Last week I installed the JCW suspension. I took it to the alignment shop to have it aligned and unfortuantely the tech moved the top struts completely back to factory aligment even though I asked him to maximize the front camber. I went back in after looking under the hood (seeing that the stuts were moved back to the outside) and they said they would redo it but I have to go back on Monday.

Anyways I was hoping for input on the current alignment specs in regards to the JCW suspension. This is a car I regularly drive but I will autocross it a lot this year and want it setup for the autocross course.

I am basically running the JCW suspension with the addition of an H-sport competition rear swaybar. I am going to have him maximize the front camber (again) and adjust the toe accordingly after the camber adjustment.

Is everything else okay for a nice autocross setup?

 

have you read the new GP review in Road & Track?

 

I think that your setup would be fine for a daily driver. Others with more autocross experience may chime in and reccomend less rear toe in. You should get good tire life with the setup that you have.

Have fun,
Mike

 

No, have a link?

 

Thanks, I'll be interested to read others thoughts. Good tire life is nice but its not my priority. I want to have a nice competetive setup for my local autocross in D-stock. That said I do enjoy this car on the weekends and don't want it to be to loose on the streets. If the rear is setup to a good compromise between autocross and street then the only thing I will have him worry about on monday is maximizing the front camber. I had it completely maximized and he moved it back. One of the top struts looks like its moved completely to the outside of the range so it will be interesting to see if I can get close to -1 camber up front.

 

1.) loosen the front struts and knock out the white plastic pin that locates the strut, then push the strut all the way inboard. You will get about 1/2 more degree of camber and not effect anything.

2) when you take it back, try to get them to get close to -2 degrees in the rear.

Or you can live with it.

 

I think I am okay with the rear camber... It should help with getting a little more oversteer right? Getting more rear camber will induce more understeer....?

I already had the pins pulled and had them pushed all the way in before I got the alignment. I told him to max out the front camber but make it so each side was even. For some reason he followed the JCW spec exactly for front camber instead of maxing it out...

I am pretty sure that if I simply push the front struts in as far as they will go (like I had when I installed the suspension) it will mess up the toe. Can anybody confirm this? Which way does it change the toe when you increase camber?

 

If you add camber to the front, it will increase the toe in. I was just reading that someone said to correct it by about 1/2 turn per side on the tie rod, but I don't remember how much I had to change mine. Best to check it after the change.

In general, increasing camber can increase grip, but I don't know if going from 1.5 to 2.0 in the rear will give you a noticeable difference, it is already a pretty large amount of camber for a DD. On a track, you may notice a difference. And more rear grip would translate into more understeer, with no other changes.

Have fun,
Mike

 

I just reread your comments about being loose on the streets. That is where it will be nice with the rear swaybar, because it is adjustable without affecting anything else in the suspension. I would think that more camber is better for autocross. For the competition days, you would likely just increase the tire pressure, and bump the rear bar one or two steps stiffer to get the car to be more neutral (or oversteer, depending on your preference). Then drop your tire pressure, and change the RSB for your drive back home.

Have fun,
Mike

 

For better Autox, set the front to maximum camber, the rear to minimum camber and the toe to zero all around.

I will stick with the camber statement. For toe, the front is probably okay. For the rear, think of it this way: Toe in increases stability. Reducing toe in will allow the car to turn more quickly. So, you compromise between quicker turning and stability. Pick a rear toe in that satisfies your desires. Hard Core Autocrossers may go with a little toe out.

I will also second the adjustable rear bar. It is legal in D-Stock and you can set it soft during daily driving and set it to hard during autocrossing.

Bob

 

If I wanted to keep the rear toe-in for street stability would bumping up the rear swaybar be a way of countering the effect of increased toe-in on the rear for autocross? Or is that just reducing rear grip?

It sounds like the two things I should consider changing on Monday are to reduce the rear toe-in and increase the front camber. Supposedly he already maxed out the rear camber....

 

I went back this AM and got the front end realigned. Was able to get -.9 degrees of camber on each side in the front. I am amazed about how much the car feels like it turns in so well now. Can't wait for this autocross season!