Evolution Motorsports did a complete suspension setup on my car last week including alignment. I spent about 30 minutes on the phone with their suspension guru describing my needs, what I liked and did not like about my current setup and how much I was ready to sacrifice in terms of tire wear in the pursuit of performance.

The car was aligned by a Beissbarth laser system which provides nine different measurements on the back axle and thirteen measurements on the front. It also compares your current setup to a final one after adjustments are made. The degree of sophistication is impressive, much more so than what I've grown accustomed to.

Additionally, my H&R sways were re-adjusted, the car actually raised a little bit, corner balanced and when I picked it up, we had a nice chat on appropriate hot tire pressures to optimize the setup and minimize unnecessary wear on the tires.

So, while I guess it's interesting to compare camber, caster and toe numbers and debate the merits of more or less in the rear versus the front, I think there is more to the story and that it greatly depends upon what your specific needs and wants are. I'll know how well it turned out after I get back from the track this weekend. Best,

 

Thanks Steamboat. Yes, please post your comments, specs and how you like the new set up (or what you don't like). I am getting my alignment on Friday and I think it is going to be a trial and error until I get it just right and to my comfort level.

 

Fun discussion. While it's a matter of taste, and the stock car is very fast as is, there is no question that stiffer suspension transforms our Turbo.

Anyone who is new to the Turbo, remember there is a way to increase the excitement! Whether by coilover or lowering springs, the solution is cheap and easy and in return you'll have an incomparable daily driver. No competition, really .

 

My first DE is this weekend, what are things to look for to address in suspension? I have GMG sway bars(set to soft front, med rear), TechArt Springs, -1.2 front, -1.7 rear, RE-11s. I understand the basics of understeer and oversteer, but are there other things to look out for?

 

Your setup is fine. I run RE-11's as well. You will probably gain 8-10 lbs pressure getting the tires up to temp. I run at 32 F, 36 R hot. That means starting the day 28 - 30 and then bleeding excess off after the first session. You don't want to be running hot pressures in the 40's. The tires get very greasy.........hope that helps. Have a great time!

 

Well, here I am reporting back from my alignment and haven it driven thoroughly to test it...I have to say I am EXTREMELY pleased with it's new behavior.

I went with -2.1 on the front (that is all I could squeeze out). Actually, I could get -2.2 on the pass. side but the driver's side that was a no-go so I dialed back to -2.1 on both sides. The previous setting was -1.6 so basically I added a 0.5 degree of negative camber to each side.

On the back I went with -1.9 on each side. Previously, the car had -2.7...a little too much in my opinion in comparison to the front. I think the previous owner was a little scared of the car and dialed it this way to avoid dealing with a possible over steer.

Toe is set to 0 on the front and 0.15 degrees of toe in each side on the back.

This past weekend, I took the car for a spirited drive on one of the favorite highways and was very happy with the new handling characteristics. The car is very neutral now and is very manageable. There is a little more tire chirping that comes from the front right before the front begins to give so I take that as a "warning" before I push further.

Unfortunately, a day later after my escapade, I noticed a few oil drips coming from the back of the car. Made me sick. Later this afternoon I will be taking it to a friend's lift to investigate where this could be coming from. It is definitely motor oil...but it seems to be all over the place so I will probably have to clean things up, let it cool down and see where this sucker is coming from.

Has anyone had any oil leaks before? What are the most common places? This sucks and is quite untimely as I wanted to do a track event tomorrow...hopefully it is something super simple.

 

What a blast at NHMS, they had the half the oval open so hitting that turn at 85mph was pretty exhilarating . I tried to go that low on pressure and got scared, low pressure warning lights came on and even said my rear was flat at one point before going out. Is that normal?

Coming in hot, tires were reading 34 front/40 rear. It was hot out and they did start to slip towards the end, could I have went less pressure for better handling?

 

Yes, warning lights are normal and yes, lower pressures would have improved your adhesion. Just ignore the TPMS warnings when you are at the track and bleed your tires down to the desired pressure immediately after each run session.

I got in ~400 miles at Miller this weekend - what a track - and one of the guys, a very fast instructor, started his GT3 RS at 22 lbs F&R cold to get to 30-ish hot. Our turbos weigh a bit more and hence need a little more pressure. The tires do feel very "squishy" at low speeds toodling around the paddock but once you get a little heat into them on the track they are fine and provide maximum adhesion. I saw 152 mph on the long straight when I glanced down once and settled on 31 F hot and 35 R hot for the weekend. When it was time to leave the track and drive the 350 miles back home, I added air to get to 45F/50R and reset the TPMS system. The next morning when the tires were cold, TPMS flashed a low pressure warning once again and I had to add another 5 lbs to the rear tires to bring them up to 39. Truth be told, I'd be perfectly happy if TPMS had not been invented and Porsche's came with a good tire gauge instead. The system is certainly not designed with track use in mind.....

Glad you had a good time!!

 

Mid to low 30s HOT are a damn good setting for the track. The grip is astounding. Remember the rear tires have to deal with a LOT of weight so a few more PSI 2-3 will help the sidewalls deal with the weight.

Don't try getting on the skid-pad as the tires grip like hell and you will wear them out doing donuts! add at least 10 psi hot for drifting action.