It's not really vinyl. It's a special breathable material made by 3M specifically for wrapping the car. It's applied to the car in sections using a small tourch. Minus the design work, it costs around $2500 for print and application.

--Navid

 

We stacked up the s04 vs s05 and saw no real noticeable difference in overall width or tread profile. I didn't check diameter (just assumed it to be the same), I'll have to check that again I guess.

Navid, that's pretty slick on the vinyl.

John.....
ESP Showcase Mitsubishi Evo RS

 

I like the graphics, I wish I had the money to do something like that to my new SM car.

 

Phil, use your money to make sure there are no oil leaks.

 

Yes they definitely need revalving, as a matter of fact anything above a 200lb spring should be re-valved. Cranking up the adjuster and it will get you a good amount of low speed dampening but not even close on the mid to high speed stuff. You should use the top mount GC plates, even if they take a little work

 

GC camber plates are top notch! They have a wide range of adjustment. The caster plate is offset and reversible, so you can get all the adjustment you need.

--Navid

 

That's all well and good until your 3" too-short struts don't fit into them; right, Navid?

Other camber-plate question from someone whose cars up to this point have had "real" suspensions...

Are camber-plate settings very repeatable? Is it realistic to get a reading during alignment for, say, 1.5 degrees, and 2.5 degrees, and then move from one to the other for track/street without losing the settings?

Oh, and how much camber is available vs desirable with the Ohlins/GC combo? If more than needed, would it make sense to turn the factory offset bolt back to the "1.0" position and do all the adjustment at the top, to get a more favorable dynamic camber curve?

KeS

 

I do have a "real" suspension on dude. They are not Motons, but I've been very impressed by the Ohlins.

I have -3.5 in front and still have plenty of room on the GC camber plates. I would imagine I could put the offset bolt back and still be able to go to -3.5 on the camber plates if I pushed it all the way in. However, I like to have some adjustablility on the camber plates to deal with. As you adjust to get more negative camber (by the stock bolt or the camber plate), you also gain toe-in. So you have to adjust for that.

--Navid

 

This may be slightly off topic, but in line with Navid's earlier comment...
When installing coilovers with camber plates on the fronts, where do you align the eccentric alignment bolt? Do you put it top dead center and do your camber adjustment on the camber plates?

 

I think you'll find that you'll want to set the lower bolt at min camber so that you gain tire clearance to the spring/strut assembly, at least if you're experimenting w/ the wide tire/wheel combos.

John.....

 

Thanks for the advice, but I am running the stock wheels for now. Does one position on the bolt work the best for the theoretical suspension travel?

Tim

 

The 285's on 10's will fit under the front fender and not rub the strut with the bolt at the max camber setting.... at least with my coilovers and spring setup.

Eric

 

Same here.

And with my JIC FLT-A2s, I was only able to get about -2.8 degrees negative camber in the front with the bolt at the min camber setting. With the bolt at the max camber setting, -3.5 degrees was no problem.

And to Kevin, who asked about repeatability with the camber plates... Yes, you will get good repeatability, but with the caveat that the camber plates are not independent -- toe and caster will likely change when you adjust camber.

I've noticed that the front toe changes which come from camber plate adjustment are fairly small. It's not like the rear end suspension, where dialing in a lot of negative camber leads to a lot of toe in.

 

Like eric said, it depends on the coilover setup. Navid and I run the same Ohlins with 10" springs in front. I can't speak for Navid, but I have to run the minimum camber setting for clearance. Navid suggested moving to an 8" spring to get more clearance.

 

On my KW coilovers, with lower bolt set at max neg. camber and camber plates set at min neg. camber, I have -2.6 negative. Changing the upper camber plates will allow from -2.6 to -4.6. I run the -2.6 because I drive the car 80 miles per day to/from work. Is the concensus that -3.5 front is ideal for autocross with the 285/30 all around? What are thoughts on rear negative camber? I'm running 1.0 neg rear. It seems like the tread edges (not sidewalls) of my tires both front/rear get quite a bit of wear each event. Any thoughts from you experienced guys is appreciated.

Thanks,
Mark B.