Model 3 Performance Track Mode and damper settings for autocross

[NoDrama]

My car: 2022 M3P, with Front Upper Control Arms, Rear Camber Arms, and Sport coilovers (all Mountain Pass Performance). Camber is about -2.5 deg front, and -1.7 deg rear (compromise for street). 275/35/19 Rivals on 19x9.5 wheels,

I did my first autocross with this setup yesterday. My times were just ok - not great. Learning how to drive a heavy, powerful car (as compared to a Miata or Caterham 7).

I have questions about Track Mode and damper settings.

Track Mode: For the morning runs I kept it at 50/50 power distribution, and 0 stability control. The car didn't rotate as I would like, and I think the stability control was fighting me in the two tight u-turns. In the afternoon I moved more power to the rear, trying 40f/60r, and then 30f/70r. I also lowered stability control down to -2, then -3. It had rained so the course was wet, but I still managed to shave a second off my best time from the morning. It would take a lot of runs to experiment to find the best Track Mode settings, so I'm wondering if any autocrossers can advise me on that?

Damper settings: When @MasterC17 of Electric Vehicle Race Specialists (www.trackmyev.com) of Hudson MA did my installation, he set the dampers as follows:

F/R	Compression/Bump (bottom)	Rebound (top)
Front	7	6
Rear	4	6

This was pretty stiff on the street, so I softened up to MPP street recommendation for street driving:

F/R	Compression/Bump (bottom)	Rebound (top)
Front	12	10
Rear	12	10

For the autocross I went to MPP what recommended for "MPP track recommendation - low grip / technical", which was what I ran yesterday. This actually feels pretty good on the street also:

F/R	Compression/Bump (bottom)	Rebound (top)
Front	9	8
Rear	6	7

Maybe stiffer would help, but I really don't know. Here's what MPP recommended for "high speed / high-compression":

F/R	Compression/Bump (bottom)	Rebound (top)
Front	5	5
Rear	4	3

Thoughts on damper settings anyone, from experience (for autocross)? @MasterC17 or Mountain Pass Performance, care to chime in?

 

[The Other Dan]

Can't help you with the damper settings, but for track mode, 50/50 , -9 for stability control. Don't go -10 as it quits the e-lsd function.
When it's wet, or really slick, 60/40 front bias helps pull thru the corners better.
And in case you weren't aware, the f/r bias only affects things when the wheel is turned. As soon as the wheel goes straight, its 50/50 bias.

Regen braking... I started off thinking it helps rotation, but after time felt it makes things too unpredictable, thus slower. Some runs it caused oversteer in the same corners it didn't before. I started turning it down and it ended up being faster for me.

Keep track cooling off. It doesn't help, and can technically hurt autox performance.

 

[MasterC17]

I think the right bias for Autocross is 65/35 or even 70/30 rear-biased. I usually use 60/40 or 65/35 on road courses.

For the traction, -9 or -10 depending on your driving style. At 0 it is still very intrusive.

If you're trying to get more rotation, you could also soften the front dampers in comparison to the rear. Perhaps try moving the compression and rebound on the rear a few clicks stiffer. For a road-course, you would want them a bit more evenly matched so you don't end up with high speed oversteer. That being said, I've found that the fastest setup is very close to the stiffest on road-courses.

 

[gearchruncher]

And in case you weren't aware, the f/r bias only affects things when the wheel is turned. As soon as the wheel goes straight, its 50/50 bias.

Even more than this, it only affects things while the wheel is turned AND you are requesting power. It doesn't do anything while coasting or braking.

It also reduces total power. The motors are not both 500 HP motors, so you can't get all 500 HP if you've changed the bias a lot.

My personal opinion is that every single time I have changed from 50/50 I get slower, except in the wet as mentioned.

But as said, if you aren't running -7 or lower in stability control, you're probably either getting intervention or you just aren't at the point that your skill level can take advantage (which is totally normal until you are at a pretty top level).