Ok ok it's getting confusing for most of the readers here. Once we move into setup.... there are so many variables. So let's try keep it simple.
1. Recall my earlier write up: always start with a flat, level car. And then, you tune from there.
- Dont start too low, or as mentioned by CQ, you'll mess up the basic geometry to begin with. Allow for some room to raise or lower either side if you think necessary.
- From the basic level setting, you can raise the rear/lower the front to dynamically shift some weight to the front. This promotes more understeer/less oversteer. More weight being carried on the front of the car means the tyres have more work to do and thus they will slip earlier than the rear.
- And you do the opposite to reduce understeer/increase oversteer.
- All of this, up to a point. Try to avoid using ride height to counter a basic setting screw up ie wrong toe, wrong springs/damepr settings, etc.
- It's best used in conjunction with setting the ride heights/spring pre-loads with a corner-weighing scale.
2. If you get to a point where you ride on the bump-stops... spring rate goes up tremendously. Bumpstops are like very very hard springs. Try not to utilise bumpstops in your setting up, you want the suspension to be soft and compliant and do it's frickin job!
- The general rule of thumb is, the softer you can set your car, the better!!!
- This is contrary to what you might think, as so many people are seemingly obssessed with going harder and harder with spring rates. The softer the setup, the more the suspension works, to more grip you have.
- Also, to a point lah. Not too soft either. But not too hard. As with everything else, it's a balance!!!
3. Meddling with your track via spacers and offset wheels just change the character, and can increase cornering speeds
- a wider track provides a wider footprint. This is straightforwward to understand, yes? So you can get higher cornering speeds
- again, as with everything, it is relative. Too much offset/too wide the spacer, and your put too much stress on the wheel bearings and they'll wear out faster
- increasing offset/spacers also changes the geometry, again. I forgot what it's called (CQ will probably answer this). It's go to do with theoretical axis and planes etc. Turn in and response will suffer, as wil steering weight. So you'll then need to change other settings to compensate.
- Increasing offset at the front generally leads to slower front-end response. It's less pronounced on a RWD, and more pronounced in a FWD. Again, CQ knows more about this. But I think, if CQ's going to get deep into this stuff... fark, we'll end up as engineers!!!! Really heavy stuff we're talking about here!
/adian
Respect race driver and engineer to have the patience to do it again and again.
