Making the Tires HAPPY Part II

A tire's "contact patch" is defined as:
"The area of tire rubber that actually touches the road at any one time. Also called the tire footprint."

- Minty fresh RS3s ready for duty-

Tires in the area of suspension setup/tuning is universally acknowledged as VERY important in making a car handle well but it still surprises me how most drivers do not take it into account enough.  Brand and sizing are important to a degree but it's how you manipulate and use the tire's contact patch that makes the difference in either having a corner-carving monster or an ill-handling race car.

That being said, it has taken me all these years of track driving to mostly understand how to use the footprint of the tire to go faster and there is still much I have to learn.  So, here's what I'm using to manipulate and try to optimize my tire's contact patch (which are 255 wide size footprints):

>"DGR-S" Coilovers with Swift Springs

>Circuit Sports tie rod ends with Tein S14 inner tie rods

>Tein tension rods

>S14 Rear Subframe

>Megan RUCAs (rear-upper control arms)

>TC Sportline rear toe and traction rods

>Rear roll-center correctors


Now, I know the list above wouldn't impress any brand-name fanboys and some suspension-elitists out there BUT I think the whole is greater than the sum of the parts here-  I am about doing more with less because no amount of spending on pricey suspension parts substitutes for experience gained from adjusting and tuning the suspension along with the seat time spent behind the wheel testing it out. And believe me, I have spent a TON of time adjusting and tweaking the suspension (alignment, arm lengths, tire & wheel size etc) to finally say that I have it almost dialed-in.

All the parts combined have helped me put the tires into their "happy" place but just throwing them onto the car won't make a bit of impact unless you know how to adjust and use the parts. And I have to give credit not only to my now enlightened self but to a lot of the stuff I have sifted through online, especially from the die-hards on the Nissanroadacing forums (www.nissanroadracing.com) and the drifters on Zilvia.  PLUS, the inspiration for my suspension setup has come from this car:

- The motivation & inspiration -

Okay, I know what you're thinking: Why follow a drift car for suspension setup if you're grip driving???
My answers: 1.) It's all relative and 2.) In order to drift well, you need to grip well.  Take a few moments to let that sink in.      

From reading up on and researching what they have done and are doing with Dai's Formula D S13 suspension setup, I can say that there are many hidden gems and diamonds in the rough to find if you read between the lines of what Mike Kojima says about the car and do a little bit of thinking about it.  He's not the chief-suspension guy for the car by mistake. Here's a snippet of what I'd suggest to adjust for (but will not give you exact specs because that's up to you and your driving preference) if you're driving a S13 or S14:

>Toe settings front and rear (this WILL greatly affect grip more than camber)

>Camber settings (to make good use of the tire's contact patch at the entry, middle, and exit of a corner)

>Ride Height (yes, this does make a difference because it DOES affect suspension geometry)

>Roll Center and Instant Center (this is affected by ride height AND in a nutshell without explaining much, these are REALLY important. Do some research and read up on it!)

>HOT Tire Pressures (these readings matter the most and can greatly affect the car's handling during practice and competition) 


Now if you're really uber-hardcore about suspension setup, you could alter pickup/attachment points, get the ultra snazzy roll-center corrected knuckles, and maybe even custom fabricate parts if you want. I could get more in-depth in this post which would arouse some but might bore others. BUT since I do not consider myself a "pro" and just an amateur grassroots driver, my intention here is to help the "little guy" who's a do-it-yourself type person that does not have access to a lift, fancy tools, press, and so on.   

SO getting back to my suspension components, I know there have been and will always be guys out there who will say stuff like: "Why didn't you just go with all the premium, pricey suspension parts from the start?" OR "Your setup is wrong. You should do this and this and that etc..."

To that I say: There's no wrong-way but many ways to skin a cat, hit the target, achieve the goal. It has and always will be a never-ending debate over the ways to approach suspension tuning and, you get what you pay for concerning parts which I do agree with.  What I wanted to do (and drivers can make time for this if they can get past looking stupid at times) was try different things because I felt that would teach me the most.  Sure there were failures and ridicule along the way but I always try to tell myself that it's all a learning process which would make me a better driver in the end.  Like one of my "tough-love" college professors once said: You learn more from losing than winning. My setup works for me but it might not work for the other guy.

- RPF1ssssss -

Remember kids: It's the journey that makes you; the hopefully positive end result is what makes it that much sweeter.             

My tires are happy, are YOURS?