Road going 7se(p)t up

[Pierre Gillet]

LF 's article on the best handling car is really exciting and informative. Peter's Carmichael's car spec is obviously meant for track days or races. Now for those who use their cars on D roads and cannot change tyres or modify the set up of the roll bars et al. when rain starts , what would be the right, " prudent", set up?

Tyres, tyres pressures, roll bars, dampers, springs. Which specs would be best ?

[CHRIS CLARK]

The set up that's best is the one that keeps you on the black stuff the longest!! If I've learnt anything it's that there are so many variations to different cars/driving styles that this area is a real minefield!!!!!!!!

 

Good Luckthumbsup.gif!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tony Martyr]

Prudent!?

Prudent is Renault Espace.

A Caterham should be a threat to your sanity and that of any passenger. It should sit in the garage and dare you.

It is not a prudent machine.

However you can be sensible which means tires like AO21s and a well set up suspension and NOT a k series with a 6 speed box (that is very and wonderfully non sensible and inprudent.

[Peter Carmichael]

On the handling day we tried the cars in the wet and the dry, thanks to the weather.

 

Usually no change is required between road and track, but the only adjustment I ever have to make is to reconsider the rear ride heights. I do this by feel rather than setting to a particular height. For road use I keep edging up the height until the car starts to feel nervous on a bumpy road and then back off a small amount. Same goes for wet weather. I don't disconnect the rollbars. I don't change the tyres. I have only ever run 6in ACB10s on the car apart from the time I borrowed some R500 Avons to get through my MOT (they were infinitely worse on that wet day!). Rather than compromise a setup between two sets of tyres, I am happy to have spent the time understanding the car as it is, adjusting the existing variables rather than throwing in new variables.

 

My car's suspension setup is still very much the basic Superlight setup. The front springs are now up to 250lb/in rather than 150lb/in which IMO gives a bit more stability under braking. The ride is firm, but supple. Perfectly happy on a D road and the comfort has been OK for 600 miles in a day in competition seats.

 

The extra power that the car is now sporting mens that some changes are going to have to take place in the tyre department. The rears are going to have to go up a size or two for track use, which means new rims and probably a move to R500 wheels and big ACB10s. This will free up the small rims for a set of wets. Alternatively, I may stick with the 6in ACB10s for general use and get a set of big slicks on the R500 wheels. Seeing as I am not competing, the speed at which I have my fun in the wet is not important. Retaining control within lower limits is important and my setup certainly does that.

[Powderpuff]

N7XTC is now sporting front and rear ARB's the same as Peter's which have improved things no end smile.gif The rear bar is set to second from most rearward holes (softest but one setting)

 

The on road ride is still excellent (for a 7) but the on circuit handling is vastly different with the car being far more predictable and controllable on the limit, much more to my liking teeth.gif It makes for a sensible compromise road / track package on A021R's, I can't wait for some decent weather to enjoy it now smile.gif

 

Tony, just what's non-sensible about K series and 6speed, I thought the whole idea of 7's was to give you a huge teeth.gif = K6spd

[Pierre Gillet]

 

Tony, that's what I meant by "prudent". My Seven is used also by several members of the family who do drive as you wrote the family Renault espace wink.gif

Powder Puff : so you have dumped the 021Rs ? I thought the possible improvement was more to be with the spring compression as noted by LF.

 

Pierre

[Powderpuff]

Pierre,

 

No I have ditched the Michelin Pilot 205/45 ZR16's (nasty hard black things) in favour of A021R's (185/60 13's)

 

For the handling day the car was actually on A021's, which even with the body roll would have been a huge improvement over 16's. The spring compression was down to the thickness (or rather lack of it) of the front ARB, allowing far far far far too much roll. The spring rate I don't believe to be too soft (at the moment)

 

Gordon

[Fast Westie]

>Road going 7se(p)t up

 

Like it Pierre smile.gif

[captain chaos]

Peter,

Just out of interest, how long did it take you to arrive at these settings? and and is this a combination of your experience a few different sevens or just the superlight?

Thanks

[Peter Carmichael]

It took two years of haphazard effort.

 

Some random changes introduced the concept that a sweet setup existed somewhere in the middle of the range of adjustments. I then switched to the more structured approach which I have described.

 

I went through the process of trying every castor combination and for each one trying a range of camber combinations and for each of those trying different rear roll bar and ride height settings. I probably skimped on the camber adjustments for the outermost castor options, but I had already had sufficient indication that what I was getting was not to my liking (or was downright dangerous).