Performance alignment suggestions?

[George Patches]

So I've got the full Bilstein suspension installed and camber bolts on order. I want to get a performance alignment done to give the car an advantage in SCCA STF competition this year. Any suggestions on what to ask the camber and toe to be set to? I want a setup that's streetable, I don't want to get crazy wear on the tires.

 

[eyeballs]

It depends on what your tire setup is, how often you autocross, and how often you corner hard on the street. I'd say for starters zero toe, and at least -2.25 degrees camber. A little toe out should help quicken turn-in at the expense of accelerated wear. With grippy tires (rivals, zii, etc), you want more camber.

 

[George Patches]

For this season it's going to be the stock wheels and tires. This is first time I've actually joined the SCCA and I'll be trying to stay up on my event points for my region. I'm not expecting to win anything on the stock Yokohamas.

 

[eyeballs]

You might be surprised! If you are dedicated and attend every single event, that puts you at a nice advantage for points at the end of the season. With the stock tires, you might not want to go crazy with the camber since they aren't super grippy. Maybe -2 or 2.25, but that is just a guess. After one or two events you should have an idea (or ask other racers) if you need to dial in any more. Good luck.

 

[jasyatz]

Not sure...I'll let you know what works...So far mega front camber (-3.0) does not. Wheel spin was exacerbated. Toe in makes the steering numb. Zero or a touch out (1/16-1/8") works but it depends on how darty you like the car on your every day commute. It depends on feel, I like zero because you get no scrub radios with a wider wheel in the corners. Some like a breath of toe out, others like a ton of it.

for a good baseline, I'd go with -2.5. camber or as close as you can get it and -1/16" total toe out up front. If it's feels darty go to zero, if you'd like a bit more steering response, you can go with -1/8" toe out or really go nuts with 3/16". I would NOT advise 3/16" on the street though, it will changes lanes if you get into a truck groove on the highway.

It's nice being able to do your own stuff on your own equipment, lets you try different things a lot more easily.

 

[flatlander937]

I auto-xed mine on stock tires all last season.

Zero toe in front or just a bit toe out(1/8" at most), -2.0-2.5 camber, add a rear sway bar and its a LOT of fun. It will turn in very well and not wear badly. Camber helps a lot with sidewall rollover. I ran about 37psi front and 42psi rear after camber.


Also see here:
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/show...ber-bolt-install-tip-string-alignment-at-home

 

[eyeballs]

J - That's the fanciest home garage alignment setup I've seen. Road racing that chevy?

Flatlander - The carmax sticker needs to go!

 

[jasyatz]

Nope that's a half tube frame CP autox car...Should be running by May. And less camber = more grip with a higher spring rate...No increased amount of heat in tire, but less wheel spin on corner exit. And it's a toss up which new tire is faster.

 

[flatlander937]

Flatlander - The carmax sticker needs to go!

They're practically a sponsor - I work there :lol:



I'll pull it when I have a friend detail the car. Just been constantly put off.

 

[okvol]

I'm going to try 1/8 tow out on Saturday, and more on Sunday. There is a double header on the 18th/19th weekend of this month.

 

[George Patches]

Wow, bunch more people racing these than I thought. I wanted to look at the current alignment specs, but that was a year ago and the sheet is MIA. It was just a standard road alignment, it was way toed out from the suspension swap and I didn't like that one bit. I think the negative camber is not much, like -0.8.

I'm going to ask them to set it up with -2.0 degrees of camber and a hair of toe out. That sounds like it'll be conservative enough that it won't cause me too much trouble.

 

[flatlander937]

Wow, bunch more people racing these than I thought. I wanted to look at the current alignment specs, but that was a year ago and the sheet is MIA. It was just a standard road alignment, it was way toed out from the suspension swap and I didn't like that one bit. I think the negative camber is not much, like -0.8.

I'm going to ask them to set it up with -2.0 degrees of camber and a hair of toe out. That sounds like it'll be conservative enough that it won't cause me too much trouble.

I'd install the camber bolts with as much camber as possible on both sides... just have the alignment shop match one side to the other within 0.1 degree or so.

For toe ask for -0.10 TOTAL or -0.05 per side if you want just a hair of toe out. I was happy with 0 toe for a while and really didn't notice a huge difference from that to 2mm total toe out(which should translate to about -0.28 degree total).

You need to add a rear sway bar(any will do, I like my DDM Works rear bar, cheap simple and stiffer than all but the Hotchkis I believe) and it will turn in/rotate as much as you need. I never really had a problem with getting the car to rotate after just the rear sway bar. Adding camber was icing on the cake and greatly helped tire wear.

-2.5 camber won't do any damage as long as toe is kept in check. If you plan on really doing as many local events as possible, I'd wager that you'll get better/more even tire wear with as much camber as possible. Squishy all season tires and stock springs/shocks = much more roll over than a street touring class equivalent. And even with stickier tires and more spring you need at least -2.5 camber and more if possible/legal/practical within reason.

Keep your tires rotated often. Tire pressures are your best tuning tool. Try starting out with about 40-42psi in front, and 50psi+ in the rear. I adjust front based on how far they're rolling over(use chalk to mark tire sidewall before each run), then adjust the rear to change the balance of front/rear grip to induce rotation/oversteer. I very rarely lowered the rears below 52psi or whatever my tire max "safe" pressure is.


*my opinion.