performance alignment specs

[bowlofturtle]

Hopefully there are some track guys here, i know there are some.

I installed Tein lowering springs and new strut/shocks at 95k. This lowers the car a modest 1.3inches in the front and .7inches in the rear. I’m going to be trying some autocross and possibly some light novice road racing this upcoming season. So I want to get a performance oriented alignment.

I got SPC alignment kit installed a while back. This gives me more rear adjustments for camber and toe. I have nothing in the front as of yet, so only toe is adjustable. My car is a G35x AWD, this is a RWD bias AWD system. Seems most AWD are FWD bias. Should I start off what something different or stick to the standard alignment settings most RWD cars are using.
Seems in the -1.5~ 2.0 front/rear camber, 0 front toe and 1/16(assuming .0625 degrees) rear toe-in per side is what people recommend.

My car’s current alignment is.
FL
-1.8 camber
7.0 caster
0.04 Toe

FR
-2.1 camber
7.0 caster
0.03 toe

RL
-2.2 camber
0.14 toe

RR
-1.9 camber
0.04 toe

I’m not exactly happy about the RL tire having 0.14 but it’s something I can live with.

 

[bigdom]

This is a pretty specific question, with suspension tuning I would see if you like the way it drives now. Find the things that bug you and make small adjustments until you get it to handle the way you want. just try to change one thing at a time, so you can easily go back if you need to

 

[IndyIan]

What you've got is probably a good start. Hopefully your new springs have a bit stiffer rate so -2 camber will be sufficient with the reduced bodyroll. I found I liked my fwd almost silly loose for autocross, but that's not so great as the speeds pick up on a track...
If you are very new, don't focus on the car, your driving is the biggest thing you can improve.

 

[qjohn]

Probably good numbers to start. If, after awhile, you feel that it understeers you can reduce the negative camber at the rear. If you're on the north side of Chicago, Thalman Alignment in Glenview does a great job on track-oriented alignments.

 

[LotI]

Find a shop around you with a Hunter Hawkeye Elite aligner and a good tech.

There is a Tuner mode in the software that can help you maximize tire life or go for maximum handling. A pyrometer is needed to measure tire temperaures.

 

[bowlofturtle]

Originally Posted By: qjohn
Probably good numbers to start. If, after awhile, you feel that it understeers you can reduce the negative camber at the rear. If you're on the north side of Chicago, Thalman Alignment in Glenview does a great job on track-oriented alignments.


100% i'm going to Thalman's after i get some events/seat time under my belt.

Im not completely NEW to the sport but i'm in the same boat as them. Ive been to a handful of tracks as spec and to help friends of friends mainly setup and prep for tire swaps. Ive listened in on a lot of conversations on people going too hot over certain corners and etc. Sadly i never had a chance to get seat time. I'm going to start probably with small auto-x, hoping i dont blow thru the tire/brakes/fluid that i have set aside for fun.

Yes i know its a VERY specfic question on a car thats not very popular in serious racing. But i wanted a solid baseline. I ran those questions with some local track members and they seem to think its solid for what the car is and my level. One person told me i'm not going to notice the 0.10 toe difference or see tire wear as much as people think.

I cant go extreme on the car since its a daily driver as well, well i would like it to be my daily drive. If all goes well for the next couple seasons maybe i can get a REAL track car.

 

[A_Harman]

The best adjustment you can make when you're first starting out in road racing is to tighten down the loose nut behind the wheel. Get lots of coaching from guys that have been doing it for at least 3 years. Ride with them, watch what they do.

Negative camber is good for higher roadholding.
Positive caster is good for better steering feel.
Adjusting toe affects turn-in.
I'm a very high roadholding/high steering feel kind of a driver, and never have felt much difference in slight toe adjustments. I tend to automatically adjust how quickly I initiate the wheel movement, so toe just kind of drops out for me.

I think you have a good baseline setup with your camber and caster numbers. Mostly what you want when you first go to the track is a safe, reliable car that will run all day so that you can get seat time without having to work on the car between sessions.

 

[gofast182]

Yeah I'd stick with where you are and get it on a track to tell whether you like it. If you're not very familiar with your new suspension components just remember that when you stiffen your suspension don't assume more negative camber is better. You'll tend to get equivalent performance with less negative camber the stiffer you go as you're not compressing and rolling as much where you'd need that compensation to keep the contact patch flat on the ground.