Well, now that Nationals is to be held on a concrete surface again, we need to start thinking about driving on concrete again. Some members are lucky enough to be able to run a lot of events on concrete surfaces, others find it quite difficult to do so. I have a concrete autocross pad available once a month, but it is ultra high grip (I once corded a set of DOT Hoosiers in EIGHT runs in my Bimmer). A five hour drive. With grass growing in the joints. And I can do the Peru tour in July, an 11 hour drive.
The issue, I believe, is being able to shift mental gears and realize that you have more grip. Some folks do this easily, others - like me - find it a difficult switch. I get the impression that Lincoln is not ultra high grip, but still. . .
And car setup is different. Given more stick, shocks need to be stiffer. My data acquisition points me towards setting my primitive suspension based on surface roughness/bumpiness. Tire pressures need to be higher. I would assume that roll bar balance changes. In all, the biggest changes I make on my F500 are based on surface smoothness, not stick, though I do up my tire pressures.
What changes do you make when you are going to be running on concrete, and why?
Chris Eckles
Atlanta