DD street alignment vs. track –recommendations please.
 

Guys and gals, I am looking for recommendations for DD street alignment settings and track settings.

Objectives for DD alignment: dial in as much handling as possible without going through tires. I am pretty mild street driver, but do like to take on- and off- ramps aggressively.

Objectives for track: pretty simple, best handling to get the most fun.

The car: 2011 MCS with following suspension mods: H-sport 19mm RSB with NM links, NM springs, both upper and lower H-sport adjustable control arms, Vorshlag camber plates, NM strut bar. Street tire is 205, track tire 215.

My initial thoughts for the street: -1.5 camber F, -1.7 camber R. zero F toe, very slight R toe in. for the track: -2.5 F, -2.5 R (I am sure it will be trial and error process – I am not good enough driver to feel mild camber differences).

Suggestions? Thx, Alex

Sounds good, but I'd probably leave the rear camber at -1.7 for track as well.

If you are on stock "style" front springs then I am not sure your going to get much more then 1.7 camber anyway.
Are you thinking that you will be setting the car up different for the track and then back to street all the time? You are able to do alignment yourself? Just a lot of work. I think you should just find a happy medium and leave it there.

:thumbsup: I also run a DD and track machine as well. And would like to suggest the following "starter" alignment specs from my last three plus years of trial and error based on my driving style and mods:

Front: -2 Camber 0 toe
Rear: -1.5 Camber 0 toe

These specs seems pretty workable for me as both a DD and track machine.

Hi Slinger, does DD -2.0F cause premature tire wear? thx

Rotate the tires often and somewhat limit your straight line highway driving a little and you should be fine. Go find curves and it will generally wear pretty well. Have to say I go through lots of tires but that is because of track. But they all seem to wear quite evenly.

These are starter alignment specs. When you see the tire wear or handling characteristics you do not like/want, you can always make adjustments as needed.

Slinger, I hear you limit your straight line highway driving by treating those construction cones like an autocross circuit, weaving in and out. :wink:

By the way, I think Slinger's numbers are a good suggestion for your street/track needs. If you go any more negative than 2.0, your tire wear really becomes quite uneven, no matter how many cones you can find on the highway.

I do what I can to make a straight a curve... :lol:

Track Alignment
 

I'm pretty close to those settings street and track, 2009 JCW:

-2.25 front camber (IE adjustable plates)
-1.5 rear camber
zero toe
max castor

JCW suspension, strut brace
Alta 22mm rear bar full stiff
Toyo R888 tires for track

thx all.
i am going to get it aligned today for zero toe, max castor, -1.5R, -1.7F. at the track i'll dial in -2.5F (Vorshlags). cheers, Alex

You could soon learn that track side camber adjustment is an unnecessary real pain as suggested by a few people here, Vorshlags included. Just know that toe will change as you adjust camber and running undetermined toe on a track is beyond fun.

BTW, forgot to mention, you cannot adjust caster with the Vorshlags.

And why would you want to increase Castor? Not something you want to do for "performance" handling. But anyway, can't adjust castor on a Mini, and I know of no plates that offer it, but I haven't kept up with the latest. I designed and built race lower control arms that can adjust castor, but not for street.

The MINI sucks to adjust at the track. The front is pretty easy with some toe plates and a camber gauge. The rear is a pain though.

Alex, you align your car at the track? :thumbsup:

Alta PSRS will allow for some extra castor. More castor means more camber gain
with increased steering angle, wouldn't this be better for performance?

The "normal" "easy" way to do the track front camber adjustment is to have two separate alignments done at the shop and mark the positions on the camber plates and move them between the two at the track. Still, I rarely see anyone do this at the track since it is not very accurate, especially with toe. Remember these are not the pro racers with a track crew.

In my six plus years on the track, I did see one person do a trackside alignment. Took out the measuring tapes and toe plates and his camber gauge etc.

Yes, more castor equals more camber gain at turn in, but it also means slow and sluggish turn in. The Mini already has a ton of castor, I would never add more for the track, I would take it away.

I do this every time. But I don't play with the rear. Hate setting toe for the rear with a out a proper rack. I just drive around cambered in the rear a lil with the toe set where I want it.

Maybe you were the person I saw. :lol: I can surmise that you may be a little more proficient at it than I would be and perhaps also the op as well.

I hold those who can do this quickly and reliably in God Like Status. It's more than I'd like to do, takes me long enough to get things ready at the track.

I'm setting up at -2.4 front, -1.5 or 1.6 on rear, and leaving it there. It's not a daily driver, but I do drive to and from the track.

that i knew. i was not sure if castor can be adjusted on the Mini otherwise (turns out not - so moot point now), but i initially wanted to get the castor set for the best handling (that's what i meant by max castor, poor choice of words).

the car is set at: -1.7F, zero toe F, -1.5R, slight toe-in. this is DD street settings.

for the track i was thinking of: leaving rear where it is as i can imagine what a PITA it would be to play with the control arms. however, i was thinking of dialing in additional front negative camber track side and then moving it back (to the mark) at the end of the day. that's a pretty simple thing to do. i expected that F toe will change a bit, but not to the point of needing toe plates. Mike, what do you do trackside with your front settings?

in either case i am off to the track in a week. i am not going to touch alignment at all and see how it feels. last time i ran Mini at the track i had -1.2F and -1.0R: the outer edge of tires took a beating.

Which track are you going to? LRP or NHMP?

NH. you'll be there?