FRONT SUSPENSION GEOMETRY CALCULATOR DRIVER

This will avoid tantrums when getting one corner right, but throwing two others off, and doing weird things to your ride heights! If the car is really badly out (and I've encountered many of these), go back and re-set the ride heights by dumping the car as low as it'll go - then winch it up from there. Important point - always adjust two wheels (usually diagonally opposite) a little - and we're talking perhaps a 20 degree turn on a 'HiLo' adjuster here - rather than one a lot. To INCREASE the weight, RAISE the corner concerned by screwing whatever adjustable platform/cone you have CLOCKWISE. Make notes of the readings for each corner. This doesn't vary a great deal whether the tyre's a whisker off the floor or 0.125'(3mm), and is certainly well within practical limits for our purposes. Take a reading at the point it stabilises. Slowly and firmly lean on the handle until the wheel is clear of the floor and then 'bounce' the handle gently once. Position the gauge vertically with the pressure cylinder as far inside the wheel rim as is practicable at the 12 o'clock position. The enlightenment of a 'guru' some years later explained this to be unnecessary - a little 'bounce' is all that's needed. Some folk at this point insert sheets of paper or thin sheets of metal/Lino tiles under the tyres - readings taken at the point where these can be pulled free. Now set the car on previously manufactured flat pads as described in the 'Suspension - Basic set-up method' or on a perfectly level surface. This is to eliminate as far as possible any 'stiction' in the suspension components that would give inaccurate, inconsistent readings. Dampers ideally disconnected, or set to softest point. Loosen any bolts passing through rubber suspension bushes (i.e. And then again - I'm not what you'd classify as a 'hot-shoe' being merely average in by driving capability.ĭealing with the task goes like this.

There are those that do pursue this goal - Miglia Champion and Mini racing maestro Peter Baldwin being one of them - but personally I find it makes the car handle weirdly so have always followed the asymmetric principle. Fundamentally asymmetric, you shouldn't be aiming for a symmetrical split. Now, the important point to get your mind around for those who compete as 'driver only' (circuit racing, hill-climbs, sprinting, etc.) is you will have a natural weight bias to the driver's side. Simply because there is generally more weight front or rear due to engine positioning, etc. The aim is generally to have the front wheels bearing an equal weight, and the rear wheels bearing an equal weight, but NOT both front and rear bearing the same weight.

FRONT SUSPENSION GEOMETRY CALCULATOR DRIVER

In our case that means with the driver or driver's equivalent weight aboard. The task is a comparative one, so the car needs to be 'as raced'.

Front suspension geometry calculator