How to adjust a kart’s camber and caster using the Sniper system

INTRO

Changing the geometry of the front corners of a kart by adjusting the camber and caster is one of the most important activities to modify the setup of a kart. There are different systems for doing it: from eccentric bushes to the new Easy Caster designed by Dino Chiesa’s Kart Republic. The Sniper is one of the most widely used systems by both professionals and amateurs. Let's discover its features and see how it works in detail.

1 SNIPER

The Sniper system is one of the most commonly used system for adjusting the geometry of a kart’s front. Its main strength is that of allowing separate adjustment of the caster and camber. The camber (the angle that regulates the incidence of the tread on asphalt) is changed by acting on two worm screws, while the caster (the angle that adjusts the inclination and heights of the front wheels on a bend), requires loosening the bolt of the spindle and making two toothed components slide over each other. Everything is mounted in the upper part of the C of the chassis, while, below, flared washers facilitate the variation of the angle of inclination of the spindle’s bolt.

2 RESETTING

The geometries need to be reset before making changes to a kart’s front trim. From a technical point of view, this means that the kart, with straight steering, must have its wheels perpendicular to the axle.

To check this you need to mount a laser on the two spindles, then turn the wheels completely both to the right and to the left and measure the distances from the steering column to the laser: if the measurements are the same, it means that the steering is aligned, otherwise you have to correct the alignment by opening and adjusting the steering arms until you reach the desired (equal) distance.

Check that the distance between the steering column and laser is the same by turning the wheels to the left and to the right.
If the distance is not the same, adjust the arms until you obtain the same distance

ADJUSTING A KART’S CAMBER AND CASTER... USING THE SNIPER SYSTEM