Every club night someone walks up to the pit table and says their car "just pushes." Nine times out of ten the shocks are fine and the motor is fine. The car is sitting 4 mm lower on one side, the front wheels are toed out like a duck, and the camber links were last touched at the factory. Alignment is boring, and boring is where lap time hides.
This guide covers the three settings that shape how your tires meet the ground: ride height, camber and toe. You will get the order to set them in, starting numbers that come from Traxxas's own tuning guides, a cheap way to measure each one, and what to change when the car misbehaves. It works for a basher on the street and for a short course truck on clay.
The Short Answer
Set ride height first with the battery installed, then camber at that ride height, then toe, and start from about -1° to -2° of camber, 0° of front toe and your car's built-in rear toe-in.
- Ride height: adjust with spring preload spacers or collars; it changes where the car sits, not how stiff the springs are.
- Camber: measure with a camber gauge, a square or a phone inclinometer; shorten the camber link for more negative camber.
- Toe: turn both steering turnbuckles the same amount, and treat 0° front toe as home base.
- Change one thing at a time in small steps, like half a degree or 2 mm, and test before the next change.
1. Start with Ride Height (Because It Moves Everything Else)
Ride height is the distance from the bottom of the chassis to a flat surface with the car ready to run. It comes first because camber and toe both change as the suspension moves. The CompetitionX setup order puts downstops and ride height ahead of camber and toe for exactly this reason, and Traxxas tells you to set camber with the car at its normal ride height.
Measure it the same way every time
- Install the battery and body mounts you race with. Traxxas's Slash spec racing guide says to set ride height with the battery installed, because a heavier pack lowers the truck.
- Put the car on a flat surface. A setup board is ideal; a kitchen counter or a piece of glass works.
- Drop it and bounce it. Lift the chassis a few inches, let it fall, then push down once or twice so the suspension settles.
- Measure under the chassis at the front and rear with a ride height gauge. A finger is not a gauge.
- Check left and right. If one side is higher, match the preload on both shocks before you touch anything else.
How to change it
Add preload clips or turn the threaded collars down to raise the car; remove clips or back the collars off to lower it. Preload only changes where the car sits. If the car bottoms out over jumps, you need stiffer springs or thicker shock oil, not more preload.
Good starting numbers
Your manual's figure is the best start. Without one, Traxxas's Slash guide uses a simple visual target: front suspension arms level, rear driveshafts level, and notes it is common to run the front 1 to 3 mm lower than the rear. Low, flat cars like touring cars run much lower; EuroRC's suspension tuning guide gives about 5 to 6 mm on carpet and 6 to 7 mm on asphalt as starting points for the front of an on-road car.
2. Dial In Camber for Cornering Grip
Camber is the tilt of the wheel when you look at the car from the front or back. Negative camber means the top of the tire leans toward the chassis. Traxxas's suspension tuning guide says most models run 1° or 2° of negative camber at all four wheels, and positive camber is virtually never used. The negative angle offsets the way the chassis leans in a turn, keeping the loaded outside tire flatter on the ground.
How to measure camber
Set the car on a flat board at ride height. Hold a camber gauge, a small machinist's square or a phone running an inclinometer app against the tire sidewall or wheel face. Traxxas's alignment article recommends a square or right-angle triangle. Some racers measure with the wheels removed on setup stands for better accuracy; that is a refinement, not a requirement.
How to adjust it
Camber is set with the upper link, usually a turnbuckle. Shorten the link and the top of the wheel pulls in for more negative camber. Lengthen it for less. Count your turns, change both sides by the same amount, and write it down. Traxxas's tuning guide calls a half-degree of camber a big enough step; change it, then test.
Reading tire wear
Look at the tread after a few packs. Heavy wear on the inside edge means too much negative camber. Wear concentrated on the outside edge suggests the tire could use a little more. Even wear across the tread is the goal.
Race numbers vs bash numbers
Traxxas's own spec Slash baseline is -2° front and -2.5° rear. For a street or backyard basher, -1° at each corner is plenty and saves tires. Their wheel alignment article shows stock 4-Tec settings of -1° front and rear, so even a pavement car does not need much.
3. Set Toe Last, and Learn What It Feels Like
Toe is where the wheels point when you look down at the car from above. Toe-in means the fronts of the tires point toward each other; toe-out means they point apart. Here are the settings side by side before we get into adjustments.
| Setting | What it is | Sensible starting point | Typical effect of more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ride height | Chassis height above a flat board, car race-ready | Your manual's number; on a Slash, front arms level and rear driveshafts level | Higher: more weight transfer and roll, better over bumps. Lower: flatter and more stable on smooth tracks |
| Camber | Wheel tilt seen from the front or rear (negative = top leans in) | -1° to -2° front and rear | More negative: more cornering grip until the tire rides on its inner edge, less straight-line grip |
| Front toe | Front wheels angled in or out, seen from above | 0° | Toe-in: calmer, less aggressive turn-in. Toe-out: sharper turn-in, twitchier on straights |
| Rear toe-in | Rear wheels angled in, seen from above | Whatever your hub carriers provide | More: more stability and forward bite, less rotation. Past about 5° per side it mostly scrubs speed |
Front toe: start at zero
Center your transmitter's steering trim first, then adjust the steering turnbuckles until both front wheels point straight ahead and are parallel. Traxxas's alignment article calls this 0° toe, and its spec Slash guide recommends 0° as the baseline. A degree or two of toe-in calms a loose car and helps it hold a line down the straight. A touch of toe-out sharpens turn-in on a car that pushes on corner entry, at the cost of a nervous feel at speed. Turn each tie rod by the same amount so the steering stays centered.
A cheap way to check toe
With the car at ride height and the wheels pointed straight, measure the distance between the front edges of the two front tires, then the rear edges, at the same height. If the front measurement is smaller, you have toe-in. Equal numbers mean zero. A toe gauge or setup station is faster and more precise, but a pair of calipers gets you surprisingly close.
Rear toe-in: often fixed, still important
Rear toe-in makes the car more stable in a straight line and helps it put power down. On many Traxxas models, including the Slash 2WD, rear toe is built into the hub carriers rather than set with a turnbuckle; optional aluminum carriers on some models add or subtract 1.5°. Traxxas notes that settings beyond about 5° per wheel give rapidly diminishing returns because the tires scrub. Less rear toe-in lets the car rotate more on high-grip surfaces; more adds forward bite and slows steering.
Quick fixes by symptom
Pushes into corners: add a little front camber or a touch of front toe-out. Spins out on throttle: more rear toe-in if you can adjust it, or less rear camber. Wanders on straights: check front toe and steering trim. Traction rolls: lower the car, and reduce camber if it tips over mid-corner. Most of these come from EuroRC's troubleshooting list; make one at a time.
Conclusion
The order matters more than any single number: ride height with the battery in, camber at that ride height, then toe. Start from -1° to -2° of camber and zero front toe, make one small change at a time, and keep a notebook or a photo of your setup sheet in the pit box. Your car will be consistent, and consistent is fast.
Need turnbuckles, aluminum camber links or a proper driver set to stop rounding out screws? Browse our suspension arms and links and tools, or bring your car to the Cumming showroom and the racing desk will help you get a baseline. Questions first? Contact us.
Gear Mentioned in This Guide
Traxxas Slash 2WD VXL Clipless RTR
A popular spec-class truck with adjustable camber links and front toe, and fixed rear toe.
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Traxxas Aluminum Front Camber Link Tubes (3643X)
Stiffer aluminum camber links that hold their length better than plastic links.
Shop now
Traxxas Aluminum Rear Camber Link Tubes (3644X)
The rear set, so both ends of the truck adjust the same way.
Shop now
Traxxas Blue 59mm Toe Link Turnbuckles (3139A)
Turnbuckle tie rods let you set front toe without pulling parts off the truck.
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Traxxas Tool Kit with Pouch (3415)
Hex and nut drivers plus a 4 mm/8 mm wrench for most setup jobs on Traxxas trucks.
Shop nowFrequently Asked Questions
What is the best camber setting for an RC car?
Most cars work well with 1° to 2° of negative camber at each wheel, according to Traxxas. Racers on high-grip tracks often run a bit more, such as Traxxas's spec Slash baseline of -2° front and -2.5° rear. Bashers can run about -1° to save tires.
Should my RC car have toe-in or toe-out?
Start with zero front toe and the rear toe-in your hub carriers provide. Add a little front toe-in if the car feels twitchy on straights, or a little toe-out if it is slow to turn in. Rear toe-in adds stability and forward traction.
Does spring preload change spring stiffness?
No. Preload spacers or collars change the ride height, meaning where the car sits. The spring rate stays the same. If the car bottoms out, change springs or shock oil rather than adding preload.
Do I need a setup station?
Not to start. A flat board, a ride height gauge, a camber gauge or square, and a pair of calipers for toe will get a club racer very close. Setup stations and toe plates are faster and more repeatable once you are chasing tenths.
Why does my camber change after I adjust ride height?
Camber changes as the suspension compresses and extends, so moving the ride height moves the camber too. That is why ride height comes first and camber is measured at normal ride height.
How often should I check alignment?
Check it after any crash, after replacing arms, links or hub carriers, and before a race day. Plastic links can also flex or get tweaked in a tumble, so a quick check saves a lot of guessing.
