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Thread: Alignment suggestions

  1. #1
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    Alignment suggestions

    Having competed for 6-7 years in E36s (328 and M3) in SCCA Solo, I have done a lot of setup and alignment work on my cars. That was THEN, and now I am finishing build/prep of an 04 M3. SCCA Solo STU limits tires to 200 wear rating. Suspension is fairly "free" but not unlimited. So, stock control arms, poly everywhere, all new ball joints in the rear subframe suspension and adjustable rear lower camber arms. GC D/A system is in place as well as their hollow bars.

    What I am looking for is suggestions on camber and caster. Because of differences in track, weight, motion ratios, etc., I am assuming what worked on the E36s may not translate to the E46. I know the rear will have plenty of range for camber. With 3 deg of camber plate adjustment in front plus generous caster range, plus the negative camber gain in the front by being a bit lower than stock, I think there may be as much as 4 degrees (or so) of front camber is available. The front limits will be dictated by the hole in the top of the strut tower.

    So ........................ discuss.

  2. #2
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    The e46 and e36 like pretty much identical settings … they're very similar. The biggest deciding factor will be tires. Some tires like a lot more camber than other, but all tires seem to work very well with more camber than you'd think would be reasonable. Cut the strut tower hole if you can.

    Also, if you can, forget the poly go to solid bushings and bearings. Poly is a crappy half-assed approach, unless you're prohibited by rules. Especially important are the RTABS and LCABS as they flex under load. The settings that work well on our e46 touring cars (on Conti and Pirell slicks, so streets might be a bit less aggressive):

    front: -4.5 camber, 3/16" toe out, max castor
    rear: -2.5-3 camber, 1/8" toe in
    front bar medium, no rear bar, 950 front spring, 500 rear (c/o position)
    Ride height typically around 5.75-6" at the rear jack point, and 1/4" rake (front lower).
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  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by ScotcH View Post
    The e46 and e36 like pretty much identical settings … they're very similar. The biggest deciding factor will be tires. Some tires like a lot more camber than other, but all tires seem to work very well with more camber than you'd think would be reasonable. Cut the strut tower hole if you can.

    Also, if you can, forget the poly go to solid bushings and bearings. Poly is a crappy half-assed approach, unless you're prohibited by rules. Especially important are the RTABS and LCABS as they flex under load. The settings that work well on our e46 touring cars (on Conti and Pirell slicks, so streets might be a bit less aggressive):

    front: -4.5 camber, 3/16" toe out, max castor
    rear: -2.5-3 camber, 1/8" toe in
    front bar medium, no rear bar, 950 front spring, 500 rear (c/o position)
    Ride height typically around 5.75-6" at the rear jack point, and 1/4" rake (front lower).
    Everything is about the SCCA Solo rules. In my class, things are limited. Tires are 200 rated, so 275x18 RE71s. Poly is legal, solid is not.

    The rear motion ratio is very different on the 36 and 46 M3s. Apparently, that is why bigger rear springs and bars than is common on 36s. Per GC Suspension, I have 650f/850r springs, stiff front bar and soft rear. The goal is neutral, and in Solo 950f/500r would result in big push. AAMOF, I changed my 36 M3 to heavier front springs than rear, and FAIL. Since the car will not be tracked, what may work there won't work carving cones. I just finished an alignment, and while there is not chance of "testing" any limits on the street, I have done enough cars and alignments to have a feel for basic results (as solo is 90% UNDER 60mph) and for just throwing a basic setup on it, in make mt fully built 36 M3 feel sort of soft --- and it isn't !!!

    As for camber --- I have PLENTY to play with. The rear has adjustable lower camber arms that allow almost 4 degrees of neg camber. On the front, I set the camber plates at full 3 deg neg camber, set the front springs to allow the front arms to be parallel to the floor, and had a MEASURED 5.5 degrees of neg camber. Lowering the car matters !!! I was surprised. I rest the plates to 1.5 deg and the resulting measured front is 3.8 degree neg. No cutting needed. The rear is at 2.5 for now. Bars are set soft, but after just a short drive, there was some lean, so the bars may be set a bit stiffer.

    As for toe, based on my 36, and other cars I have run, a touch of rear toe in helps, but over time I found that zero - 1/8" toe out afforded the best balance of quick turn in and avoiding push in tighter turns. Another aspect that will have to played with is rear static ride height, as it REALLY mattered on the 36. A mere 1/4" +/- really changed the car. It will be late March before out first T&T so more will be known then.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by snaponbob View Post
    The goal is neutral, and in Solo 950f/500r would result in big push. AAMOF, I changed my 36 M3 to heavier front springs than rear, and FAIL.
    ScotcH is running a true coilover rear setup. The spring is concentric with the shock instead of being separate and driven by the upper control arm. A rear coilover gives considerably lower leverage on the spring vs. the upper control arm, which is why the 500lb/in rear rate rate looks so low. It's not - but it also doesn't correlate to rates you might need for STU where you're forced by rules to use the stock spring location.

    Unfortunately I can't provide any further setup advice but I thought I'd try to clarify that point.

  5. #5
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    Right ... for some reason I thought Solo was on tracks ... in Ontario here, SoloSprint is like time attack, so sorry for the confusion! Everything I said applies to track. I have no experience with Solo (as in parking lot cones) at all
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  6. #6
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    All the comments are appreciated.

    Part of the prep (and the was PLENTY) was installing 100 cell cats in the stock exhaust manifolds. NOT for the faint of heart !!! Rules allow alternative cats, but they can be no further down stream 6" from the stock. CAN'T do it due to clearance issues. I bought a pair of 100 cell cats from Mandrell Solutions in Md. Conveniently, they are 4" in diameter and so are the stock ones. Was NOT simple, and swapping them in/out with the engine in place is a m.f. !!! I figure I had about 30 hours invested all in. But BOY what a difference !! Felt like I a dropped a tune in it.

    It is NOT the same car as the one I put on jackstands six weeks ago.

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