Matt C Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Depends what you want doing, on a non ride height adjustable car it can take anything from half an hour to track both ends to a couple of hours to set camber and tracking. Corner weighting and ride height take a little longer, but I have a unit with a nice level floor for doing it all and get pretty good results. You can have all the kit in the world but its the monkey on the end that makes the difference, if you're not accurate then you're wasting your time, especially on a car as sensitive to setup as the elise. I read an interesting book about chassis preparation by Bill Sollis, multiple mini miglia champion, who said he could never tell the difference between his car corner weighted with him in it or without... I agree with that - I had a geo done by someone near Brum and it was terrible. I corner weighted it after with zero difference. Then took it to someone who didn't copy and knew what they were doing and the difference was night and day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danwebster Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 One other point, unless specifically asked to, I don't use any prescriptive set of figues like the '340R' setup or others than many refer to. I ask you how you want your car to drive, what you're going to use it for, and tailor it to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@ndy Posted November 27, 2013 Author Share Posted November 27, 2013 Lots of options to choose from there..... Local is obviously favourite but want to make sure its done right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Lawless Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Depends what you want doing, on a non ride height adjustable car it can take anything from half an hour to track both ends to a couple of hours to set camber and tracking. Corner weighting and ride height take a little longer, but I have a unit with a nice level floor for doing it all and get pretty good results. You can have all the kit in the world but its the monkey on the end that makes the difference, if you're not accurate then you're wasting your time, especially on a car as sensitive to setup as the elise. I read an interesting book about chassis preparation by Bill Sollis, multiple mini miglia champion, who said he could never tell the difference between his car corner weighted with him in it or without... Assuming everything is correct and not broken, is there much benefit getting all that done on a bog standard setup or is it more for the guys with aftermarket adjustable setups? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanB Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 You can't set up the corner weights on a standard car. To do so you need dampers with adjustable spring collars, so you can lift one corner a bit to throw weight on to the opposite corner and so on. The idea is to try and equalise the weight across the axles (I think). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russelld Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Lots of options to choose from there..... Local is obviously favourite but want to make sure its done right. Dan has owned a few Elises now and knows what does what when changing settings. There is no substitute for this type of experience IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Lawless Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 You can't set up the corner weights on a standard car. To do so you need dampers with adjustable spring collars, so you can lift one corner a bit to throw weight on to the opposite corner and so on. The idea is to try and equalise the weight across the axles (I think). Dean I was thinking more in general rather than corner weighting specifically. I assume Lotus setup their road cars quite neutral and therefore "safe" like many manufacturers but is there much adjustment on standard setups to sharpen everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danwebster Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 I assume Lotus setup their road cars quite neutral Don't assume anything....i've geo'd an almost new elise that had 8mm of toe across the rear end. The factory setting is supposed to be 2.4mm total and the car was less than 6 months old... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Lawless Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Don't assume anything....i've geo'd an almost new elise that had 8mm of toe across the rear end. The factory setting is supposed to be 2.4mm total and the car was less than 6 months old... Dan would you say in your experience that there are gains to be had worth the effort from a little toe and camber on a standard Exige? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danwebster Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 It depends what you consider a gain, but yes I would. Assuming the setup is absolutely spot on the factory settings then you can change the balance quite a lot with some camber and toe adjustments, but with increased camber for example will come increased tyre wear depending on how extreme you go, but you can't have your cake and eat it unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 One other point, unless specifically asked to, I don't use any prescriptive set of figues like the '340R' setup or others than many refer to. I ask you how you want your car to drive, what you're going to use it for, and tailor it to you. Just out of interest, have you geo'd any Esprits? We could add you to the Esprit forums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danwebster Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 Hi Elaine, I never have no...although i've done a few other cars. Always happy to try something new though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daves2111s Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 DRM Kidderminster for me! Checked out their alignment gear and it's full race spec with guys who know exactly what they are doing. Next geo for me will be there:-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elaine Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 Hi Elaine, I never have no...although i've done a few other cars. Always happy to try something new though! I'm not sure any of them would want their car to be the guinea pig though... Most Esprit owners tend to use GST Performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danwebster Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 I'm not sure guinea pig is quite the right term, apart from having never had my hands on the oily bits of an esprit I know what I'm doing...the only learning curve would be where each end adjusts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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