Quote:
Originally Posted by The HACK
A club racer friend of mine went from factory brakes, to larger, fixed caliper with 2 piece floaties, that allowed him to shave 5+ seconds on a 2 min track, with the same configured car. You'd think a piece of equipment that slows you down wouldn't make that big of a difference in going fast...But it does. It allowed him to more precisely modulate his brakes, allowed him to brake harder, later, and in a shorter span more consistently through all the braking zones. The cumulative effect was HUGE.
So what does that have to do with the camber vs. suspension discussion? Most of driving fast is counter-intuitive. If you told me that, by going SLOW you actually go faster, I'd be like, you're sh*tting me. But in a weird way, it's true. Or if you told me that better braking makes you go faster, I'd be going, again, you're sh*tting me.
Camber having a much bigger effect than suspension/spring rate is one of those counter-intuitive things. But if you follow my logic, GRIP will affect your speed more than control. Camber gives you more grip. Springs gives you more control. This is another area where fixing and tuning that nut behind the wheel comes in handy. If that DCU isn't properly tuned, yes, it's potentially possible that adding springs and damper rates CAN make you go faster than camber...Because the better "control" allows an inexperienced driver (not pointing any fingers but at myself) better control to the limited grip afforded by little camber. However, to an experienced driver, they'll be able to take full advantage of the added grip and turn in faster times with more camber than more spring rates.
In my not quite so humble opinion, of course.
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Completely agreed. When I first started track my E36 M3 the first thing I did was get the alignment dialed in. Camber/Caster/Toe are the major things to get right. You cant imagine what your car is capable of with the simpliest of things. Getting for contact to the surface is whats going to get the car planted. If you car is fighting for grip you are bleeding of speed and time. Now your tire will increase or decrease in camber naturally as the car turns. So getting the 3 setup can give amazing feedback and feel. The car alone will feel stronger and more planted from the intial turn-in to the exit apex.
As stated before, coilovers can add a negitive effect if not setup right. I have seen someone add coilovers to a E46 M3 and was a whole second slower. Also too low will throw the geometry off the car. Keep these things in mind when modding. Best advice is. Proper Tires, Dot 5 Fluid, SS Lines, pads, proper alignment and some good driver education to put all those things to the test.