[Ron Sutton]

Originally Posted by WSSix

People have touched on this but I think it needs to be specifically pointed out. Everyone drives differently. You have to set the car up for your driving style. That, or you have to retrain yourself how to drive. It might ultimately be a combination of both. However, there's also more than one way to go fast. Combine them all together and figure out what works for you. I still think it's best to listen to lots of different people and decide for yourself what will work for you and your car. This has been a good read after skipping over the bickering. Let's keep the tech up.

Trey, I totally agree.

When I was in racing, we didn't set-up cars to suit the driver. We set-up the car to be fastest & taught the driver how to drive it optimally. Every 1/10 of a second mattered. Our joke used to be, "Do you care how the car feels or how winning feels?" But in sportsman racing, track days, pro touring, etc ... I take a different approach, because the top goal is often having fun, more than winning. In that case, we do want to set-up the car to fit the driver. At the end of the day, we want the car to inspire confidence, be fun to drive & be fast. So we're not worried about 1/10 of a second.

Some may think I only do high travel/low roll set-ups today. But that's not accurate. In the initial consultation, I explain the pros & cons of the 4 common set-ups.

1. Conventional low travel/high roll (around 1" travel & 3° roll) - provides more grip & confidence on corner entry under braking. Allows the driver to drive in deeper & brake harder. But carries less mid-corner speed. Provides moderate corner exit grip.

2. Modern high travel/low roll (around 3" travel & 1° roll)- has less grip on entry. Requires the driver to brake earlier & softer. Provides more grip & confidence through the corners & carries more mid-corner speed. Provides superior corner exit grip.

3. Moderate travel & roll is an in-between set-up of the #1 & #2. Typically around 2" travel & 2° roll. Achieves a balance of the traits from #1 & #2.

4. Low travel/low roll (around 1" travel & 1-2° roll) - provides high grip on corner entry under braking. Has narrow sweet spot where the car turns well. If under driven, tends to push. If over driven, car is loose or free. Requires top notch driver feel & control.

After they understand these options & their traits ... then my client guides me on what they want. Most of my clients choose #2 or #3. But regardless, I know how to calculate the spring & bar rates ... if I have all the key info on the car ... to achieve whichever strategy my client wants. The choice doesn't matter to me, because I'm not driving it. All I want them to be is happy with their car. My joy is when they call me after running it & say the car handles amazing.