I like the Super Chevy testing format as it has a lot of the elements we see on the street and on the tracks. It also provides feedback and advice for people that want to improve their existing suspensions but may not want to autocross or track their cars. No, it's not perfect but it's workable.
My "perfect" would be for the suspension companies to give me one car with their product on it. All cars would be the same, i.e. the proverbial and ever present '69 Camaro. All tires would be the same. Brake friction material would be the same. The steering wheel and seat would be the same and also be adjustable. The Stig for a day would be the same.
Each company could practice the day before the actual testing and fine tune their systems for the track surface and conditions. The course would be similar to what I set up for the 2011 Super Chevy testing as it had almost every element you'd see for street driving and for an autocross. It was also low-speed enough that it didn't reward the high-horsepower cars and penalize the ones that didn't bring the ponies. That course was fun and several of the sections were very fast. They tested adhesion and balance, and also how a car accepted pressure. I'm not a huge fan of doing this sort of testing on an actual racetrack as if the suspension has an evil side, having it slap me upside the face at 100+ mph wouldn't be good. If a car can handle well at an autocross with its slower speeds and transitions, it should work at track days. Times are secondary to the testing. I've driven some very evil cars that turned very quick times ...
And it would be expensive to do unless a tire company sponsored it. Nitto does with the Super Chevy day but the suspension manufacturers and car owners have an out if Nitto doesn't make a tire that the car can use.
Mary Pozzi
Last edited by mpozziCPL; 01-22-2012 at 10:04 AM.
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