Why Multimillion $$$ Race Teams Use A 'Simple' Alignment Setup

It doesn’t matter what level you’re racing at, the contact patch between your wheels and the race track are going to determine how fast you can go, and a wheel alignment is essential to optimise this.
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James Stevens of Jota Sport runs us through some of the techniques and equipment used in the upper echelons of motorsport, specifically on their 930kg, 4.2-litre V8 N/A, X-Trac 6-speed sequential ORECA LMP2 race car in this [TECH TALK].
A JOTA Sport team car has finished 1st or 2nd in LMP2 at Le Mans 8 times in the last 8 years using this knowledge which is certainly a feat that doesn't happen by chance.
Setting the car up starts in the workshop, and Jota Sport use a perfectly flat and level steel plate that is checked yearly and used to ensure accuracy and consistency in many aspects of the cars setup. Corner weights and camber gauges are zeroed according to this, and checked often so that when traveling abroad the team can get as close as possible to a flat surface to work from as possible with a small margin of tolerance allowed and factored into any adjustments the car needs.
Steel plates are also used instead of rims and tyres when doing the alignment to remove an extra layer of inconsistencies particularly since that car will run multiple rims and tyres throughout just a single event. Interestingly a string alignment setup similar to what you would use on your own road/track car is used at both the workshop and the track with it being preferred over laser alignment systems not because of cost, but because of complexity drawbacks and the ease of travel.
The ultimate goal and focus of a dedicated race car like the ORECA LMP2 is always peak performance rather than creature comforts and aesthetics like a road car also considers more in depth, and as such a 1kg difference is allowed across the front and less than 10kg across the rear to ensure even weight distribution and consistent brake performance. There is no minimum ride height for the car, but instead 25mm skids are fitted which the teams can wear 5mm off during the course of an event, but if any more is measured to be missing the car will be disqualified from the event and as such the height will be adjusted from track to track just as the camber and toe etc is.
Once the car is setup for the track, spares such as the track arms, push rods and camber shims are also set to match so that in the event a corner of the car is damaged the team can quickly replace everything required knowing the correct setup remains enabling the driver to keep confidence the cars handling.
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#highperformanceacademy #wheelalignment #lmp2 #jotasport #motorsports #racecraft #learndriveoptimise #alignment #enduraceracing #stringalignment #techtalk

[@hpa101]

Take $25 USD off ANY HP Academy course with this coupon: KZbin25 Enroll now: hpcdmy.co/25offytc - Taz 👨🏻

[@PANTYEATR1]

Rick & Morty had an episode on "true level" and it's a real thing😮 I'm curious about the weight scales being used when the whole car isn't on them... Good video HPA💪

[@billclark5943]

I machined a set of those alignment fixtures for a Porsche LMP2 Spyder back in 2008

[@MrRalphBraun]

yes, yes, now I understand "string theory"..... thanks for that

[@stevebroadbent5080]

Another good one, extracting some special insights. Way back when I raced moto gp we always used string alignment method. Nothing else was trustworthy.

[@NieJestemzPolskiPL]

This is brilliant. Beautiful video!!

[@hpa101]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Fix_It_Again_Tony]

Great video. Those fixtures they mount to the hubs are very nice. I assume the center to center distance where the alignment fixtures rest on the scales is the same as the track width with the wheels and tires attached, correct?

[@POVmotorsport]

Amazing interview as always.

[@hpa101]

Much appreciated!

[@dmerrigan11]

Great vid, learned a lot from it...thanks!

[@hpa101]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@hoonaticbloggs5402]

The Americans spent millions making a pen that works in space. The Russians took a pencil ….

[@hpa101]

That is actually a myth, and both the Soviets and Americas ended up using the same pens from an independent US company as pencils were less than ideal, but we 100% agree with the sentiment behind the myth - Taz.

[@jonwebb9261]

Really interesting

[@hpa101]

Glad you enjoyed this one Jon :) - Taz.

[@nzuncovered1845]

There's another name for that flat steel plate they use to put car on to align it? Do you know the name ?

[@jkotka]

I didn't get it, how is the ride-height achieved? I guess those things that bolt to the hubs have to be articulated in each direction in order to allow for the setup change, so what is keeping the spindle at the correct level?

[@derwhalfisch]

Just a guess, but the height of alignment0hardware and the scales themselves are known. the scales will 'sag' under the weight of a car too little to impact anything. if you're asking how the changes are made, then it will be spring seat position+preload adjustment just like in a street coilover, tho this class ruleset might even allow for changing fulcrum position and nearly anything else in the geometry

[@bernardwarr4187]

Corner weight sound simple, measure the weight of each wheel load in a level surface. How do we adjust corner weight?

[@connergreer9434]

First you want to shift around components such as moving the battery in order to get the weight as balanced as you can, then you adjust your coil overs in order to balance the remaining weight

[@bernardwarr4187]

@@connergreer9434 what happens if you don’t have coil overs?

[@otanica]

@@bernardwarr4187 you could shim your springs but it would be impossibly impractical.

[@bernardwarr4187]

@@otanica May be that’s why Mercedes have different shims on there road spring?

[@serenahansen2394]

@@bernardwarr4187 No manufacturer is going to corner weight their road cars, so those shims will be for some other reason. It is only possible to accurately corner weight a car with adjustable height suspension (adjustable fixed ride height, not hydraulically adjustable or air suspension) and you can only use the method to adjust the combined diagonal weights, not move weight front to rear or side to side - that has to be done by physically moving components around as Conner said. Think of it like a table at a restaurant - it will rock diagonally if any of the legs are too short so if you shim or adjust the opposite diagonal to the axis of rocking it will sit steady and stable. There are plenty of great videos going in to more detail if you want to learn.

[@kunisada_341]

I've missed the interviews

[@hpa101]

Us too. Still not ripe for travel yet either sadly. Hope you have been enjoying the podcasts we're doing now though. Same thing, but much longer - Taz

[@jayer-su3hu]

I would have thought they would have some super high tech laser computer ultra sophisticated system for wheel alignment. Not a 1990s aluminum fixture and a ruler. But hey if simple works why change it

[@hpa101]

The concept is much older than the 1990's, however, still the best tool for the job. If something that is better in the necessary ways comes along I'm sure it will be adopted. With that said, this still is a pretty baller setup compared to many string based alignment systems. The calibrated floor, hub stands and light weight rig are not something you'll find in your mates garage as a rule. I doubt even the average laser system has a chance of being as accurate as these guys are here without some upgrades to the standard way they are used. That floor is beyond level compared to the average hoist for example - Taz.

[@elitegunslinger]

How much would this cost to DIY this setup?

[@hpa101]

Depends, if you already own axle stands, very little - Taz

[@racingdatasystems3708]

Skid plates = Jabroc