Setup help

[nik]

Hi Stratos lovers.

I have a Hawk Cars HF 2400 that I will be using for tarmac rallies. My first event will be Targa Tasmania which begins on 26th April and goes for 5 days with 44 special stages.

We have just (today) finished rebuilding it and about to do the setup work.

Sooo I would love to know some details of cambers, castors and spring rates etc that some of you more experienced guys are running.

Alsooo, I currently run 205/55-15 front and 225/50-15 rear. Thinking maybe to go to a smaller rolling diameter for the front (don't really know why, but it seems alot of moderns are setup like this) say 205/50-15.

Any help or leads would be appreciated.

[David May]

Hi Nik,

And the very best of luck to you on, starting straight out on a 5-day event!

My chassis is a CAE Corse I, so many of my settings (which I based on the factory Lancia 037) may not be applicable.

I now run a fairly exaggerated setup with 500 and 650 lb/" springs, suitably stiff damping, 3 degrees of negative camber (2 at the back) and 3 1/2 degrees of castor (I've got a very fast rack and don't like heavy steering.) It's a bit hard for rough events but very controllable on dry tramac.

I use similar tyre widths but go down to 40 profile on 16" rims for dry tarmac and 50 profile 15" on the rough. I don't see any point in using tall front tyres when a low profile improves the brakes.

Good luck, and don't forget to post the pictures...

Dave May

[nik]

Thanks David,

I am currently running 1.5 degrees camber front and rear. 3 and 2 degrees might be a bit too much especially in the wet ( Tassie will have alot of wet stages). The spring rate info will be helpful.

What tyre sizes are people running?

Nik

[David May]

Nik,

I would read those spring rates with care - the CAE has a more indirect suspension linkage and a 650lb/" spring equates to quite a bit less at the wheel.

From what I have seen recently, the 205 and 225 tyre size combination seems very popular, but the actual choice is very much determined by the availability of homologated tyres. Obviously people running Gp4 wheel arches go for much larger rears but have also a lot less choice in makes.

Dave