So, as mentioned before, this weekend I wanted to test the mid-motor car versus the rear motor version, now that I have two cars.

Anyway, before I get into it, bare in mind the following;
1) I only race modified, so everything I test is for this class.
2) Given it's summer down here, it's outdoor asphalt.. actually, make that outdoor asphalt all year round :P

With that in mind, first run I went out with my rear motor car, having put a setup on it that I knew would be pretty decent, if not my usual full-on Bayside setup (more than anything so I could test both cars with the same setup). Car was as expected really, decent balance, with a bit of entry and exit push.

Second run, pulled the tyres off the rear car, and bolted them onto the mid. Initial impression was "Where's the steering?!". Seemed to lack initial turning, and also then push on the way out. Had to adjust my driving to take this into account, although cornerspeed did feel a bit quicker...once it got into the turn.

Third run was back to the rear car again, this time putting an LTC shell on over the Speed6 I ran first time. Car was now better, more positive steering, and overall pretty decent. Fastest lap was down to a 17.2.

Fourth run, back to the mid again, albeit with the LTC as well. It was noticeable how much more lock I was having to put into the car to get it to turn in the first, high speed turn, and also having to brake the car more to get it into the hairpins. Couldn't hussle the car, really had to flow it to get the fastest out of it. Fastest lap came in at a 17.4.

Off that, decided to stick with the rear car for the rest of the meeting, which by the end of the night I had improved down to a 16.9, but there was more speed left in it for sure.

With a bit of reflection on the mid setup, those runs pretty much say to me that the guy does need a different setup philosophy to the rear car, which isn't really a surprise given the different weight distribution. Given more time with it, I would start by looking at the shock positions and then roll bars, but I do suspect that the mid setup will struggle to give the level of steering that mod needs. I do think also that with the extra cornerspeed, it could be good in stock, especially the higher wind (21.5 etc) classes, as long as the steering can be gained. So I wouldn't rule it out completely, but it's one of those things that I think each person would need to test and see if it suits them. A nice option to have, but for now at least I'll be putting my second car back to rear motor.

As for the rest of the night, seemed to loose the handle a little on the other car, although in all honesty I should have bolted on a new set of tyres, as the set I was using was past their best by the end of the night. Made a couple of changes now that seemed to help, and am starting to prefer 2K rear diff oil over the 3K I had been using. Also played around a bit with springs and roll-centres, and tested out a theory that I have tried before at this track.
Ended up running Ride Blue springs, as the Schumacher Greens made the car too nervous over the bumps. However, whilst the Blues feel similar on the bench, on track they behave a bit softer, with the car losing some cornerspeed as a result. To gain that back, lowered all the inner camber links 1mm, which worked very well to give back the reaction and cornerspeed of the Schuey Greens, whilst also better control over the bumps.. win-win :)

Reasonably happy with the night, improved the car in the finals, but still a bit far off on pace... more testing needed at that track, although it's on the right path.