Hey Jon, how does a performance or track alignment afect a street car when used on the street after a track event? Need to go back to oem spec alignment or leave as is? Tire wear? Thanks
Mark
Vipers are FLAT-FOOTED on factory alignment specs. This for max tire wear. The car has FLAT contact patches in the straights, but the inner shoulders lift off the pavement in hard corners. Most owners get even tire wear, but eat TWO sets of rears for ONE set of fronts. Maybe even 2.5 to one. Burnouts Matter!
A "performance" alignment rides the inner shoulders a bit more when driving straight. This makes the Viper flat-footed in CORNERS when you need the best handling possible. This is done by a conservative amount of "negative camber" where the tires tip inward at the top, and corresponding caster and tow adjustments to allow this. A performance alignment is the BEST value-investment for improved road-course or auto-cross handling you can buy. Faster lap times GUARANTEED. As a bonus, this also emliminates 90% of "rut tracking" in pavement seams and studded tire ruts. Note: any performance or normal Viper alignment is "four wheels."
Negative Camber DOES wear the inner shoulders 'prematurely' likely making you need 4 tires all at once. As a tech-inspector I have "felt" the inside shoulders of suspect rear tires, and had my fingers pierced by exposed steel belt cords!
Inner shoulders are generally out-of-sight and must be checked periodically.
I think its a small price to pay to be stuck-like-glue with flat-footed tires in a hard corner. I have run all my Vipers since 1993 with a performance alignment, since I do a LOT of track events, and am not as concerned about tire wear. Every time I can cross paths with RUSS at Archer Racing I have him re-do my or Doris' Viper. We emerge with a car you can drive with 3 fingers. Russ is set-up genius..... so is Eric Messley at EMI.
A TRACK alignment is more aggressive still. Usually done only with 'competition rubber' componds on a track car that can benefit from it, the front camber can be 2.5-3.0 degrees negative, whereas a Performance alignement is based only 1-1.5 degrees negative. You would NOT want this track setup on a street car, but it would not be inherently dangerous. Would EAT soft rubber in a hurry.
FIRST, MAKE IT TURN BETTER.
THEN, MAKE IT STOP BETTER.
THEN, ADD POWER.