Tire Wear and Aggressive Alignments -- What would you do?

"way2blu does a rev update" (way2blu) 07/02/2018 at 17:57 • Filed to: Autocross, Toyota MR2

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Hey Oppo, I’ve got an autocross question. My MR2 is aligned for max tire life currently (near zero camber & toe) but I’d like to have it set up better for autocross this weekend.

My research indicates some toe-out at the front, along with as 1.5-2.5 degrees of negative camber, should firm up the handling and grip for weekend cone-hunting shenanigans.

I want to optimize and minimize my “autocross & tire expense” to the best extent possible. My options look like this:

Have the car aligned for cornering before the event weekend , and re-aligned for commuting afterwards (paying for 2 alignment services per autocross weekend)

Keep the commuter-spec alignment and take the slower times at autocross

Get the aggressive alignment and take the hit on tire life

Figure out a “middle-ground” alignment that has more crisp turn-in with less of a penalty on tire life

What’s the best option here? My ‘91 MR2 is on staggered wheels with Yokohama S.Drive tires.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > way2blu does a rev update 07/02/2018 at 18:06

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IMO, I would strike for a balance if you like to use the MR2 on the road often, as well as letting you get a feel for how it turns with a mild sporty setup . Otherwise, go full trackday with it and get something aggressive.

Wagon Guy drives a Boostang > way2blu does a rev update 07/02/2018 at 18:09

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I’d go for a middle of the road alignment if that’s your worry. Though I’ve had even tire wear on my street tires with -1.7 camber all the way around and some toe out with the lowering springs.

sony1492 > way2blu does a rev update 07/02/2018 at 18:13

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I’ve noticed that toe will wear a tire faster than camber, it might help to just run a solid amount of camber but try to keep toe out to a minimum for tire life. ( camber and toe out will working in conjunction to wear the inside out as fast as possible)

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > way2blu does a rev update 07/02/2018 at 18:28

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Keep the toe neutral and get some adjustable camber plates. Set the plates neutral for the street and then set them full aggressive when you get to an event.

DasWauto > way2blu does a rev update 07/02/2018 at 18:33

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To optimize your setup and expenses, stick to camber adjustments only, leave toe angles at zero and don’t have the car aligned before and rafter each weekend, that will get tiresome and costly, quickly.

I run 1.5 degrees of camber up front on my WRX (rear isn’t adjustable) - my tire wear is good and I do reasonably well in autoX.

To succeed in autoX, tires will make the biggest difference, from there  focus on your driving before putting an aggressive alignment on your street car.

gettingoldercarguy > way2blu does a rev update 07/02/2018 at 18:42

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How far is your commute? I’d zero toe first before going toe out.

way2blu does a rev update > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 07/02/2018 at 18:59

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Ohh snap. I started looking up camber plates, and it turns out my BC Racing coilovers include them and have been on the car for 6 months now... 

Thank you so much for pointing that out, makes my commute AND autocross time way easier :D 

ateamfan42 > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 07/03/2018 at 09:36

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Set the plates neutral for the street and then set them full aggressive when you get to an event.

The problem with that approach is that most camber adjustments also affect the toe. So adjusting to max. neg. camber may create a toe setting that is undesirable.

Also, returning the camber to precisely the original setting after an event may be quite difficult, depending how the camber plates are set up.