result in a detectable hanging steering wheel; an all too often source of irritation for any driver. Independently, in absolute magnitude terms, whether on a race car or road car, a thrust angle of more than 10 minutes should, in normal cases, not be accepted.

Another limitation with traditional 'string' methods is that, frequently, there is a requirement to remove bodywork, resulting in the whole setup process being very time-consuming. Furthermore, the frames mounted fore and aft on the chassis 'force' a centreline for the car that is not necessarily the centreline that the tyres on the ground are referenced to.
 

The calculation of the Chassis centreline and thrust angle reference frames is all part of the RACECUBE™ magic. From this, precise toe alignment angles can be determined, presented and, if necessary, easily adjusted.

In addition to the precise measurement of toe angles and thrust angles, RACECUBE™ is also able to measure Camber, Caster and King Pin Inclination (KPI) with a high level of accuracy. For Camber the accuracy is +/- 5 mins; Caster +/- 15 mins; KPI +/- 20 mins.

Cost effectiveness

RACECUBE™ Pro Plus and RACECUBE™ Pro products are set at a price points that make them equally appealing to professional motorsport teams and club racers alike. Whether your ultimate aim is a more precise measurement and correction of toe angles, improved aero alignment, improved tyre wear and rolling resistance, ease of use, transportability or any of the above, both RACECUBE™ product options offer a cost effective method for solving your problems with great opportunities for a significant return on investment. Though its brand name has 'Race' in it, the device and technology is equally relevant to the general automotive industry and road car enthusiasts. The brain-child of automotive and motorsport industry professionals with over 50 years' combined experience, RACECUBE™ has been invented to satisfy the universal requirement for a fast-to-use and highly accurate wheel alignment measuring system.