autocross and roadracing alignment specs

[pagosa dsm]

I just set my cars alignments specs. I am trying to get rid of the understeer to a more neutral steer.my new specs are
front
-1.7 camber
+ 4.7 caster
0 toe
rear
0 camber
0 toe
I am wondering what other's are setting there alignments at?I have not drove it much,but I think it is working better
Rick

 

[krusty_9]

I ran zero toe all around, -2.5* of camber front, and -2.3* camber in the rear. I do not recall what the front caster was. I started the year with -1.5* in the front, and the car under-steered horribly and the outside of my tires were chewed up pretty badly. Surprisingly, the increase in camber has not equated in more tire wear.

 

[pneumo]

Your alignment specs look good. For autox and tight, slow courses you can go with a little bit of toe out front and rear, around 1/8" to 1/4".

 

[Scott McIntyre]

I typically run -2.5º camber and 5.5º caster up front, and -2.0º camber in the rear. Zero toe all around.

I had tried -3.0º camber up front, but I found braking suffered too much, especially in autox. That could be a factor of my huge tires though.... 275/40R17.

 

[Ludachris]

I run -2.5 in the front, -.75 in the rear with zero toe and I can't remember the caster up front, but I'm using the RRE camber plates that add caster so it's going to be a good amount.

I'm betting all of the solid bushings I'm swapping in, combined with the Jay Racing rear toe eliminator kit and larger Whiteline sways (26mm rear, 22mm front) will help reduce understeer even more.

Hey Scott, how are you running so much negative camber in the rear effectively? I tried it and it threw the handling off, not to mention the tire wear was a lot more evident on the inside edges of the tire... research keeps telling me that it doesn't work well on AWD cars. Maybe I need to try it again after the solid bushings are in?

 

[D_Eclipse9916]

I had -1.8 camber rear, -2 up front, with zero toe all arounnd as much caster as I could get up front.

 

[Scott McIntyre]

Hey Scott, how are you running so much negative camber in the rear effectively? I tried it and it threw the handling off, not to mention the tire wear was a lot more evident on the inside edges of the tire... research keeps telling me that it doesn't work well on AWD cars. Maybe I need to try it again after the solid bushings are in?

What do you mean by "threw the handling off"?

My car is a little bit loose in it's current configuration (900F/400R, Koni, RM sway, poly bushings, etc.) so I'm gonna try putting the stock rear swaybar back on. But tire wear has been excellent. My V710's are worn even across their face and 2010 will be the start of their 4th season!

 

[Ludachris]

What do you mean by "threw the handling off"?

My car is a little bit loose in it's current configuration (900F/400R, Koni, RM sway, poly bushings, etc.) so I'm gonna try putting the stock rear swaybar back on. But tire wear has been excellent. My V710's are worn even across their face and 2010 will be the start of their 4th season!

I guess I was kind of vague... when I tried out more negative camber in the rear, I noticed it felt more loose and a little less unpredictable. But again, maybe that had more to do with my setup as opposed to the camber. I probably should have stuck with it a little longer and made other adjustments.

I'm wondering how much different camber settings will effect a 1g and 2g.

 

[Scott McIntyre]

It's all pretty much guesswork until you do some proper testing. You need some time on a skid-pad with a tire pyrometer and stopwatch to really nail it down.

That being said, I'm a hypocrite as I've yet to do it myself.

 

[Dallas J]

What do you mean by "threw the handling off"?

My car is a little bit loose in it's current configuration (900F/400R, Koni, RM sway, poly bushings, etc.) so I'm gonna try putting the stock rear swaybar back on. But tire wear has been excellent. My V710's are worn even across their face and 2010 will be the start of their 4th season!

Damn man, youre gonna do a 4th year on your tires? While mine still have enough tread left on them, theyre hard as a rock. Even hot they just dont get gummy at all anymore. I cant imagine yours are much better.

Im thinking 2 years is the competitive limit of the V710s, and a 3rd year can be done with a co-driver keeping a close on getting the tires hot but not too hot. But Im definitely getting some new rubber before next season.

 

[Scott McIntyre]

I've heard that from others as well, that the V710's are good for two years at most then they loose grip.

Oddly enough, mine still feel pretty sticky! I'm sure they won't provide as much grip as a fresh new set, but I don't feel they've lost enough grip to warrant tossing them. Especially considering what they cost new.

Note that I go to great lengths to preserve my tires' freshness. I deflated them after every event, seal them in plastic bags during the off-season (and during long breaks mid-season), and keep them stored in a cool dry environment away from the sun. This may be the reason they've held up so well.

Having said that, I doubt I'll get another full season out of them, so I'll likely be sporting new rubber by the end of 2010 anyway.