I'll pull out my little soap box and stand on it for a minute...
What's the most important thing to achieive is setting up a vehicle's suspension for a race track?
Balance!
A well balanced vehicle will be faster over the course of a race than an unbalanced vehcile that has superior grip. That's a pretty broad statement, but hear me out.
In a race situation you often have to drive lines that are less than optimal (passing, being passed, debris on the track, etc.) A balanced vehicle will let you drive those lines at a fast rate and in a more controlled manner.
An unbalanced (but grippier) vehicle will force you to drive essentially the same line over, and over, and over. And your competitors will see that and use it to their advantage. You'll suddenly find someone tight inside where you would normally start your turn in. You'll suddenly find someone tight outside where you would normally let the car open up on the corner exit.
So, when selecting suspension components and alignment settings, focus on achieving a neutral balance for most of the track with maybe a little bit of understeer in the fastest corners. You will have to put the components on your car and test to determine what combinations work best.
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John Coffey
johnc@betamotorsports.com
