Help Me Set Up My Gtr

[heslo]

Ok guys, basically, I know very little in terms of suspension. I've got a 33GTR with the usual coilovers and Whiteline front and rear adjustable swaybars. Also I have the Whiteline front and rear camber bush kits and castor kit. I'm hitting the track more and more regularly (Mallala) and want to throw a few dollars into the suspension department as I'm putting out pretty decent power (~320kw) Trouble is I have no idea where to start, what to buy and why to buy it. Obviously I want the car set up for grip, not drift, I already have semi slicks but just want that little bit better handling; just not sure how to get it. Any suggestions?

[djr81]

Yes. Start by learning more about how suspension works. That isn't a smart arsed answer & probably not the one you are after but I would seriously suggest you try & learn about car/suspension behaviour as a start point

It will help you get more out of what you have & better guide you on what to buy in future.

[Duncan]

what are your wheel alignment settings (toe, camber, castor, ride height - front and rear) and what is it specifically about the handling that you want to improve (ie does it understeer, oversteer, and where: corner entry, mid corner or corner exit)? Also what tyres are you running, how new, and what pressures do you run them at?

I know, lots of questions but it can help narrow things down.

Also, have you had much driver training/advice? Its funny how often approach to a corner makes a difference to the problems you are having

[heslo]

what are your wheel alignment settings (toe, camber, castor, ride height - front and rear) and what is it specifically about the handling that you want to improve (ie does it understeer, oversteer, and where: corner entry, mid corner or corner exit)? Also what tyres are you running, how new, and what pressures do you run them at?

I know, lots of questions but it can help narrow things down.

Also, have you had much driver training/advice? Its funny how often approach to a corner makes a difference to the problems you are having

Cheers for the replies guys...

As for alignment settings, I've set the car up to match the numbers given by SydneyKid in his Whiteline group buy. I'm running Toyo R888's front and rear also. I fitted front and rear swaybars to the car this week and took it for a little drive in the hills. It definitely feels a lot 'sharper' in turn in and I think was a good investment.

As for what I want to improve, there's no 'bad' areas really, I just want to maximise what I can get out of the car by messing around with the suspension. Just like there's nothing wrong with a car at 280kw but pushing for 300 if you know what I mean.

As for the driver training. I've now participated in 4 John Bowe training days so while I'm not Schumacher, I'm a fairly competent driver and understand lines and apexes and the effects of not taking them correctly

[semislickR32]

Hi Luke,

A bit off topic but what brakes are you running? First thing I did after GTR purchase was to put better brakes, first trying better pads & fluid on stock rotors & calipers, then big brake kit as per avatar pic

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Also would be interested to know what approx times you are lapping with the semis & 320 at the wheels. Last time out I ran 205kw + street rubber, next time will be on semis plus 285kw so am expecting 2-3 seconds off.

[MrStabby]

Check out the Suspension/handling articles sticky - tons of great info in there.

[hrd-hr30]

As for alignment settings, I've set the car up to match the numbers given by SydneyKid in his Whiteline group buy. I'm running Toyo R888's front and rear also.

better tyres will help. I've run a few different types of semis over the years, and my current R888s have been the least impressive of the lot. RE55S are very popular on GTRs for a reason. Dunlop DZ03 are faster, but also more expensive.

you will also benefit from more aggressive alignment settings than those recommended for street cars in the group buy.

[heslo]

Cheers guys!

semislickR32, running standard calipers, slotted rotors DS2500 pads and Motul RBF 660 fluid. Will be looking into a brake upgrade soon though...

hrd-hr30, thanks for the advice, I'll take a look into the RE55s

[Willis]

semislick what brakes are you running, they look brilliant.

[semislickR32]

semislick what brakes are you running, they look brilliant.

They are a project mu billet racing kit - 4pot on 345mm 2piece rotors ( just fit under my 17s). good on track but noisy on the street.

Still running stocks on the rear.

In retrospect they are total performance overkill and an r34/33 brembo set would've been adequate. But for looks yeah I reckon they are tough. Also 10/10 aussieness with green calipers + gold rims

[pistol-pete]

Heslo what swaybars did you fit and how much of an improvement over stock are they in terms or reducing body roll?

[GTS4WD]

As said by duncan before, get the wheel alignment sorted. This will make huge differences in handeling characteristics.

If the alignment is as SydneyKid recomends, who am I to argue?

If you can invest in a tyre pressure gauge and tyre pyrometer this will help too.

Basic wheel alignments are a good place to start but they are very dependent of driver characterists (i.e, how you drive the car)

Find out what tyre pressure the tyres work best and aim for that pressure when the tyres are hot.

A big tip I have found is start off with the simple basics, ie tyre pressures, and get more complex if you have more problems.

If the car feels under/over steery, adjust tyre press first by adding or lowering pressures in the tyres to add or reduce grip at one end of the car (its not quite THAT simple, as adjustments at one end of the car will change characteristics at the other end too, but its a good place to start).

From there you can use a tyre pyrometer to see how effectivly the tyres contact patch is to the road. In other words, are you getting as much tyre contacting the road as possible or could you increase grip further?

But if you dont have any problems with the characteristics of the car, why change them? Work bettering yourself as a driver and extracting the most from the car. Once you reach the limit, you will start encountering problems. From there, you'll have to identify where the problem is (as Duncan said). Under or over steer? Corner entry/mid corner/corner exit etc, under brakes? Acceleration?

It it aint broke, dont fix it.Once you have problems, let us know and im sure we can help with something

Edited August 12, 2010 by GTS4WD