Wobba
09-08-2010, 00:12
Had some time off last week and so I went to a place called Xsport where they can, amongst many other things, get cars set up on all four corners and weigh the vehicle too. I wanted to check the setup as I was sure with all the bits I've 'upgraded' I had a far higher chance to have messed something up.
I've got AST solid top mounts which are obviously adjustable, AVO's all round, camber bolts and the usual track rod ends which all could be out and need adjusting.
The car had 3/4 of a tank in, and it has half an interior (or near enough). It weighed a total of 933kg. Not too bad I thought. It would make it about 906kg with zero fuel I think.
Here is the sheet showing my information. Please note the toe is no longer toeing in, but parallel:
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w102/barneywobba/Williams%20217/File0003.jpg
As you can see, the car is running exactly 3 degrees and one quarter negative camber on both front wheels, this is largely due to the AST's and camber bolt settings, which I got bang on by sight and they didnt need to adjust this.
The technician changed the height of the car as it was too low and imbalanced slightly because of this, so it was raised to get a better offside/nearside weight balance. This will change with a driver in the seat of course, but is much better than it was.
The toe was out, which I knew.
So, all 4 corners weighted and balanced, and other stuff sorted too. A pretty good day, and to top it off the guys that did the work were very informative and had years of experience with cars similar to mine as they are primarily a motorsport preparation outfit. They did a decibel test on my exhaust for me at 5k revs too: 93DBc I believe, so not as bad as I thought ;) Must tell my neighbours that the next time they complain :p
Of course, what matters most is how it feels. Well, low speed manoeuvring and high speed stability are much improved. The front feels a little bit more roly-poly as the height has increased but it gives more feedback as well. Generally speaking its a huge improvement and feels so much more consistent, especially when changing directions under fast-road conditions. Bring on Anglesey :)
I've got AST solid top mounts which are obviously adjustable, AVO's all round, camber bolts and the usual track rod ends which all could be out and need adjusting.
The car had 3/4 of a tank in, and it has half an interior (or near enough). It weighed a total of 933kg. Not too bad I thought. It would make it about 906kg with zero fuel I think.
Here is the sheet showing my information. Please note the toe is no longer toeing in, but parallel:
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w102/barneywobba/Williams%20217/File0003.jpg
As you can see, the car is running exactly 3 degrees and one quarter negative camber on both front wheels, this is largely due to the AST's and camber bolt settings, which I got bang on by sight and they didnt need to adjust this.
The technician changed the height of the car as it was too low and imbalanced slightly because of this, so it was raised to get a better offside/nearside weight balance. This will change with a driver in the seat of course, but is much better than it was.
The toe was out, which I knew.
So, all 4 corners weighted and balanced, and other stuff sorted too. A pretty good day, and to top it off the guys that did the work were very informative and had years of experience with cars similar to mine as they are primarily a motorsport preparation outfit. They did a decibel test on my exhaust for me at 5k revs too: 93DBc I believe, so not as bad as I thought ;) Must tell my neighbours that the next time they complain :p
Of course, what matters most is how it feels. Well, low speed manoeuvring and high speed stability are much improved. The front feels a little bit more roly-poly as the height has increased but it gives more feedback as well. Generally speaking its a huge improvement and feels so much more consistent, especially when changing directions under fast-road conditions. Bring on Anglesey :)