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Joe731 · 06-24-2018, 03:41 PM

Thanks all. And please excuse me for thinking out loud, but the idea of tracking this car is new to me and I am still coming up to speed on what does/doesn't work, so I really need some help.

The M235 is my backup track car and does double duty as a weekend commuter car, so I don't want to go too far down the road of track over street.
In other words, the setup will be for both weekend commuting in they NYC area (read rough roads) and 3-4 trips a year to Watkins Glen. That said, I want to at least get to a decent camber setup and wider track tires as I think that will we worth the spend.

From what I have read above, the measurements I have taken in the garage, and what is posted on these forums, I am trying to narrow down the following:

1.) FRONT CAMBER/TOE: I want at to run -2.5 and zero toe, but to do so, I am under the impression that I need front camber plates as the stock setup cannot even dial -2.0 of camber in. Is that correct? If true, I am leaning toward Dinan Front camber plates: I read about the GC's and the Vorshlag, but lean toward the Dinan's as they seem to have more range (43MM total 30 negative and 13 positive from OEM) and thus can comfortably get to -2.5 degrees. For $650, they seem reasonable. I read about some problems they had with noise, but did the v2 fix that? Anyone strongly think there is a better camber plate and if so, why is the alternative better?

2.) REAR CAMBER/TOE: If -2.5 front, then -2.25 rear with 1/16" toe-in each side. I am under the impression that this can be done with the stock setup, correct?

3.) DEDICATED TRACK WHEELS SQUARE OR NOT SQUARE: It seems like the advantage of square is easy rotation across front and back as well as helping to dial out understeer, but to get those you need the same offset front and rear, which on this car is not the starting point and would thus need to be addressed with some front spacers (10-12MM) to get things to line up better. True? Non-square eliminates the convenience of front/rear rotation but gets rid of the need to address different ETs with spacers.

4.) For tires, I have run Hoosier R7s and R6s for years and like them. They only last 20 heat cycles and are not really streetable (though DOT legal), but the extra grip is worth it for me. Real race slicks as suggested above clearly have better grip, but I feel like that grip is wasted on stock springs and dampers and I am not ready to change out dampers/springs for a car I still street.

All of the above leads me to 18*8.5 ET 40 Square with 10MM spacers up front on Hoosier R7s in 245/35/18. But there don't seem to be a lot of options for 18*8.5 ET 40 with 5*120 pattern for our cars that are not expensive. Recommendations?

Finally, If I cannot find good 18*8.5s, I will go with the 18*8 ET 40s C4s that Tirerack makes, and run the same tires, even though I would be at the bottom of the tire maker's rim width recommendations.

All advice is welcome. Thanks in advance.

06-24-2018, 03:41 PM	#7
Joe731 New Member 4 Rep 13 Posts Drives: 2003 996TT Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NY iTrader: (0)	Good input Thanks all. And please excuse me for thinking out loud, but the idea of tracking this car is new to me and I am still coming up to speed on what does/doesn't work, so I really need some help. The M235 is my backup track car and does double duty as a weekend commuter car, so I don't want to go too far down the road of track over street. In other words, the setup will be for both weekend commuting in they NYC area (read rough roads) and 3-4 trips a year to Watkins Glen. That said, I want to at least get to a decent camber setup and wider track tires as I think that will we worth the spend. From what I have read above, the measurements I have taken in the garage, and what is posted on these forums, I am trying to narrow down the following: 1.) FRONT CAMBER/TOE: I want at to run -2.5 and zero toe, but to do so, I am under the impression that I need front camber plates as the stock setup cannot even dial -2.0 of camber in. Is that correct? If true, I am leaning toward Dinan Front camber plates: I read about the GC's and the Vorshlag, but lean toward the Dinan's as they seem to have more range (43MM total 30 negative and 13 positive from OEM) and thus can comfortably get to -2.5 degrees. For $650, they seem reasonable. I read about some problems they had with noise, but did the v2 fix that? Anyone strongly think there is a better camber plate and if so, why is the alternative better? 2.) REAR CAMBER/TOE: If -2.5 front, then -2.25 rear with 1/16" toe-in each side. I am under the impression that this can be done with the stock setup, correct? 3.) DEDICATED TRACK WHEELS SQUARE OR NOT SQUARE: It seems like the advantage of square is easy rotation across front and back as well as helping to dial out understeer, but to get those you need the same offset front and rear, which on this car is not the starting point and would thus need to be addressed with some front spacers (10-12MM) to get things to line up better. True? Non-square eliminates the convenience of front/rear rotation but gets rid of the need to address different ETs with spacers. 4.) For tires, I have run Hoosier R7s and R6s for years and like them. They only last 20 heat cycles and are not really streetable (though DOT legal), but the extra grip is worth it for me. Real race slicks as suggested above clearly have better grip, but I feel like that grip is wasted on stock springs and dampers and I am not ready to change out dampers/springs for a car I still street. All of the above leads me to 188.5 ET 40 Square with 10MM spacers up front on Hoosier R7s in 245/35/18. But there don't seem to be a lot of options for 188.5 ET 40 with 5120 pattern for our cars that are not expensive. Recommendations? Finally, If I cannot find good 188.5s, I will go with the 18*8 ET 40s C4s that Tirerack makes, and run the same tires, even though I would be at the bottom of the tire maker's rim width recommendations. All advice is welcome. Thanks in advance.
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