Zepher

iTrader: (1)

Here are a couple of vids for last months auto-x at ACU4 Little Creek, Va Beach, VA.
http://www.transamws6.com/video/acu4-inside.wmv

http://www.transamws6.com/video/acu4-06.wmv

Dewey316

What is that hanging from your rear-view? I am suprised they let you run with something there. (or at least in the first video, it looked like you had something hanging there).

Those runs look much cleaner, and smoother, than some of the first video's of your auto-x's I saw a couple years ago!

I also really like that site, I wish we had sites that wide open here.

Zepher

iTrader: (1)

There is nothing hanging from the mirror, it's just the mirror and a reflection.

I feel much more comfortable in the car and I am not as nervous as I used to be when I started out. I'd have the shakes and my heart would be racing before each run when I first started, but now I am used to it so I am pretty calm nowadays.

that site is awesome, someone mentioned that we use about 1 million square feet of concrete for our course.
I missed this months evernt there, but I will definately make the next 5 events and I should have a mount in the car for my camacorder soon.

Dewey316

Didn't you also have some 16x10" wheels? I would think you would be really fast, with a set of hoosiers or a race tire to fit the 16x10's. If you weren't in SM, and on A-compounds, what class would your car fall into?

Zepher

iTrader: (1)

I had 16x9.5 wheels and they stuck out just a tad too far and the rear fenders would rub on them.

I am not sure what class I would be in since the HSR and rear LS1 brakes aren't stock. I could probaby swing FSP I believe.

eric17422001

Nice! Must have a good passenger to try and hold that camera! I have run in G stock with my wife's '91 RS V6, it has Eibach sportlines and poly bushings with KYB's all around, 245/50/16's on flatspoke 90-92 Z28 rims. Yeah, I know the springs should put me in a higher class but since I am a greenhorn I am not good and usually go off course, I was the only Camaro there and the tech inspector did not seem to care about anything but my battery tiedown, my center caps being removed and lack of floormats.

I am going to go to a couple more this year, I don't care about points I just do it for fun.

Zepher

iTrader: (1)

I do it for fun as well, so I don't mind being in SM

90firebird

nice vids, and that really is an amazing site.. from the looks of it, they launch hovercrafts, eh? Is that a military base? Definitly cool that they organize events on it..

Zepher

iTrader: (1)

yep, it's a military base and that is the parking lot/launching area for the huge hovercrafts, aka LCACs.
the old CO of the base is an auto-x'er and helped get the site for us to use.

We play in the red area, but sometimes we get to use more if the craft are parked further back, like in the wide angle shot.

BioV

Zepher, Your car really looks good on the track. I reveiwed the 2nd video many times trying to disect the cars handling and the only thing I can really see possibly trying is reducing the front caster a 1 to 1 1/2* on both sides and increase the neg camber as much as you can (try to get around -2.0* with the racing tires).

This will help you turn into the corners a little better without as much brake dive. It appears you are stuggling into the corners but are easily steering out of them under power with effortless corrections (caster too high)

This might be your daily driver though? if so, then I could see you not wanting to screw with the alignment specs. Don't know what shocks you are running or if you even have rebound adjustments, but the front compression can be increased if capable to up the front rate.

Looks great, Dean

Zepher

iTrader: (1)

thanks for the tips Dean.
The camber is set in as far as the stock struts mount will go, which makes it look funny with the top of the wheels tilted in, but it drives fine and the tires wear evenly.
I have KYB GR-2 struts up front and KYB Gas-A-just rear shocks with the Eibach Sportline springs.

How do you adjust the caster? (that's not the toe in is it?)

this is also my daily driver so any mods done to it have to be freindly to the tires when I street drive.

also, here is a vid from last year with the car having everything the same, except for the following:
Monroe struts up front.
3.73 gears with zexel torsen (SLP Takeoff) posi

also the cameraman does a better job with this one
http://www.transamws6.com/video/manny-acu4.wmv

BioV

It is your daily driver so disregard what I said about playing around with the alignment.

You'll need the caster on the freeway. Also, if your camber is maxed out then you will need the caster to remain so you can great the contact patch to lean into the corner for a flat footprint bite upon turnin.

Caster is the inclination angle of the front wheels and is what makes the car track straight so to speak. By decreassing it or increasing it, other problems come into play so it can't just be altered on its own. It really doesn't make the car steer faster, what it does is makes it easier for you to control the car going into the corner (maybe , you would have to play with it to see- it was just possible opinion based on watching you car run in the video.) My guess was maybe if you had more neg camber to go, then you could do that and then slightly reduce the caster angle to try and even the tire bit upon turning radius and in the end result help slightly reduce brake dive.

Here is a decent basic alignment 101 page explaining the different terms- caster is on there.
Wheel Alignment A Short Course

Basically if you have 0* caster (you don't ever want this low, but for explaination sake, lets say you do) and you have -2.0* camber- when the wheels are pointed straight forward they are at -2.0* and when they are turned full lock they are still -2.0* camber.

NOW, if you are at like +6.0* caster, and -2.0* camber straight- at full lock you can have probably about -3.5* camber because of the caster inclination combining to create a camber gain when turning the wheel.

Hence why I stated to increase the negative camber IF you decrease the positive caster.

Edit: also note that more positve caster will create more potential for bumpsteer because as the wheel hits a bump and the tierod goes up, it also goes back towards the rear of the car due to the greater inclination angle and further shortens the geometry of the toe.(causing greater toe-in and disrupting the Ackerman angles worse on tight corners.) So when you have tight slow speed corners, low caster can sometimes be good(depending on the car and its goodies)