Jon, do you have your specs to post? I have been wondering about these tire saving issues. Right now my fronts are wearing badly on the outside edge but these are older tires. Seems the faster and better I get, the more the tires wear. I have a new set of fronts that I'm going to have put on next week with a new alignment. Don't have the GT3 control arms but have been thinking about buying them.

 

Hi, Larry,

Here is what I run on track:
Front: Camber -2.4 deg, 0.0 toe (could go a little toe-out haven't tried it yet)
Rear: Camber -2.5 deg, 0.2 deg toe-in
and on the street:
Front: -0.8 deg camber, 0.04 deg toe-in
Rear: -1.0 deg camber, 0.3 toe-in

I couldn't get past about -1.3 or -1.4 camber on the front until I installed the GT3 control arms. My rear tires wear very evenly across the entire surface. Fronts still go at the outside. This year, I plan to try flipping the front tires on the rims between events. I use Michelin PSC for the track. Tried Hoosiers. They're faster, but I had a lot of issues with them staying sealed on the rims and short life.

If you are running street tires and -1.6 camber, you are going to get heavy outside shoulder wear on the front. And you are right, the faster and better you get, the more you wear the tires. You carry more speed through the corners, drive closer to the limit, push on entry and exit -- there go the tires. If you get the GT3 control arms, Oak and Mikelly highly recommend adjustable caster mounts. I didn't do that, but probably should have.

Eventually, you need to bite the bullet and get another set of wheels and some track tires. And a trailer to pull the car on. And an SUV to pull the trailer. And a very understanding spouse. Fortunately, I started with the last one.

Jon

 

I have the extra set of rims but my chief instructor wanted me to use street tires again this year so that's what I'm doing. Trailer and SUV would come after the chauffeur. By then I would just helicopter to the event.

 

Well, you should ALWAYS listen to your instructor. That's what I tell my students. Seriously, you should definitely trust the advice from a guy who has ridden with you. Track tires will make your lap times go down, but you'll be carrying more speed which, if you aren't ready for it, can get you in a lot more trouble.

But OK, put street tires on that extra set of rims and use them for the track. One weekend at the track and your street tires are noisy, unevenly worn, and generally less suitable for the street anyway.

Hmm... maybe we could start a thread on which turbos are best for the helicopter?

 

I also pull to the right a bit. I had suspension raised a tad to make driving in the city a bit easier.

Another possibility for pulling (or in my case pushing) is a bent or warped tracking arm in the rear tires. Someone installed my upgraded sway bar incorrectly and bolted it to the drop links in the wrong holes (one center hole, one rear) and eventually the drop link took the stress and the bolt connecting to the shock snapped. The sway bar recoiled right into the tracking arm of the left rear wheel and bent it upwards a small amount. This shortens its length, essentially pulling the back part of the tire inward, or the front part of the rear tire outwards, pushing the car a tiny bit right. It's worse at higher speeds. I'll have to get the tracking arms replaced at some point if I want to fix that issue.

 

Jon,
I agree, I am inclined to go w/ GT2 spec as posted on this thread. What do you guys think? The car is getting done on Monday.

Thanks,
-Arman

 

It really depends on what you want to do with the car. I save my agressive driving for the track, and I just want reasonable handling and tire life for the street. Most of my driving is highway, so the stock specs are fine for me. GT-2 street specs should be ok, too, but I have no experience to back up that statement.

Others on here may flame me for this statement, but I can't really see how you can drive this car on the street close enough to its limits that the alignment makes much of a difference. If you do, you are a danger to yourself and the general public.

I didn't mention it in my earlier post, but another disadvantage to running a lot of negative camber on the street is that the car tends to "tramline" meaning that it wants to follow grooves in the road. This can be very annoying if you drive asphalt highways where trucks have made ruts. It is also more sensitive to road crown (high in the middle, like many country roads). Really, to any non-level irregularities.

Jon

 

my car would steer hard to the left, and it continuously would after alignments....i eventually got new tires and problem solved...some times the wear on your tires becomes uneven and the insides are more worn. also check for any bubbles in your tires, my friends BMW was pulling hard on the right and he took the rim off to see that there was a massive bubble in an invisible position on the tire.

 

Hi Guys,
Just wanted to give you an update. The was in the shop all day yesterday and the problem is corrected . Here are two things. I will post the final alignment values I ended up with (more close to GT-2). Also big thanks to all of you with suggestions, specially Chuck for pointing out the delta in the front camber.

Stay tune for the alignment values? Also does anyone know how to post jpeg pictures here? I can post the alignment values as printed by the machine.

Cheers,
-Arman

 

As Promised, Here are the alignment values - The car is now straight as an arrow and I am really happy.

http://picasaweb.google.com/anikzad/...55196074798594

http://picasaweb.google.com/anikzad/...55201020390994

 

Arman, I'm a real sucker for a happy ending...great news that you are in love with the car again...enjoy