QuestionQUESTION: I race a 97 bonneville on a flat asphalt oval. I am trying to get some handling advice. The car weighs about 3300 pounds. The car ran well but we were down a cylinder so now that that is fixed i have more power and i am having trouble getting through the corners. On entrance i can tap the brakes and enter the corner smooth but as soom as i get back on the gas the tires will break traction sometimes and the car will push really hard towards the outside wall. The car has the power to run with everyone down the straights however i am losing a lot of time having to slow down in the corners. I am allowed to do whatever i can within the cars limits and i can't put any performance parts into it. For rules look under the rules section/supersix rules on spencerspeedway.org thank you very much for your time!
ANSWER: this is probably the most asked question in the books so don't feel alone. When the front loses traction (skids) before the rear, the car is "tight", when the rear end loses traction before the front, it is "loose". I'm going to list common fixes in general for everyone's sake, and you can choose which ones you'd feel would fit into your rules.
1. To get the right front tire to work more efficiently, choose a tire which has more plys in the sidewall. Most only have 2, with some research you can find one that has 4, this will keep the tire from rolling over onto the sidewall. Also, try to find a tire at least 2 more inches in circumference (total measurement all the way around the tire).
2. A heaver spring will help tremendously. Get to a salvage yard that would allow you to look around, it doesnt have to be from the same make and model car, as long as it fits in the spring saddle. Look at cars and light trucks with V8s.
3. If and rules allow, putting negative camber in the right front, and positive camber in the left front is beneficial. Whatever you can do within the rules will help. Looking at the tires from the front, the right front should tilt out on the bottom, in at the top, the left should tilt in on the bottom, out on top. You accomplish by grinding the mounting bolt holes oblong inside the engine compartment where the strut mounts, called the strut tower. There should be a little bit already there. Grinding the mounting bolts on the bottom of the strut, (there are two big bolts which the strut is mounted to the assembly). make a huge difference, and again there should be some already there. Loosen these bolts with the tire suspended off the ground, move the wheel into position and tighten the bolts.
Be sure to reset your toe adjustment after you do this.
You should be checking your toe adjustment frequently, it often gets knocked out of wack racing. Best bet is to ask around the pits on how to adjust toe, or email me and I'll explain how to do it.
4. Lowering the car on all four sides helps if the rules allow. This can be done by cutting the springs a turn or two, heating up the spring with the weight of the car on it until it drops, or if you want little evidence you dropped it, sandblast the springs thoroughly which will ease the tempering and it'll sit lower. Keep the right front slightly higher.
5. A heavier spring in the right rear will make the left front do more work.
6. Find a wheel that sticks out away from the car (offset) for the right front, and a wheel that is closer to the body for the left front. This fools the car into thinking it's a larger wheel base than it is.
These basic changes should have a tangible effect getting you around them corners. As always keep good records of changes you make, so you can reverse or use the knowledge you gain should you get another car.
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QUESTION: what amounts of toe should be used for all four wheels?
THanks
AnswerTow should be straight up on all 4 to start with. On a front drive, under power the wheel tend to want to pull in so just a hair to the outside is ok. On a rear drive toe tends to go out under power so do the opposite.
Now, once I tried putting toe in the rear so the tires pointed into the corners, it helped but not radically. I also knew guys who have a real tight setup so the put in toe pointing AWAY from the corner, so in effect the rear end was swung out all the time. They claimed it helped a lot, but use just a little. If you hear your tires squealing down the straights. you're dragging them too hard.
