Here is a general set up procedure you can follow if you are not familiar with setting up a car:
- For a race setup, test with hards and half tank of fuel, set fuel consumption off. (Half tank is the average of the conditions you will suffer in the race, from full to empty)
- Start with aero, and get it more or less to a good point of drag vs speed. Begin with higher wings than you think, and reduce them later. Make a basic configuration for starters, you will refine them later.
- Be careful with the front wing. Much oversteer is caused by excessive front wing and it is easy to blame other parts incorrectly.
- In case of doubt, go with grip instead of top speed. Over a long run it will be easier to drive and will keep your tires better than sliding them due to lack of grip.
- Adjust rear toe to zero. Set front toe to minimum.
- Raise the rear ride height. Will give you more suspension travel to soak bumps and keep the tires on the ground, increasing traction. Lower the front to minimum. You want a stiff, low front, and a rear that swings up and down to absorb bumps. More or less like one of those bycycles with rear suspension only.
- Put for starters the same spring stiffness front and rear, or a bit stiffer at the front (We want that low nose to be firmly placed there). Choose the minimal stiffness that makes your car not hit the ground hard with a full tank. (Some hitting is OK as long as you dont lose control)
- Balance oversteer/understeer with the anti roll bars. You will usually want 2x or 3x front stiffness vs. rear.
- Start with front dampers slow bump at 8 or so. Increase until your car has good braking and corner entry attitude at the fastest turn
- Adjust rear damper slow bump starting from 5 or so, till the rear sinks smoothly when accelerating from the slowest turn. Use the minimum possible.
- Adjust front slow rebound starting with 10 till the front doesn't rise too quickly when exiting the slowest turn.
- Adjust rear slow rebound starting with 10-12 till the rear stops swinging on the higest-speed change of direction and/or elevation.
Set the fast speed bumpers to half the numbers you put at the slow speed ones. If a track is too bumpy and the car wanders under braking, increase a bit the fast rebound.
- Now the tires: Start with zero camber rear and -1 degree front. Get first of all the pressures to produce a similar temperature all across the tire (More pressure will make the centre heat more, less pressure will make it colder). Once you have that, increase camber until you get a bit more heat in the inner side of the tires. Don't go too far. Even temperatures will control tire degradation better.
Once you are there, you can start lowering wings until the point where you feel the car is uncomfortable or too nervous.
Remember: Anything above 80-100 MPH needs to be solved first with wings.
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Subject: 1978 World Drivers' Championship - Car Setup Advice 
Tue 12 Jan 2016 - 17:22
