Hi Skiddens, thanks for your help, much appreciated. In particular you have confirmed, as I was thinking, that the weight distribution did not come into this.
To answer your questions/observations…
I have, twice – once after build and then again after the 1st race meeting, loosened all the top deck and bulkhead screws to try and remove any chassis tweak. Placing the chassis on the setup board suggests there is no chassis tweak, as does placing a metal ruler along the bottom of the deck.
I think we have to accept that we are just different on this one
. I know that using the spring adjusters is what the manual says and that is what I used to do; but over time, rightly or wrongly, I came to feel that that this is treating the symptom rather than the cause, which is why I no longer do this.
I find that going back to the start and redoing/checking the settings has always resulted in my car passing the tweak station test on the 2nd or at worst, 3rd time.
The front shocks are the same, as are the rear, I check…
• Rebound with a vernier guage
• Using the vernier outside measurement I measure from the top of the top cap to the bottom of the bottom cap. Accepting manufacturing tolerances they should be the same unless one of the caps has been screwed down more than another.
• Using the vernier inside measurement I measure from the bottom of the bottom cap to the top (as you look at it) of the ball joint. I assume that the manufacturing tolerances on the ball joints will have no significant impact on shock length – centre point to centre point of top and bottom connections
I do this every time I top up with oil
The only point I wonder, where I could be failing, is the ride height– although I have used the same process for the past 5 years without issue.
Very very rarely do I measure the ride height on both sides of the chassis; I measure under the centre line. I believe the process below negates the need to (but I will double check the individual side measurements).
With shocks and roll bar disengaged...
• I fit the Hudy setup wheels to remove any wheel/tyre variance
• I set the downstop on both sides of the axle and then remove the droop bar for that axle
• I slide the ride height gauge under the chassis along the centre line and check that both wheels leave the surface at exactly the same time
- note that when I say” exactly the same time”, this is a visual assessment but I have never had a problem; a difference of a 20th of a millimetre does not affect the tweak station. I know from experience that a very noticeable difference (say .25 to .5mm)will normally show up on the tweak station.
• I fit the pre-measured shocks and place a mark on the top cap and an aligned mark on the adjuster to help me ensure the adjusters are moved the same distance on both shocks.
• I use the adjusters to get the required height
• I place a droop bar under the opposite axle and then slide the ride height gauge along the centre line to again ensure that the two wheels leave the surface at exactly the same time .
I accept that chassis tweak will negate the above process; but if the tweak station is displaying tweak the first port of call for me is the top deck, then followed by the above. If I am still failing I then hit the bottom deck and unscrew everything. (If I have had a heavy crash I start with the bottom deck and unscrew everything as well as the top deck)
I will try and check the side ride heights tonight. If that throws up nothing I suspect I may be into swapping in components from the 009 (where possible) to try and identify what is causing this.
If that fails I will get you to check it at the Demon GP