Pinon angle plays an important role in how much traction your car will get at the track. The exact angle that you set will depend on your vehicle, horsepower,, and the tire you’re using, just to name a few variables. In this video, Dave Zimmerman from Team Z Motorsports goes over how to properly set a pinon angle.

Before you begin, it’s always good to make sure you have the right tools for the job. You’ll need the right wrenches for your specific suspension to make adjustments, a tape measure, and an angle finder. You’ll want to visually inspect each wheel to make sure it’s in the center of the wheel opening, the gap should be the same on both sides of the tire. You will need to also take a look to make sure the rear end is centered under the car — this can be done by using different points on the back of the car as markers.

If the rear end is too far forward or not centered, you’ll need to adjust it before you set the pinion angle. This can be done via the adjustable suspension parts you have elected to use for your rear suspension. You can verify if the rear end is truly centered up by finding the exact center of the car, and then taking measurements from that to the rear end. If those are the same, then you know the rear end is at true center.

After inspecting that everything is straight and making sure the driveline is at zero, you can start the process of setting the rearend’s pinion angle. You can draw a diagram of what angle your driveshaft to help you set the pinion angle when you start. The angle finder needs to be set on the yoke coming out of the rear end to determine your current pinion angle. You add the angle from the yoke and driveshaft angle to get the current pinion angle. Now that you have the pinion angle you can begin the process of adjusting the suspension to change the pinion angle to your desired measurement.

Make sure you check out the entire video from Team Z Motorsports to learn all the tricks of setting a pinon angle. And if you need adjustable suspension parts to make changing your pinion angle possible, you can check out Team Z’s website right here.