17 GT350 Recommended Road Course Alignment (Possible without CC Plates?)

bellwilliam · Jan 30, 2018

We've always turned off AdvanceTrak. it is really intrusive......

although we all run "track mode", a couple of us run "normal steering", I run "comfort steering". "track steering" is just way too vague (PS3/xbox)..

raiderjatt02 · Jan 30, 2018

I'm not confident enough in my abilities to run at the track with AdvanceTrac completely off. I keep mine in Track Mode so I have some safety net at higher speeds. I turn everything completely off when I autocross or want to have some fun on the street though.

ShiftPoint · Jan 30, 2018

Thanks, guys! Really helps! I turned off AdvanceTrac today for the first time. Cold roads but holly smokes! 3rd at about 60 it broke loose, really loose.

I love the Torsen differential. I had the Torsen (T2 not T2R) in my old car and one of the things I love about it is how predictable it is when losing traction. I remember driving an HPDE in the pouring rain (the first event after installing it) and was floored by how predictable it was sliding around the track. The limited slip diffs they put in the older GT's are crazy. Just snap out with no chance to throttle out of it.

The GT350 feels very controllable even when AdvanceTrac is off. I can't wait for some track time!

firestarter2 · Jan 31, 2018

raiderjatt02 said:
I'm not confident enough in my abilities to run at the track with AdvanceTrac completely off. I keep mine in Track Mode so I have some safety net at higher speeds. I turn everything completely off when I autocross or want to have some fun on the street though.

I debated turning it completely off but I have seen accidents at the track it probably would of saved the car from so I am torn.. I say a guy money shift a Vette entering the back straight and go right into a wall.

Zitrosounds · Jan 31, 2018

My local track is Barber MSP and I was running low 1:40's in the track pack. Haven't had enough track time in the R and the one day I tracked her is it was 30 degrees and raining (1:50) lol. I run in trackmode and seldom have felt intervention. I also run BMR bolts, they rock. caster camber plates due add some ride height not sure how much but certain they do. I personally do not think you could jump from track to street alignments without a shop. How do I know? I tried, SEVERAL TIMES. I can also tell you that max camber on MPSS will do alright in street driving but will eventually cause premature wear. I tested it and noticed increased wear in shorter period of time. SC2's on the other hand with max camber on the street, FORGEDABOUDID! You will destroy them in a matter of days. Additionally the car is like a dart. Honestly, the sc2 tire on the OEM spec street alignment will get decent wear, about half that of the MPSS.

ShiftPoint · Jan 31, 2018

Zitrosounds said:
My local track is Barber MSP and I was running low 1:40's in the track pack. Haven't had enough track time in the R and the one day I tracked her is it was 30 degrees and raining (1:50) lol. I run in trackmode and seldom have felt intervention. I also run BMR bolts, they rock. caster camber plates due add some ride height not sure how much but certain they do. I personally do not think you could jump from track to street alignments without a shop. How do I know? I tried, SEVERAL TIMES. I can also tell you that max camber on MPSS will do alright in street driving but will eventually cause premature wear. I tested it and noticed increased wear in shorter period of time. SC2's on the other hand with max camber on the street, FORGEDABOUDID! You will destroy them in a matter of days. Additionally the car is like a dart. Honestly, the sc2 tire on the OEM spec street alignment will get decent wear, about half that of the MPSS.

Got it. So do you leave yours at -2.5 camber up front and -2 in the rear all the time? Or do you take it back to shop between events? I haven't installed the BMR bolts yet but I feel like maxing the bolts/camber will be pretty easy to figure out. With the bolts though I do agree for the stock -1.05 would be hard to get right without a machine.

Zitrosounds · Jan 31, 2018

ShiftPoint said:
Got it. So do you leave yours at -2.5 camber up front and -2 in the rear all the time? Or do you take it back to shop between events? I haven't installed the BMR bolts yet but I feel like maxing the bolts/camber will be pretty easy to figure out. With the bolts though I do agree for the stock -1.05 would be hard to get right without a machine.

I did leave the track alignment on the R for a bit but as I said it roasts the tires. So I go to the shop before an event for track adjustment and after for street. I purchased a lifetime alignment plan from Firestone and have been several times. I have a particular shop I go to locally and made friends with tech for the obvious reasons. I just want to make sure that you understand once you adjust camber you will need to adjust toe.

ShiftPoint · Jan 31, 2018

Zitrosounds said:
I did leave the track alignment on the R for a bit but as I said it roasts the tires. So I go to the shop before an event for track adjustment and after for street. I purchased a lifetime alignment plan from Firestone and have been several times. I have a particular shop I go to locally and made friends with tech for the obvious reasons. I just want to make sure that you understand once you adjust camber you will need to adjust toe.

Thanks! That was my plan, even did that with my old car at Firestone. I spoke to them yesterday and they said with the lifetime alignment they can only put the car to factory camber/toe specs. Said I would have to pay for alignment each time for the track setup. I may call another Firestone near me. They were great to me for a 3+ years. On the camber, I spoke to Vorslag because I was considering their CC plates (https://vorshlag-store.com/collecti...5-up-mustang-camber-caster-plates-oem-perches) where they have two adjustments. Stock (-1ish) and track (-2.5) and here's what they said about the toe.

"Shawn, when our customers change between the street and track settings, we usually do not change the toe. Since the S550 is a front-steer car (rack is in front of the wheel centerline) it will slightly toe-out when you add negative camber. If you have it setup with the standard slight toe-in for street use, the toe ends up very close to where we would set it for the track.

We have some customers that want to set it and leave it. They end up with an alignment that is a little compromised for both street and track use."

firestarter2 · Jan 31, 2018

Zitrosounds said:
My local track is Barber MSP and I was running low 1:40's in the track pack. Haven't had enough track time in the R and the one day I tracked her is it was 30 degrees and raining (1:50) lol. I run in trackmode and seldom have felt intervention. I also run BMR bolts, they rock. caster camber plates due add some ride height not sure how much but certain they do. I personally do not think you could jump from track to street alignments without a shop. How do I know? I tried, SEVERAL TIMES. I can also tell you that max camber on MPSS will do alright in street driving but will eventually cause premature wear. I tested it and noticed increased wear in shorter period of time. SC2's on the other hand with max camber on the street, FORGEDABOUDID! You will destroy them in a matter of days. Additionally the car is like a dart. Honestly, the sc2 tire on the OEM spec street alignment will get decent wear, about half that of the MPSS.

With a square setup and using the throttle to rotate the car mine is on fairly often now. YMMV. In the beginning in the season it never was

Zitrosounds · Jan 31, 2018

firestarter2 said:
With a square setup and using the throttle to rotate the car mine is on fairly often now. YMMV. In the beginning in the season it never was

Remember that the suspension tuning is specific to the way the car is designed from the factory. So any changes in diameter and tire width will affect the advancetrac parameters. I had a buddy who change diameters and tire width in a Corvette and he couldn't figure out why the car was trying to kill him on the track. Finally realized he had to completely disable all the traction controls. So I get it makes total sense change from within the program parameters and you will confuse the hell out of the computer. It's also the same reason why those autocrossing disconnect the suspension ECU

Zitrosounds · Jan 31, 2018

ShiftPoint said:
Thanks! That was my plan, even did that with my old car at Firestone. I spoke to them yesterday and they said with the lifetime alignment they can only put the car to factory camber/toe specs. Said I would have to pay for alignment each time for the track setup. I may call another Firestone near me. They were great to me for a 3+ years. On the camber, I spoke to Vorslag because I was considering their CC plates (https://vorshlag-store.com/collecti...5-up-mustang-camber-caster-plates-oem-perches) where they have two adjustments. Stock (-1ish) and track (-2.5) and here's what they said about the toe.

"Shawn, when our customers change between the street and track settings, we usually do not change the toe. Since the S550 is a front-steer car (rack is in front of the wheel centerline) it will slightly toe-out when you add negative camber. If you have it setup with the standard slight toe-in for street use, the toe ends up very close to where we would set it for the track.

We have some customers that want to set it and leave it. They end up with an alignment that is a little compromised for both street and track use."

I think that is a good compromise go somewhere within the two suspension settings and leave it alone. That is eventually what I am going to do except that I am still on sport cup 2s and want to get a couple track days out of them. To comment on the vorshlag response on toe. I will agree at the changes in toe might not be much but toe has the greatest effect on tire wear. It doesn't take a large discrepancy in toe to cause excess wear.

ShiftPoint · Feb 1, 2018

[MENTION=19262]Zitrosounds[/MENTION] Makes sense on the AdvanceTrac with different tire dimensions and setups. I actually read a good thread where some of the guys on here were mentioning that however, it was in the context of putting the 350R tire/rims on a non R model. If I remember correctly the params and programming for AdvanceTrac on the R is going to be different due to the weight of the wheels on the R and characteristics of that setup with the suspension and other differences.

Agree on the toe point as well. At least from the research, I have done not my personal experience. I'm seriously considering, probably will get a set of these.

https://www.quicktrickalignment.com/shop/pro-series/

I'm so tired of dealing with shops for alignments. While it might not be as good as an alignment at a professional shop I think I can get it pretty dang close with those. I'm even considering doing the alignment with those myself and then having a shop verify/validate the alignment and do a comparison. Also will allow me to tweak the setup at the track. I'm mostly concerned with the aggressive camber (-2.5 to -3+) some of the guys that track this car are running in order to wear the tires pretty even. The wildcard is how I drive and how much I push which I think is going drive front camber setting. -2.5 is a great place to start based on all the feedback so far.

Another consideration is I plan on running 4 different tracks that are pretty different from one another and might require some adjustments to not burn through expensive slicks and the stock MPSS on the long drives to and from the track. It basically comes down to a reasonable amount of accuracy with the DIY alignment. Considering the cost of an alignment at local shops near me the tool will pay for itself in less than 3 alignments.

Its great to hear from everyone that's replied so far. I love that so many have tracked their GT350s and have real-world experience with these cars!

Zitrosounds · Feb 1, 2018

ShiftPoint said:
[MENTION=19262]Zitrosounds[/MENTION] Makes sense on the AdvanceTrac with different tire dimensions and setups. I actually read a good thread where some of the guys on here were mentioning that however, it was in the context of putting the 350R tire/rims on a non R model. If I remember correctly the params and programming for AdvanceTrac on the R is going to be different due to the weight of the wheels on the R and characteristics of that setup with the suspension and other differences.

Agree on the toe point as well. At least from the research, I have done not my personal experience. I'm seriously considering, probably will get a set of these.

https://www.quicktrickalignment.com/shop/pro-series/

I'm so tired of dealing with shops for alignments. While it might not be as good as an alignment at a professional shop I think I can get it pretty dang close with those. I'm even considering doing the alignment with those myself and then having a shop verify/validate the alignment and do a comparison. Also will allow me to tweak the setup at the track. I'm mostly concerned with the aggressive camber (-2.5 to -3+) some of the guys that track this car are running in order to wear the tires pretty even. The wildcard is how I drive and how much I push which I think is going drive front camber setting. -2.5 is a great place to start based on all the feedback so far.

Another consideration is I plan on running 4 different tracks that are pretty different from one another and might require some adjustments to not burn through expensive slicks and the stock MPSS on the long drives to and from the track. It basically comes down to a reasonable amount of accuracy with the DIY alignment. Considering the cost of an alignment at local shops near me the tool will pay for itself in less than 3 alignments.

Its great to hear from everyone that's replied so far. I love that so many have tracked their GT350s and have real-world experience with these cars!

I almost pulled the trigger on that same exact alignment set. Only reason I did'nt was time. It consumes a lot of time to do it myself as opposed just dropping it off and picking it up. Plus! my wife would kill me if I spend any more time in the garage lol

ShiftPoint · Feb 1, 2018

[MENTION=19262]Zitrosounds[/MENTION] Well at least I'm not completely crazy for wanting to make it work! Glad you were in the same boat for a while or at least considering it. If I had an awesome shop close I would much rather just drop it off and pick it up. Talking to others it's not gonna be easy. Since I don't have a lift it will be a lot of jacking up, adjusting, settling the suspension and measuring. Rinse and repeat.

Garage time is an issue for me too man so I understand

However, with the new GT350, I will be spending a lot less time in the garage compared to my previous car (2000 Mustang GT, MM full suspension, boosted and built). Hopefully not too much tweaking once I get a system and setup down.

Zitrosounds · Feb 1, 2018

ShiftPoint said:
[MENTION=19262]Zitrosounds[/MENTION] Well at least I'm not completely crazy for wanting to make it work! Glad you were in the same boat for a while or at least considering it. If I had an awesome shop close I would much rather just drop it off and pick it up. Talking to others it's not gonna be easy. Since I don't have a lift it will be a lot of jacking up, adjusting, settling the suspension and measuring. Rinse and repeat.

Garage time is an issue for me too man so I understand

However, with the new GT350, I will be spending a lot less time in the garage compared to my previous car (2000 Mustang GT, MM full suspension, boosted and built). Hopefully not too much tweaking once I get a system and setup down.

I most definitely had the similar thoughts as you. Before I committed to the Firestone alignment plan and before I purchased an alignment kit I tried several DIY made alignment kits. Did the research online they were fairly simple to make unfortunately the removal of the tire to adjust camber reinstallation and as you mentioned, lifting the car, lowering the car, lift the car, lowering the car was way too tedious for me. So I called it quits and paid Firestone. I will say I did research and followed references to the firestone's that works on the R, spoke one-on-one with the tech that works on my car. The other Firestone in my town I will never go to again they worked on my my old GT350 Track Pack car. However I was not even going to let them touch the R.

17 GT350 Recommended Road Course Alignment (Possible without CC Plates?)

bellwilliam

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