Building for the road course...again

[Crazycanadian]

Have you done anything to measure out dynamic camber curve or toe changes to help optimize what ride height works best?

 

[gotovato]

Have you done anything to measure out dynamic camber curve or toe changes to help optimize what ride height works best?

No unfortunately I haven’t gone through this yet but based on the internet these cars like to sit a little higher. Apparently the rear has some crazy toe charge under compression but more height back there seems to help apparently.


I’m going to raise the car all around a little then I think it’s good. Alignment and corner balance next then we wait for the ice rain to stop so I can go to the track. Hopefully first shakedown is sometime in April.



I’ve got fortune autos lead engineer messaging me asking how install went and for feedback the second I get some real testing in. Now that is some service.

 

[gotovato]

Learned lastnight the car don’t have no fucking compression travel.

Thought I fucked up but no. With correct bump height settings this is what it is.


Talked to fortune auto and they’re like, do you wanna be a cool guy or have a proper suspension with actual travel?

I’m gonna have to raise the car. Like close to OE ride height basically. This is an absolute bummer but I get it.


I can cut the bump stop and be fine or shorten the shock and reset ride height but that will negate all the bump setup I did. No point.


Cars gonna be high and I hate that but apparently it’s correct and is what it is. Fine.

 

[Easter Bunny]

You need some stroke to have good dampening too short and you just have to go rock hard and go slower

Get a body kit to lower it visually

Or small street truck wheels

 

[gotovato]

Compression travel is super important. That’s all the curb eating ability and stability the car would have through corners specially with bumps which we have plenty of here.

Cars going to look funny but it should handle well. Curb eating ability is important and it was lacking on the previous setup.

With my progress bump stops now as well, that will help if I do bottom out. Won’t just be infinite spring rate sending me into orbit like my friends complain about with their cars.

Fortune auto is extremely interested in results. We’re trying something different here apparently. Experimental. The default coilover kit would be different. What I had before. Limited in both compression and droop but you can go low.


All of this is always some sort of compromise I guess. I just need to get over it. The cars gonna sit high. Whatever

 

[gotovato]

Nice.

 

[Enki]

Lithium? Keep it warm.

 

[gotovato]

It will live inside other than race season. Got the fancy charger for it too

 

[Crazycanadian]

I am a bit surprised you don't have the ride height adjust ability. It does kinda make sense thought. Without roll center correction, most stock vehicles start doing funky thinks when you drop them more than an inch or 2.

 

[gotovato]

I am a bit surprised you don't have the ride height adjust ability. It does kinda make sense thought. Without roll center correction, most stock vehicles start doing funky thinks when you drop them more than an inch or 2.

I’ve got extended ball joints and extended tie rods. Probably need to go back to stock now.


My limit seems to be to do with my bump stop height. Keeping the wheel from smashing the chassis/fender has taken away from my ability to lower the car.

That and the fact that the shocks have been made longer than default, with more stroke.

I guess a higher ride height is the side effect here. I do like knowing I have compression and droop travel. Too many times people just slam the car and they’re just bottoming out or riding around in their bump stops. A lot of people don’t even know what that feels like. They just think “car rides like shit? Must be a race car” lol.

After surveying a few of my track buddies, they’re all eating their bump stops lol but they are all low and cool so there is that.


I raised the car a half inch and now have my 2” compression travel. Car hasn’t rolled out of the garage yet but ride height isn’t bad. I may raise it another 1/4 to 1/2 inch. More compression more better specially for the curbs

 

[Crazycanadian]

I’ve got extended ball joints and extended tie rods. Probably need to go back to stock now.


My limit seems to be to do with my bump stop height. Keeping the wheel from smashing the chassis/fender has taken away from my ability to lower the car.

That and the fact that the shocks have been made longer than default, with more stroke.

I guess a higher ride height is the side effect here. I do like knowing I have compression and droop travel. Too many times people just slam the car and they’re just bottoming out or riding around in their bump stops. A lot of people don’t even know what that feels like. They just think “car rides like shit? Must be a race car” lol.

After surveying a few of my track buddies, they’re all eating their bump stops lol but they are all low and cool so there is that.


I raised the car a half inch and now have my 2” compression travel. Car hasn’t rolled out of the garage yet but ride height isn’t bad. I may raise it another 1/4 to 1/2 inch. More compression more better specially for the curbs

Most people think "race car" stance handles better... lol...

 

[Enki]

The point of "race car" stance is aero, not handling

 

[gotovato]

Gotta be able to absorb bumps. Curbs. Shitty track surface. Maintaining tire contact is the number 1 goal above all else. Teams of smart smart people are engaged solely to figure out the best way to make sure the tire is not only touching the ground as much as possible, but how much of the tire is touching the ground and how. OEMs spend millions, hundreds of millions to figure this out.


Then Joe blow is gonna install his 600$ Coilovers and improve on this?


Yea. Ok lol. Sure.

I’ve learned so much. Watching race cars, even if they get air, the amount of droop is insane. It’s actually impressive how much suspension travel an actual race car has. Even TCA, TCR, lower level stuff. These production chassis’s are not slammed. Just not the case

 

[gotovato]

Well it was tough to get any real testing done. The streets are still coated in a dusting of sand. It’s hard to not die trying to push the car on rock hard Hankook rs4’s lol.

From what I was able to feel however, the car feels more gentle over high speed compression events. It doesn’t feel harsh. It just eats it and goes. It’s still stiff as the car has a good bit of spring rate but it’s not jarring. I like it a lot.

Also a note, front sway bar disconnected feels insane. Not sure if this is my suspension upgrade or no front sway bar but holy crap this thing turns in like a jet doing a barrel roll. It just EATS during initial turn in. Then apply throttle and I’m almost fighting to open the wheel as it just wants to follow the trajectory of the front end. Almost unable to promote understeer. With my big wheels on the car and a proper surface, this would be nuts. It feels crazy sharp. So much response.

This said, rear bar is also disconnected currently. The car is eager to turn and maintain grip on corner exit. The car feels much more complaint over all.


Ride height is…donk status lol but it feels great so it’s staying.


I really need to get to the track for a real shakedown but so far it is nice

 

[Enki]

Looks fine to me, and with that much height you could drive it around town if you had to without having to worry about much of anything scraping.

 

[gotovato]

Looks fine to me, and with that much height you could drive it around town if you had to without having to worry about much of anything scraping.

Loading it onto the uhaul is going to be so much easier now too. It was always a slight pain in the ass before when it was much lower.


Car feels good and I’m already getting use to the ride height. It looks functional.


On the hunt for a base model sedan front sway bar now. It’s the softest of the oem front bars

 

[Enki]

Do you need it? I know a lot of people will skip using a bar in favor of very high spring rates.

 

[gotovato]

So technically, I don’t run enough front spring rate to justify deleting it. I already roll over my tires a tad as is. I would need to increase spring rate by a good bit or more camber which I don’t wanna.

Now, the car would be loose AF with the front bar deleted and that might be good, or way too much.

Gonna see how much the wreckers want for the oem front bar. Should be cheap enough I can go grab one and we will do some testing.


The rake and the rear springs are also helping things here I think

 

[Crazycanadian]

Gotta be able to absorb bumps. Curbs. Shitty track surface. Maintaining tire contact is the number 1 goal above all else. Teams of smart smart people are engaged solely to figure out the best way to make sure the tire is not only touching the ground as much as possible, but how much of the tire is touching the ground and how. OEMs spend millions, hundreds of millions to figure this out.


Then Joe blow is gonna install his 600$ Coilovers and improve on this?


Yea. Ok lol. Sure.

I’ve learned so much. Watching race cars, even if they get air, the amount of droop is insane. It’s actually impressive how much suspension travel an actual race car has. Even TCA, TCR, lower level stuff. These production chassis’s are not slammed. Just not the case

It's pretty nuts seeing V8 super cars curb hoping, land perfectly settled and off they go.

So technically, I don’t run enough front spring rate to justify deleting it. I already roll over my tires a tad as is. I would need to increase spring rate by a good bit or more camber which I don’t wanna.

Now, the car would be loose AF with the front bar deleted and that might be good, or way too much.

Gonna see how much the wreckers want for the oem front bar. Should be cheap enough I can go grab one and we will do some testing.


The rake and the rear springs are also helping things here I think

No front bar in order to get good droop and keep the inside front from spinning up?

 

[gotovato]

No front bar in order to get good droop and keep the inside front from spinning up?

No front bar seems to have added some compliance up front. Something. More grip. Way I see it, more rear bar makes the car more loose, more front bar usually tightens it up, adds understeer. No front bar should be as loose as it gets but I will definitely roll over the tire.

I’m going to try the softer oem bar