O/T Tin Top Suspension Geometry Advice Please

[Mike Molloy]

Taking my Vauxhall Nova shed on a track day on Sat so SWMBO can get her first taster. It has been lowered 60mm and I slotted a few holes to allow some camber adjustment.

Question - what are the most appropriate camber and toe angles for FWD track use?

Any Stock Hatch fans on here able to help?

 

TIA.

[guilleracing]

Hi,

 

I would be able to give you some pointers on Camber and Toe if you are able to give wheel widths, wheel inset, tyre diameter, tyre construction suspension information as to spring rates, bump and droop measurements, if the links are rubber, nylon bush or spherical rod end bearing mounted, roll centres, swing axle length, scrub radius and driver preference as to handling characteristics. ( Under or oversteer.)

 

Alternatively put 1/2 a degree of camber and make sure you have some toe in 30 mins is a good place to start.

 

Guille racing.

 

[Mike Molloy]

Dude, it's a seventeen-year-old Vauxhall Nova rust-heap not a F1 car!

 

I thought you needed loads of neg camber and a bit of toe-out for a FWD car on track...

Question is how much?

[guilleracing]

Hi again,

 

Toe in has a couple of basic characteristics. As your car is not a current F1 car we can assume that the suspension is rubber mounted. As you drive along in everyday motoring the bush's rubber has a certain amount of give to take away the road noise and bumps etc. On a race track the cornering and acceleration forces squash the rubber bushes and driving the car forwards causes an amount of natural toe out. The actual amount depends on how worn and squashy the bushes are. Toe out causes the car to wander about on the track in a straight line and makes the car very pointy in the corners and also can cause oversteer. In a front wheel drive car this is not nice. I have been setting up suspension systems for over 20 years and would put a little toe in to start with and dial some more in if you are suffering oversteer. In the real world toe in is used to make the car safe to drive.

 

Camber is used to counteract the forces involved with very high speed cornering forcing the tyre under the wheel rim. Too much camber makes the car heavy to steer so if you have an inexperienced driver, I would not put too much of anything.

 

Remember, the manufacturer spent millions of pounds making the car easy and safe to drive at any speed so I wouldn't stray away from the original settings until you know what you are looking for.

 

GuilleRacing.

[Peter Carmichael]

Thought it was the other way round. The driving forces through the front wheels pull the geometry from toe out to toe in when power is being delivered.... could be wrong.

[Jason Plato]

I would give 2deg neg camber and parallel tracking

 

Taffia rear gunner

 

[Stuart Faulds]

You're right Peter - it's one of the many compromises a fwd car has to make (it will obviously toe out again more dramatically under braking).

 

Surely toe is also very dependant on the ackerman characteristics of any given car anyway?

[GTD]

Mike, surely in a Nova the key question is how loud the stereo should be?

 

They tried to make me go to Gatwick, I said No, No No

 

 

 

[Sheds Moderator]

No, you just need the biggest, widest alloy wheels and lowest profile tyres you can fit in. Geometry isn't important, just cram them in and bend the bodywork and those stupid suspension arm affairs to suit. Any Nova driver knows that. 😶‍🌫️

[Mike Molloy]

Pleased to report the Novashed survived a severe thrashing round Brunters on Sat.

It was (by a large margin) the slowest thing there - seemed to be a special day out for GD Cobra/Lola T70 replicas and Westfield Megabusas & XTR2s.

Did manage to stay welded to a few Cobra boot lids through the bendy bits, but boy, do they have some bulk herbs down the straights! (And what glorious noise... 😬)

 

As correctly pointed out most Novaboys seem obsessed with the idea of bashing the arches out far enough to fit 19s. For my part I am having trouble finding 13" wheels with the suitable offset (ET49) and adequate width (5.5 or 6J). Come on you EBAY...