Hank Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Okay, so I have a dilemma here. I'm ready for an alignment on the Megabusa, but I don't know what to do. I'd like to run an aggressive alignment for autox and roadcourse duties, but I don't want to kill my street wheels/tires. I do not own any of the track side alignment equipment like other grassroots racers own. And I don't want to go to the alignment shop before every race and then back afterwards. So, how do other Se7en owners deal with setting an aggressive race alignment and then drive your vehicle on the street for extended periods? Here's a fairly aggressive alignment from WSCC regarding the Megabusa. Your thoughts? ~950lb car 15" wheels, 205/50 tires 2 deg neg camber front 1mm toe out front 1 deg neg camber rear 1mm toe out rear I doubt the toe settings would stay the same if I decided to finish racing and dial the front camber back to 1 deg negative and drive on the street for a few days. I'd leave the rear alone. Essentially I'd like to run 1 deg neg all around for street use and the settings above when I race. Comments? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slngsht Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Do it yourself. These don't cover caster if you want to change that, but caster can be measured by turning the wheel and measuring camber change, then using a formula Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 I believe the Megabusa caster is non-adjustable as it is set by the offset of the top a-arm on the suspension. Thanks for the links! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 What kind of tires are you going to be using. Usually with a bias ply slick you dont need alot of neg camber. Usually no more than 1 degree. You might want to consult your race tire manufacturer for suggestions on max camber. 2 degrees seems excessive to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 Maybe I need to start another thread on race slicks for roadcourse use? I'll probably use the 15" wheels with Falken Azenis RT-615s for autox. No clue on what 13" slicks to buy. Hoosier? Avon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Hank, I am running the following settings on the street and haven’t noticed any uneven wear. Camber Front: -2.5 Rear:: -1.5 Total Toe Front: 16 min toe out Rear: 24 min toe in 205/60-13 Toyo R888 My car isn’t fitted with ARBs, so has a fair amount of roll and really seems to benefit from extra camber, particularly up front. Another thing to be careful of is chassis rake. Westfields are very sensitive to this and the handling can really suffer if you get it wrong. General consensus is to run 15-25mm higher in the rear using the factory measuring points. My car is in the middle at 20mm. -John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davemk1 Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Is the caster adjustable? Lots of caster can be key as it allows you to run less camber (more caster means the the tires develop more camber as you turn the front wheels) and still get the front end to hook up. Lots of caster allows you to run minimal camber so you have more even tire wear and better braking yet still have the camber needed in a turn. So how much do you have and how much can you get? dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 John: I am running front and rear ARBs so my camber will definitely be less in the front. I am running the factory Westfield recommended rake (115mm front, 130mm rear). Dave: see post #3 above. Caster is non-adjustable. Did I mention I will be running 13" slicks for racing and 15" street tires for road use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davemk1 Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 John: I am running front and rear ARBs so my camber will definitely be less in the front. I am running the factory Westfield recommended rake (115mm front, 130mm rear). Dave: see post #3 above. Caster is non-adjustable. Did I mention I will be running 13" slicks for racing and 15" street tires for road use? Do you know the caster setting you are stuck with? Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 Not until I put the car into the alignment rack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Hank, I wouldn’t necessarily trust the factory supplied height settings. The key figure is the delta from rear to front. The actual ride height will vary based on tire selection and tread wear, both of which will impact the measured height. On a Westfield you want to make sure that the imaginary line drawn between the inner and outer pivot points of the lower front control arm is parallel to the ground. The arm itself should be pointing down a little bit because the center of the outer pivot point is in the ball joint that sits on top of the arm. This drawing highlights what I mean. -John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now