Wheels, tyres and diff ratios

[Westfield 129]

I have found two ways to get the car to drift, but the problem is always the high roll center lifting the rear end and having the drive lost to inside wheel spin. It will only slide for a while before it slows down, and that is not as much fun as sliding and not slowing down, or being able to accelerate.

What I have done is to install about 120 or so HP, and an LSD (requires race axles or you will be snapping the standard axles every drive). This maintains the power in a corner, and you can get corner exit acceleration, rather than noise. It works, and gives proper throttle steering. With a good set of dampers and the right rear springs, along with a front anti sway bar, you can balance the handling with just the damper compression adjustment in the rear.

I also recommend running the 15" Dunlop vintage race tires, as these will slide beautifully, with complete control and predictability. These have plenty of tread, and go on easily available wire wheels. Handling will be as a solid axle Lotus 11. What could be better? I have built 4 cars with this setup.

You wont get any more lock from the tires. You need to remove the limit stop from the rack, and see how much lock you can use before installing a cut down rack limit stop. You can't address the steering lock or turning radius until you take the existing limit stop out of the rack. You could get more lock with wheels having a deeper backside space, but that's getting crazy, unless you have the wrong wheels...

I don't even run rack stops on my cars. If the tire rubs a little, I just back off the steering a little when making a U turn.

The rack, as it comes out of the Spridget, doesn't have stops. What you are looking for was added later.

You don't have to remove the rack to remove or replace the stop.

To remove the stop, pull back the gators, exposing the end of the rack. You will probably have only one on the off side (the near side of the rack is shorter, and stops itself). Just slide it off the tie rod. You may have to take off the rod end, so mark or measure so that you get it back in nearly the same place. You can reset the toe if you need to. Just remember that if you do any adjustments to the suspension, you had better be sitting in the driver's seat so that the chassis is properly ballasted.

[jonclancy]

Seems like my 60bhp or so will probably suit the less grippy Avon tyres. They are on the list. It's a pity that the Dunlop L and M section tyres aren't road legal.

http://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/page/du ... cing-tyres

I've consulted Haynes and, of course, the lock stops will come off - probably when I have got a new set of tyres to go on to the car.

In the meantime, I will be attempting to get the car jacked up onto stands (front first, then back - gearbox oil!!) to get the speedo drive oil sel changed, as I have a little leak in that area. This is not an easy car to work on, even with a low-enrty racing jack. If I were a rich man... (I'd have a pit or small hydraulic scissor lift in the garage).

[jonclancy]

My speedo drive is not accessible without a ramp (because it's difficult enough to get the car on front stands and I'm not going under there!!

However, the gearbox is pretty dry and I think a small bit of oil may be leaking from the oil pressure pipe (wet union). That's no biggie.

I did look at the steering lock sleeves on both sides and they'll come off when the new tyres are fitted.

I did measure the back-side spacing. It's 94.5mm.

[erictharg]

The CR322's are a low cost "fuel economy tyre" so have a pretty hard compound (low rolling resistance). They allow lots of safe drifting on track days and last forever. Go in too fast, turn in early and slide... not quite as bad as crossplies but close. They do bite in the wet though (as do most tyres of course)! Used for the entry level Caterham race series - presumably to educate the drivers on how to handle cars that move around a bit. And as you've found, as cheap as chips. Suggest you try them while you figure out what, if anything, you need different in the future.

[jonclancy]

Thanks, Charles. My ball-joint splitter will be with me some time next week - I'll be ordering the tyres very soon.