Suspension settings and tire wear
10-15-2013, 06:41 PM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Suspension settings and tire wear
I apologize in advance if this has been successfully addressed but the search function doesn't seem up to the task... I have some questions which I know the expertise in this forum can address, to wit:
I have just replaced my rear Hankook Ventus Evo tires (stock size) which showed identical wear patterns in that they were severely worn on the inside and retained a fair amount of tread on the outside. The suspension is stock and the alignment is factory spec. The front tires seem OK and are wearing evenly and the original set of four was mounted two years ago. The car sees two or three DE events mostly at Mid Ohio per year...Question: would the Kussmaul alignment settings change this wear pattern to a more uniform (and desirable?) pattern? What would be the effect on daily driving? What would I notice on the track?
Would rear toe links from Tarrett or Elephant Racing change the wear pattern or noticeably improve handling?
The car is entirely stock and I want to (mostly) keep it this way as its pretty entertaining as a daily driver and challenging to master on the track.
Thanks in advance for your help!
I have just replaced my rear Hankook Ventus Evo tires (stock size) which showed identical wear patterns in that they were severely worn on the inside and retained a fair amount of tread on the outside. The suspension is stock and the alignment is factory spec. The front tires seem OK and are wearing evenly and the original set of four was mounted two years ago. The car sees two or three DE events mostly at Mid Ohio per year...Question: would the Kussmaul alignment settings change this wear pattern to a more uniform (and desirable?) pattern? What would be the effect on daily driving? What would I notice on the track?
Would rear toe links from Tarrett or Elephant Racing change the wear pattern or noticeably improve handling?
The car is entirely stock and I want to (mostly) keep it this way as its pretty entertaining as a daily driver and challenging to master on the track.
Thanks in advance for your help!
10-15-2013, 07:04 PM
#2
Too much negative camber for street use or too much toe-in. Reduce negative camber to somewhere around -1.5 and you'll have an OK compromise there - and be sure to check your toe. I've seen plenty of tires ruined from a bunch of toe-in.
When you change camber, you might see more wear the outside edges at the track, but for a street tire and only 3 events a year, it should be fine.
Toe links won't make much difference, IMO. It's the alignment.
-td
Option 2: get another car and put sticky tires on the GT3. Leave alignment agressive. All problems solved.
When you change camber, you might see more wear the outside edges at the track, but for a street tire and only 3 events a year, it should be fine.
Toe links won't make much difference, IMO. It's the alignment.
-td
Option 2: get another car and put sticky tires on the GT3. Leave alignment agressive. All problems solved.
10-15-2013, 07:15 PM
#3
Race Director
The rear toe in is probably set very aggressively.
This is believed to be desirable for handling reasons but tire life suffers. Less aggressive toe settings results in even rear tire wear and longer tire life but I do not know if there is any downside to track feel.
With just a couple of exceptions I run my cars with less aggressive rear toe and the car feels ok to me when driving around town to high speed blasts down the freeway to playing in the twisties. No track driving though.
The few times the rear toe ended up set up aggressively I never noticed the car handling any differently but I sure noticed the reduced tire life. In one case -- the Turbo -- the rear tires were shot in around 8K miles. With an alignment using less aggressive toe settings and the same kind of driving the rear tires lasted over 20k miles and had enough tread depth (3mm) left to qualify one free tire under a road hazard coverage.
You might try a less aggressive alignment -- milder rear toe -- and see how you like the car's feel. You might find it acceptable, maybe even indistinguishable from before, and I think you'd really appreciate the safer tire wear pattern and longer tire life.
If the car feels wrong to you with the less aggressive setting, well at least you know, and you can have the car returned to those settings easy enough.
As long as the car's OE hardware in good condition (not worn out, damaged/bent) there is no need for going aftermarket. Aftermarket suspension parts can offer more adjustment if you feel the standard adjustment doesn't allow the car to be set up like you like it, or you have modified the car in some way and the stock hardware can't be adjusted to bring the car's alignment into spec.
'course, if the stock parts are worn (or you just want to change the stock parts) then you can elect to replace then with aftermarket. My info is the Tarrett stuff is good stuff. I talked to a tech about putting a set on Turbo at some point. Labor ain't bad but the parts cost like they are made of unobtanium.
I do not know anything about the other brand.
This is believed to be desirable for handling reasons but tire life suffers. Less aggressive toe settings results in even rear tire wear and longer tire life but I do not know if there is any downside to track feel.
With just a couple of exceptions I run my cars with less aggressive rear toe and the car feels ok to me when driving around town to high speed blasts down the freeway to playing in the twisties. No track driving though.
The few times the rear toe ended up set up aggressively I never noticed the car handling any differently but I sure noticed the reduced tire life. In one case -- the Turbo -- the rear tires were shot in around 8K miles. With an alignment using less aggressive toe settings and the same kind of driving the rear tires lasted over 20k miles and had enough tread depth (3mm) left to qualify one free tire under a road hazard coverage.
You might try a less aggressive alignment -- milder rear toe -- and see how you like the car's feel. You might find it acceptable, maybe even indistinguishable from before, and I think you'd really appreciate the safer tire wear pattern and longer tire life.
If the car feels wrong to you with the less aggressive setting, well at least you know, and you can have the car returned to those settings easy enough.
As long as the car's OE hardware in good condition (not worn out, damaged/bent) there is no need for going aftermarket. Aftermarket suspension parts can offer more adjustment if you feel the standard adjustment doesn't allow the car to be set up like you like it, or you have modified the car in some way and the stock hardware can't be adjusted to bring the car's alignment into spec.
'course, if the stock parts are worn (or you just want to change the stock parts) then you can elect to replace then with aftermarket. My info is the Tarrett stuff is good stuff. I talked to a tech about putting a set on Turbo at some point. Labor ain't bad but the parts cost like they are made of unobtanium.
I do not know anything about the other brand.
10-16-2013, 08:13 AM
#5
