I have made an appointment to get my alignment and ride height done,

Now that you guys have had a chance to try out the cars what alignment, ride hight and swaybar setting should i go with, the car will be driven on the street as well as taken to the track for my Solo 1 competition.

I was thinking about 1.6 to 1.8 on front and 2.0 to 2.2, this is not as extreme as some setups i have seen but i hope it will work out for dual use.

What kind of difference should i be looking for between front and rear camber, some have said even while others have gone to 1 degree. more rear camber?


Last question, i have read that some people can get the rear camber to 2.5 degrees with shims, is this possible, some shop i spoke to said it would be difficult to get 2.0 degrees.

Any help would be great thanks.

I just ordered my Pilot Sport Cups, 235/18 & 295/18 they should be in next week, they come in from Montreal.

 

You plan sounds ok as a compromise. To get more than neg 1.2- 1.4 in front you have two choices. Get the shims for the lower A arms or, use a grinder to ovalize the holes (they are already oval). The shims are the preferred way. I have one of each and I feel no difference so it may not be such a big deal at the ranges we use (mine are at neg 2.5 neg 3.0 (rear).

At the rear you can get neg 2.0 easily. The GT2 and 3 have an eccentric on the lower A arm which gives a lot of range. You can get neg 4 or more! For a compromise I'd go neg 1.5 in front neg 2 in back. A 911 usually has more negative in the rear until you get to race settings when the differential is less. Neg camber is mostly to avoid wearing out the outside edges of the tires, handling will be better but don't expect a night and day difference. Toe will have more of an effect. Tastes will vary but I like a little bit of toe in in front to avoid having a darty car on bumpy roads (Montreal!). Rear toe at 5/32nds total makes for a very stable car especially in high speed high G sweepers. Tire wear is accelerated though. One thing has been proven, if you don't have enough toe in at the back the car will feel like cr*p.

Best,

 

Bob, when you mention ovalizing the holes, are you referring to something you need to do after rotating the upper shock mounts in front? I have confirmed with both the local P-car dealer and MDS on this board that if you rotate the front shock mounts, you can easily achieve -2.0 camber without any shims. There are pre-pressed holes in the sheet metal that need to be "punched" out first.

Z06, I am running the camber settings that Bob suggested with good success for a street/track setup.

 

Brian

I ovalized one car before I heard about the rotation of the mount trick. The other one got the lower A arm shims which arrived with the seats, roll bar etc. from Gert. They feel the same on the track. Ovalizing the holes is a 5 minute job with a dremel or die grinder.

 

Z06, given the fact that you are planning to use the Cup's, you should dial-in as much negative camber as you can handle. Both, in terms of handling results, and tire wear on the streets. I'd shoot for a minimum of -2° all-around. But, if you feel you need a difference between front and rear, the ideal is 20'. IOW, -1° 40' in front if you are running an even -2° at rear.

 

Thanks for the replys,

 

Here is a question...

My dealership does a 90 day or 3000 mile adjustment period for alignments on new cars. Needless to say, I am beyond both so I would have to pay $300 for an alignment. I have ~3300 street miles and the tires are wearing evenly and the handling feels stable. Is it worthwhile getting an alignment done or should I leave it alone for the time being.

 

If your alignment was severely off, especially toe, you'd have seen some uneven wear by 3000 miles. I think you should leave the car alone, and keep watching those tires. You can always do the $300 alignment at anytime.

 

Bob,

Have you touched the ride height?..............the mechanic at the Porsche dealer recommends a 2 degree angle, lower of course on front.

Camber on front will be 2 degrees and 2.2 to 2.4 on the rear,

Does it matter the ratio of front to rear camber?.......if it's main purpose is to prevent tire wear then the above numbers should work, and if i need i can dial in the car with the swaybars.

What do you think?

 

Sloth, I'd double check the inner tread on those rears. When the car's on the ground you have to physically get down on the floor to check or all can appear normal. I didn't notice any abnormal wear until I looked close - something to do with the design of the MPS2 tread pattern.

 

What are the alignment specs for the GT3 RS street, seeing the tires for this car are a DOT legal competition compound...?

 

Remember the GT3 RS road car has different suspension components, so may possibly have/need slightly different settings. If you are going with the Corsas I'd ask folks who have had them on our cars (or GT2's since they are so close) to be certain.

 

The GT3 RS does not come with the Corsa DOT R-compound tire. It comes with a variation of it called the "Corsa System" wich has a modified tread and rubber compound more suited to the streets.

2004 GT3

Front axle height: 115 + 5mm (115 to 120mm)
Rear axle height: 128 + 5mm (128 to 133mm)

Front axle:
Toe unpressed (total): +8' ± 2'
Toe difference at 20° lock: -1°30' ± 30'
Camber: -1° ± 5'
Max camber difference, left/right: 10'
Caster: 8° ± 30'
Max caster difference, left/right: 40'

Rear axle:
Toe per wheel: +13' ± 2'
Max toe difference, left/right: 5'
Camber: -1°50' ± 5'
Max camber difference, left/right: 10'

*******************************************

2004 GT3 RS

Front axle height: 113 + 5mm (113 to 118mm)
Rear axle height: 128 + 5mm (128 to 133mm)

Front axle:
Toe unpressed (total): +2' ± 2'
Toe difference at 20° lock: -1°30' ± 30'
Camber: -50' ± 5'
Max camber difference, left/right: 10'
Caster: 8° ± 30'
Max caster difference, left/right: 40'

Rear axle:
Toe per wheel: +13' ± 2'
Max toe difference, left/right: 5'
Camber: -1°50' ± 5'
Max camber difference, left/right: 10'

 

Z06

Ride height is as per the book. I did not change it. The car handles very nicely. That's not to say it could not be better but I'm happy with it at the factory spec height. The big change in handling was the negative camber - it made a big difference.

Rgds

 

Is the 2004 GT3 number same as for 1999 model?