Under maximum corner load, where races are won, excessive Bump Steer can slow your car down and make it more difficult to find the optimal set up. Understanding Bump Steer will increase corner speed and give you more options in finding the winning set up.
What is Bump Steer? Bump steer is the toe in and toe out of your front wheels created by the up and down movement of your suspension. Really bumps arent even needed! When the nose lifts under acceleration do you want the wheels to turn in or out on their own? What about when you are under heavy braking? Do you need the Right Front wheel to go one way and the left the other? Think about when the car transitions between compression and extension we want the driver to steer and not have to correct for the inconsistencies caused by improper front end settings. When the suspension oscillates over bumps the last thing we want is to have the tires turn themselves due to excessive Bump Steer.
Bump Steer is caused when the swing arc of the suspension is not matched to the swing arc of the tie rod. Different swing arcs of the tie rod and suspension are what causes Bump Steer. To match the arcs you must follow a few simple design principles that were considered by your car builder.
