Just Double Checking ... on a Corner Balanced car ...

[Will Kalman]

Good luck finding a floor that is both flat and level - we live on a sphere!

[Dan Shaw]

That place in Pasadena is our beloved Island Tires ... where they do GREAT tire mounting on the cheap. You never have to remind them to line up the Dots with the tire stem. I guess they just don't do great alignment work?

I put a BIG front bar in Andrew's SK2 Miata ... he seems very happy with it ... and can't wait to challenge in SK2 on Sunday.

I hope you replaced the sway bar mounts!! Drill the spot welds and replace them with blocks if you havent alreAdy. It's fun not having a front bar for drifts but good luck doing much of anything else.

[Steve Ekstrand]

Vette forums? Who the hell is on the vette forums? Those guys with chrome grills over their taillights and add on wings?

Seriously? Oh the vette forum has Sam Strano and Andy Hollis and Guy Ankeny and Jim McKamey and....

I didn't think so....

Island is great. Jose and Andrew always take care of me and my family and any autocrossers I send their way. Unfortunately they don't do alignments or at least they don't have faith enough in their alignment work to ever let me use it. There's a big hint in that.

[Steve Ekstrand]

Anyone? Expert? Garage floor good enough?

:ibrightdea:

depends on the garage. Is your garage floor flat?

There is no such thing as a flat garage floor, they all have a slope for water drainage, how much depends on the the codes at the time the house or garage was built.

And I have a 70yo house... After the built-in slope you have ground movement and settling.
But most garage floors are close enough that you can compensate pretty easily with linoleum flooring tiles. Just need a good level to help you figure it out.

[Bill Martin]

Good luck finding a floor that is both flat and level - we live on a sphere!

No, we live on a solid polygon. My tiny section is flat and level.

[Will Kalman]

Good luck finding a floor that is both flat and level - we live on a sphere!

No, we live on a solid polygon. My tiny section is flat and level.

Gravity effectively acts from a point so there's no way every point on your flat section can be perpendicular to gravity (level) unless it's curved, but then it's not flat! But I'm thinking you're not losing much time on course by doing setup up in suboptimal conditions ;)

[Marshall Grice]

Gravity effectively acts from a point so there's no way every point on your flat section can be perpendicular to gravity (level) unless it's curved, but then it's not flat! But I'm thinking you're not losing much time on course by doing setup up in suboptimal conditions ;)

man and I thought I was splitting hairs in this discussion!

[Jason Rhoades]

These threads are fun. First it was inferior-sized tires, then narrower-than-stock wheels, now it's buggering ride height and alignment on the fastest Z06 at 2009 Nats. Can't wait to see what's in store for us next - ECU reflash for cylinder deactivation?

[Jason Isley BS RX8]

These threads are fun. First it was inferior-sized tires, then narrower-than-stock wheels, now it's buggering ride height and alignment on the fastest Z06 at 2009 Nats. Can't wait to see what's in store for us next - ECU reflash for cylinder deactivation?

No kidding. If he wanted to screw with something he should have focused his misguided efforts on the Miata. The important thing to remember here is that Karen needs our sympathy, as her once proven Z06 is now no better than a stock Z06 off the street - and maybe worse. }:)

[Bill Schenker]

Good luck finding a floor that is both flat and level - we live on a sphere!

No, we live on a solid polygon. My tiny section is flat and level.

Gravity effectively acts from a point so there's no way every point on your flat section can be perpendicular to gravity (level) unless it's curved, but then it's not flat! But I'm thinking you're not losing much time on course by doing setup up in suboptimal conditions ;)

Will Kalman: the uncredited cast member of CBS' "The Big Bang Theory"...

[Mako Koiwai]

We used SCCA Stock class legal sway bar mount reinforcements ... from Racing Beat. They have two types, one legal one not.

[Leslie Cohen]

In 10 years of owning a C5 Z06 have never once had car corner weighted. But then again, I like to drive, not tinker on cars. Also, the one time my car was measured we discovered how well-balanced it came from the factory.

[Bob Pl]

Along with what Leslie posted re: corner weights, I was wondering, if you set ride height perfect, THEN you corner weight using the adjuster screws, haven't you just screwed your ride heights?

Even if you ballast the car to achieve corner weight, isn't that (adding/moving/removing) weight going to affect ride height?

I know you can get pretty close on a race car with almost unlimited height/weight adjustments, but with stock cars it seems like you get into an endless loop of adjusting.

[Mako Koiwai]

From the Z06 board:

I had the same problem with my 04 ZO6. First of all equal ride heighth is not as important as balanced corner weight. I knew I was going to raise the Lf corner in order to get the proper balance.
I first removed both frt adj bolts and measured them and found one was more crushed (shorter) than the other. I put that one on the rf and lowered it all the way. I did the same with the Lf, then I set the two rears to my desired height 4-5/8".
Then I raised the Lf until i reached the goal I was looking for. I built ramps for my scales so each time I took it for a 20min drive to settle the suspension I would have to jack up the car to put it on the scales which would change all the settings.

[img]Image:%20http://i644.photobucket.com/albums/uu163/degoetz/scan0001.jpg[/img]

Ride height with driver in car.
LF 4-1/4" RF 4-3/16"
LR 4-5/8" RR 4-5/8"

[Mako Koiwai]

Ideally you want to corner balance with the least amount of change to ones preferred ride heights ... which might mean taking a little from more than one corner rather than only a large change at one corner.

I'm hoping that corner balancing will allow me to close that 1/2" gap between the Front Left and Right Front.

I've got the Team Blew scales now so I'm going at it this afternoon ....

[Mako Koiwai]

The front spring is offset to the right by a quarter inch ... that would make the shorter left end noticeably stiffer, correct ?

I tried to more the spring an 1/8" to the left ... unsuccessfully ... stopped just short of removing the spring. I did remove the adjusting screws to make sure they were the same length ... and one side wasn't worn down more then the other side.

Trying to deal with the spring took up enough time that I didn't start corner balancing.

So with the right adjuster all the way up, lowest ride heights setting ... in front ... the right front is still about 0.5" higher then the left, even though the left adjuster has five turns, clockwise, of car raising adjustment added.