I just got a new alignment and corner balance on my car done by one of the local Cup racers at his skunk works shop. All I have to say wow! It is much better that my last alignment as my old alignment specs were scrapped and as it was set up to new specs per his recommendation. With some sway bar and shock tweaking done by him at the track this past Friday, the car feels much better but apparently still has a ways to go to get dialed in. It feels so much that I was able to take almost 2 seconds off my best time on a 2.5 mile course late Friday. One interesting thing about his alignment is the fact that instead of attaching the alignment gear to the wheel itself, he removed the large 26mm hub nuts and screwed the alignment gear directly onto the hub. This was done so that the alignment sensors are perfectly aligned with the wheel hub instead of clipped onto the wheel as most shops do. When you clip the alignment gear onto the lip of the wheel, any minor wheel run out or even irregular paint build up on the lip surface will result in errors to creep into the final product. I never really though of that but it makes sense. The corner balance was performed by the weight sensor pads all perfectly leveled with a laser. Here are the new specs:

Front camber: -2.8 per side
Front toe: +0.05' total
Castor: 7.5
Rear camber: -2.3 per side
Rear toe: +0.34' total

Ride height: 101mm front, 120mm rear
Weight: 3248lbs with 13 gal. of fuel without driver ballast.

Good stuff, enjoy....



http://www.flickr.com/photos/87731073@N06/9442295482/]Alignment[/url, on Flickr


http://www.flickr.com/photos/87731073@N06/9442297070/]Alignment2[/url, on Flickr


http://www.flickr.com/photos/87731073@N06/9442298456/]Alignment3[/url, on Flickr


http://www.flickr.com/photos/87731073@N06/9439515399/]Alignment4[/url, on Flickr


http://www.flickr.com/photos/87731073@N06/9439517193/]Alignment5[/url, on Flickr

 

Here is a video of the car chasing down a couple of 997 Grand Am Cups at HPR on 08/02/13. Not all that bad for a street car driven to and from the track on NT01s. Too bad the NSX got in the way.. With the new alignment, sway changes, and shock adjustment the car feels much better. The stiff H&R rear sway is on full soft but the car is still oversteering quite a bit. I've since swapped over to the GT3 sways and will be tracking this weekend to further dial it in. Front uprights are going to be swapped over to GT3 Cup uprights which will work much better at my ride height.. That should be the final piece to the puzzle (hopefully! LOL!). I'm pretty happy where we're at with it so far...

 

Nice video! Thanks for sharing.

 

Loved the Vid! Awesome driving! BTW what kind of tow hook is on your car?

 

Powderhound,

Are you still driving your car to the track or trailering it? I will tell you with confidence that you can take another 2 seconds off your lap times by ditching the NT01s (probably the best multi-purpose tire if you are driving to the track) and putting on some Hoosier R6s. I did the same earlier this season and immediately picked up 2 seconds/lap.

I had read that the R6s signal break away less and that they break away more abruptly and I did not find that true at all. They are great ... expensive and don't last long, but great while they last.

 

Yep, 2-2.5 quicker for the Hoosiers over the NT01s is what I've been told. I have a set of the R6s at home but haven't run them yet. I am going to use them for the time trials next month. The NT01 is just so much bang for the buck. I get a set for a tick over $900 out the door which is almost half of the Hoosiers and they last 2x as long. I'm really looking forward to try the new 305/35/18 NT01 over the 315/30/18s I've been running.

 

Nice video!!! Nice car.

 

Thanks for sharing your specs! I wish we had a competent shop in town that could do this kind of work!

 

I agree on the price of Hoosiers. I have tried r888s, Nt01s and Hoosiers and the NT01s are a great value. Right now I have my last set of pretty fresh R888s on and want to burn them up, so I will use them on first day of a three day track weekend to re-familiarize myself with the track and then switch to the Hoosiers. I have two sets of rims, so they are all mounted. I also heard good things about the Kumhos and picked up a set from Joyride, though I probably won't get into them until next season.

Also, since this is really alignment tread, I just put heavier springs 800/1,000 and got the alignment reset and will report back after this weekend.

BTW, your car looks really sharp and I like the mods you have done. There aren't that many of us who are leaning as hard toward a track specific setup on this board.

 

Great video John. I love the sound of the classic RUF exhaust whistle on power. It's amazing how a street car can hang with the cup guys.

 

Thanks Joe. Let me know how you like the 800/1000 set up. I'm leaning towards that or 700/900. My guy wants me to soften the sways, stiffen the springs a bit (thereby reducing the % split front to rear), and run a taller cup style rear tire, basically about 1" taller rear. I think I'm going to end up with the 245/40/18 (25.5") and 305/35/18 (29.4") NT01s. In R6s, 255/35/18 and 315/30/18 works well with a 0.8" split. I'll let you know how I like it along with the GT3 Cup uprights. And you're right, it would be nice if more guys would be into tracking. There's nothing like going at it with your buddies at the track in a safe and controlled environment where gains can be measured and improved. Before I started tracking 2 years ago, I used to think of myself as a great driver. After the first track day I was really humbled and brought down to earth. Every time out I learn something new...and I'm shopping for a trailer! It never stops, lol! Oh yeah, what kind of transmission cooler are you running on your car?

 

Thanks Al. Yeah, these cars are amazing. Street legal but if set up right they have the ability to hang with just about any GT car out there including Cups. The exhaust really makes it sound like a jet on the straight away. Quiet as its coming at you but with that trademark shriek as it passes.

 

Yeah I think it is sad how many guys on here are turning there cars into straight-line machines. I have two friends that are the local roll on champs and every time I see them together I can not resist calling them ***-Racers just to taunt them.

 

Everyone is into something else, be it redheads, blondes, drag racing, circuits, whatever. I respect that. Who am I to tell someone what they should enjoy? With that said, however, I wouldnt get much enjoyment out of bolting on some huge turbos and mashing the throttle. Well, you do have to steer the car straight so that requires some coordination. lol. All kidding aside, drag racing has been a staple of American motor sports since the early days so I get it but it may not be for everyone. It seems like the bigger your wallet is the faster the car will go. With straight line stuff it seems to be more about the car while road racing seems to be more about the driver. For me, I've always enjoyed being challenged and tracking these cars fits that bill. There is so much involved to make the car fast, not just power. It all comes into play, suspension, alignment, brakes, driver, etc, etc. Its really a humbling experience for guys when guys come out to the track in their 700hp turbos and then get lapped by drivers in spec boxters and caymans.... I was one of them... In the end though its all about doing what you love and enjoy, whatever that may be.

With regards to the rear toe, it is set up at 0.17 per side which is Cup car spec. A 996GT2 rear toe factory spec is 0.17-0.25 per side in comparison. Basically my guy set up my car just like his 996 Cup car except he went milder on my camber setting. At least that's my understanding. Feels great.

 

i think its a rennline