Racing Alignment
 

Wanna see if anybody has some good ideas for a true race alignment.

I know we'll go with the most camber we can squeeze out of her up front but the rear and toes are what I'm looking for. Would like to get something down by the Subie challenge since we have new tires on and don't wanna kill them in 30miles.

I think that its going to depend on how the car handles now and what you want changed. Negative camber improves grip in corners but decreases braking traction. Toe-out at the front improves turn-in, but makes the car more twitchy at high speed. Rear toe-out promotes oversteer and makes the car more twitchy at high speed. You can also mess with the caster if you feel like slotting the strut mount holes in the front strut towers. Adding more caster will improve high speed stability and makes a more heavy steering feel at lower speeds.

Zero toe
2 degrees of negative camber front and back (I'm running 1.5 front and back this season and the car feels like it can handle more - i.e. I'm not noticing any problems with braking)
I like Mychailo's comment about slotting the mounting holes to give some caster adjustment - might just look into that for next season ;)
-Bill

Well I went with a little toe in in front, like .02" and 1.60 deg. of camber. In the rear I set the toe like .03" out and the camber is right about 1.30 deg. I'm very happy with the way it handled the track but I'm sure there is always room for improvment. ;)

I'm thinking a little toe out in the rear to help with the plowing and possible a little toe in up front. Why do you say 0 toe Bill experience? We're still plowing a bit and our rear doens't want to come around when I want it to in turns (even with new tread up front and dying out back). I think if we can get the rear to come around a little more it'll be much better for the car and for our times. Currently I like my cold pressures around 38-40 up front and 40-45 rear (the 45 would be a very tight course). I guess we really just need to get some numbers down first as currently I haven't a clue how badly I've butchered it with my $300 suspension modifications.

I was just on the Solo performance website and They had some interesting bits....Namely a Magnetic camber also a bolt on looking one. and caster meter and toe measuring plates (couple peices of angle iron or so would work for those) Thoughts?

Ben,
Trust me, put a larger rear bar on that bad boy and the back will come around like a banshe (speaking from experience :eek: ). I've got zero toe on my car because I do drive it on the street and any noticeable toe will chew the tires up faster than anything else (and I've addressed things with the "optional" front and rear sway bars I have on my car :rolleyes: ).
You might want to switch the the pressures you're running - try running 5 psi higher in front than the back - higher front tire pressure is the general rule to try to reduce the amount of understeering.
-Bill

Hey Bill, do you have any larger rear bars hanging around that I could pick up from ya? I don't want to go through the trouble of replacing bushings unless I have a bigger bar to put it. I also felt that on the course(stock alignment specs) that the rear just didn't want to come around... I have been looking for a rear bar but turned up nada. Mychailo was saying he is looking to build one but no word yet on the estimated date. Let me know where I could get one, or if you have one for a car setup like mine, would you sell it??

TOm

Higher pressure= higher times

Yeah I think that was alot of your cars problem, I could get my car to kick around just just enough to make the corner transition pretty fast but your car just seemed to plow through all the corners. I know the Porter springs are harder than the regular G.C. springs and my car is a little lighter in places than yours, or it may just be my tires and alignment.

I would like to try a larger bar in the rear but I think it might end up being to much. But it would be fun to try. :D

Tom,
I've got a stock rear bar that I replaced the stock end bushings with solid Al bushings that made it more effective, but still not enough for me. I could make a bar for you, but it would take around a month and run close to $300 (solid chrome moly bar stock + heat treating to bring it back to the right strength after bending + custom, heim-ended end links). A 3/4 inch bar (19mm) would probably be about right, given you're running the stock front bar. Try PM'ing Mychailo, as he might already have a 19mm rear bar available.
-Bill

Ben,
Interesting....so running the front tires at a higher pressure than the back tires results in slower times for the racecar? :confused:
-Bill

Since the front end of my car tended to plow, I would think the lower the pressure in the front and higher in the rear would be much more effective for my application. I would think lower pressure in the rear would work much better for the racer as it is much lighter than stock in the rear tending to let it free much easier. I doubt the front end has lost as much weight as the rear. For an SVX in street trim the lower pressure in the front and higher in the rear would be much more effective. Since the racer has lost so much weight it totally throws methods for anyone else out the window. I am not speaking out of experience but simple physics.

Tom

I am looking for a bar to mearly improve my times and help me handle the course much better than this past sunday. I don't want to make it a race car but still want it to perform like one... It is a double edged sword for me... Would that modified rear bar do what i want it to or will it not be enough for me either? Maybe bring it to the challenge and I could maybe borrow the trailer for the racer for a quick install of new bushings and a rear bar... Let me know what u think, I trust your opinion...

Tom

Tom,
Yeah, I'll bring it with me...just send me a PM when we get closer to the 17th so I remember to toss it in the car.
-Bill