Hey fullnoise..

[fullnoise]

My setup was always supposed to be simple based on what other people had already figured out. However it didn't quite work out properly. The car started with terminal understeer and then unpredictable snap oversteer.

All I need to do now is change from cast drop spindles to welded ones and the car should be perfect.

Here are the specs,
BJ IRS chassis.
28mm rear springs
Dual Avis adjusters close to standard height and always moved in parallel to maintain a soft stock spring rate.
Koni shocks.
Front swaybar is stock-type but slightly thicker with neolothane bushes. I tried a big adjustable bar but it caused too much understeer and restricted the travel.
Rear swaybar a resonably light non-adjustable bar that's about 18mm. I also have a big 22 mm adjustable bar but it causes too much inside rear wheel spin without a LSD.
Ride height. Rear is as low as it can go without hitting the bumpstops on big bumps. The tail is ever so slightly lower than the nose or it's flat.
Alignment is 3 degrees negative camber on all corners. This is created at the front with bent upper arms and greater offset eccentric knuckles. The tyre pyrometer indicates I need more neg on the front and less on the rear. The rear is where it is due to the ride height.
Castor. I can't remember the measurement but I use 1 set of castor shims (I tried 2 but it made the steering wheel feel like the car was more sideways than it really was).
The car has no bumpsteer on the rear and little or no bumpsteer on the front. Diagonally without a drive it's 49.9% and 50.1%. Front to rear it's 39% and 61%.
Wheels are 16 x 6 and 16 x 7 Fuchs. Tyres are 195/50R16 Yokohama A048 LTS. These are like the R-Spec tyre but are wound back for original equipment road use on the Lotus Exige. The belt angle is less aggressive and the compound is harder for road/race use. The beauty of these tyres is that they are designed for a light car like the beetle and they're not too wide. Mind you I'd like narrower tyres to try and get the correct heat in to them in just a couple of laps.

Jak and i have had some great fun on the track. In the supersprint format they ususally space you apart from the other competitiors but Jak and I wait for each other and take turns in a bit of cat and mouse. It's fantastic to see another beetle sliding only a couple of car lengths in front of you. Normally that would scare the crap out of me but I have a lot of faith in Jak's car control. It's such a buz when we get out on the track.

I could rabbit on forever but I hope that answers some of your questions.

My biggest piece of advice to people with beam front ends. Don't make them stiff.

CYA CT